Crying wolf: Ford Ranger Wolftrak ruled-out from prowling South Africa

Ford’s most recent limited edition model based on the outgoing Ranger, the Wolftrak, has officially been given the thumbs down for South Africa after debuting in Europe last year.

Amidst speculation of being introduced following several sightings on car carriers en-route from the Silverton Plant outside Pretoria in recent months, the automaker told The Citizen that the XLT-based Wolftrak, has “not been confirmed for South Africa” as the likely replacement for the FX4.

Revealed alongside the Stormtrak, both were initially classified European only models similar to the Raptor Special Edition (SE) and Thunder, the Tremor and FX2 based on the US-market Ranger and the FX4 Max as well as the Wildtrak X offered in Australia.

Since then, the Thunder and Raptor SE have made it to South Africa followed by the Stromtrak that replaced former last year, while the FX4 returned in 2021 as an appearance package for the XLT rather than representing an off-road focused model as in the case of the US model and F-150.

Ford Motor Company Southern Africa’s decision to offer the Thunder, Raptor SE and Stormtrak in South Africa ignited assumption that the Wolftrak could be availed as the final encore for the current T6 generation Ranger in lieu of new T6.2’s debut later this year.

Setting itself apart from the XLT, the double cab only Wolftrak rides on 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tyres, with the bespoke applique consisting of a matte black grille, a unique colour option called Conquer Grey, a manually sliding loadbed cover and tubular steel sports bar, side steps, special underbody protection, gloss black detailing and blacked-out Wolftrak badges.

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Inside, the changes include a Wolftrak badge on the dashboard, a matte black instrument panel, all-weather floor mats and black door panels.

Unlike the Ranger FX4 and XLT sold in South Africa, the Wolftrak’s eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system boasts integrated satellite navigation that compliments the already available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Up front, the Wolftrak makes do with the single-turbo version of the 2.0-litre Panther turbodiesel engine, which produces 125 kW in Europe as opposed to the 132 kW made by the South African-spec XLT and FX4.

Torque is still pegged at 420 Nm, however, the transmission choices comprise not only the General Motors co-developed ten-speed automatic, but also the six-speed manual as the default option.

As standard, the amount of twist is routed to the rear or all four wheels with no conventional two-wheel-drive model available. Included though is an electronically locking rear differential.

Stickered at a fraction under £30 000 (R609 061) in the United Kingdom, the Ranger Wolftrak would have slotted-in between the XLT and FX4, but as per the Blue Oval’s statement, it will remain a European-only model indefinitely.