The Thunder is a special edition vehicle based on the popular Ranger Wildtrak, and although the range-topping Wildtrak is kitted to the brim with fancies and luxury features, the new boy sports even more nice-to-have equipment.
In theory then, the Ranger Thunder should be the ultimate leisure bakkie, a ‘turnkey’ offering as the estate agents like to call something ready for the buyer to just open the door and go…
To see how well the Thunder performs as a leisure vehicle, Autodealer took it to Cape Vidal.
Open road machine
Ford didn’t tinker under the bonnet when putting the Thunder together, so it runs on the same 2.0-litre diesel with its two inline turbo chargers as the Wildtrak.
And, as Wildtrak owners will tell you, 157kW and 500Nm are more than enough to make highway travelling a breeze, even on a busy national freeway like the N2 north.
The 10-speed gearbox knows exactly where the right gear is at all times and is quick to shift down when overtaking trucks on dilapidated taxis.
However, going through the busy town of Mtubatuba on a Saturday morning, the 10-speed box did tend to shift up too quickly, thus subduing the engine a bit and taking away some of the urge needed to get quickly out of the blocks at intersections.
But, it’s a case of give and take, and while a livelier powertrain would’ve been better in some situations, the wide range of gears make for very good fuel economy with the needle not having moved after almost 100km.
The Thunder also made for comfortable cruising on the bumpy road through Dukuduku Forest, the Ford’s suspension soaking up all but the worst imperfections and the big wheels not scared of hitting potholes.
Also, being in a big and powerful double-cab bakkie, gives one a sense of security, and that’s important because the road through Dukuduku is not known for being the most peaceful part of Zululand.
The numerous burn marks across the tar are evidence of the many unrests that happened there in the past.
On the 30km stretch between St Lucia and Cape Vidal, inside the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the Ranger Thunder almost met its demise as a bull elephant wanted a closer look at the bakkie and didn’t like the engine challenging his authority. The bi-turbo diesel’s 157kW was enough for a quick getaway but, if you really need to get going fast, then best to make use of the 10-speed box’s manual shifting function.
Luxury drive
After a day’s diving, all wet gear and sandy towels could just be chucked onto the back, so no need to dirty the leather covered interior with sand and other nasties.
The Thunder comes standard with a lockable roller shutter covering for the bin, and the bakkie’s tailgate also locks when you push the central locking button on the key fob, so expensive equipment is safe once stowed. After a whole day at the ocean, driving back home was a pleasure with all the onboard luxury features. Cruise control helped a lot to make the trip less tiresome and the heated seats worked wonders on bodies that were cold to the bone from many hours in the water.
Halfway back the Thunder’s driver assist software even suggested a coffee break because it detected ‘driver fatigue’, so you can say the bakkie was looking after us. And while not always possible to stop for a rest, such a warning from a vehicle doesn’t go unnoticed. It does a great job of reminding you that you had a long day and must therefore guard against getting all foggy behind the wheel. After all, you do want to arrive home in one piece and if the vehicle you’re driving can help you to do so, it’s not a bad thing.
Everything about and inside the Ranger Thunder works together to make the bakkie comfortable and safe for a family, that’s why more and more people are starting to use these big luxury double cabs instead of sedans.
Verdict
At R757 300 for the 4×2 version and R811 800 for the 4×4, the Ranger Thunder is not cheap, but with its unique, muscle car grille (inspired by that of the Mustang), and extras like the roller shutter, it’s not a bad buy because there’s nothing else to add to the bakkie in order to make it the perfect leisure vehicle.
And with luxury features comparable to those of premium sedans, a vast array of safety tech, space inside and the practicality offered by the bin in the rear, the Thunder is all the leisure double-cab you will ever need.
