WATCH: WEEKEND WHEELS: Special Edition Ford Ranger Raptor does its name justice

Last year, I accompanied a colleague up the Breedtsnek pass in Magaliesburg to test the capabilities of a R1-million 4×4 and to see how it could fare against the trail.

It is most commonly used for mountain biking, but the gravel-and-rock trail also offers 4×4 drivers an intermediate to difficult challenge as you navigate your way across the provincial border between Gauteng and North West.

After completing this journey with my co-worker, I was amazed at what we accomplished, and vowed to one day take my family up this pass so they, too, could experience the beauty in our backyard.

After equipping myself with the necessary knowledge on how to use a 4×4 for off-road purposes, I was ready to take my first solo trip up the Breedtsnek pass.

That’s why I was ecstatic when I got the news I would be testing the Ford Ranger Raptor Special Edition. I knew I would finally get to share the splendid views at the top with my wife and kids.

So I got her to prepare us a picnic to have when we reached the top of the mountain and we set off on a very overcast Saturday morning.

At first I was a little nervous the pass would be too muddy and challenging, but once I looked at the Raptor’s spec sheet, I was certain this monster of a 4×4 would accomplish this trip.

Fortunately, when we got to the pass the weather had cleared and I started the short trek up the pass. I just switched the transmission into low range, changed the driving mode to gravel and we were off.

One thing I love about the Raptor is how easy it is to use off-road. Anyone could do it in this special edition Raptor, it’s that easy, especially with the raised suspension which gives you additional ground clearance.

The 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel engine gives the bakkie plenty of power to get going pretty quickly, 157 kW to be exact, but when you do off-roading, you don’t need much speed – although the 500Nm of torque can come in handy on the more challenging rocky sections.

Being a double cab, there was ample space for the kids and granny in the back, but I would prefer if there was possibly more storage space under the back seats. The model comes with a sliding door on the back but sadly this wasn’t waterproof.

The seats were comfortable, clad in Alcantara leather with Raptor logos on the head rests and you could see special attention was given to the dashboard, with red stitching on the seams, as well as the centre console.

The media system was easy to operate and connect to, and although it had integrated voice controls, I would have loved to be able to control the media system using buttons on the steering wheel. Instead, this unit used the touchscreen, paired with voice control.

Overall, this is what I imagine the perfect off-road vehicle to be. It can switch from a road to off-road vehicle in no time. The sheer size of it shows you mean business, as you tower the other cars in traffic.

Over and above that, the ease of use is one of my favourite features. I love the fact that it is so easy to drive such a big vehicle and feel comfortable.

Thanks to this ease of use, I was able to share this special experience with my family, and we were able to make memories that will last forever.