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I love big things: All New Ford Ranger

I love road trips, site seeing and big cars. And thanks to Ford I had all of that in one day. Ford invited a bunch of journalist to test drive their new Ford Ranger on the beautiful terrains of Mpumalanga.





We got off our chartered plane, short introductions, were given keys and the driving began. Luckily my driving partner Katleho Khoaele from Move! magazine was not keen on driving much so guess who was in control most of the time. *big smile*

The first Ranger we drove was the Wildtrack double cab, which is their special-edition 3.2-litre with 18-inch wheels, heated leather seats with eight electric adjustments and rain-sensing wipers. The flashy orange paint job with silver exterior bling made it feel it was specially made for my sexy crazy self. I felt so in charge. I’ll be honest I was a bit worried that the car would over-whelm my driving skills but it didn’t.

When you are inside the Ranger you forget about its size and it feels like you are in a Sudan. The two gear levers that I’d always see in other bakkies are not there. You have one lever and when you want to do the off road fancy stuff, there is an electronically controlled transfer case where you can change from a 4x2 to 4x4 anytime via a little knob. Gone are the days when these bakkies looked mechanical and unsexy inside.

We arrived at our first location for an off-road experience. I’m all keen for a challenge but what I’ve seen as “off-road” driving was not something I was ready to do on my lone-some self. Luckily they had experienced off road drivers ready to show us some tricks. And some tricks it performed. At some point we were going up a very steep hill.
You can just press on Decent Control when going down a steep hill and the car takes control. You let go of all pedals and this bull of a car shows you why it’s not just an average car.

In terms of safety, the Ranger’s muscular, bold architecture is not only for its sexy appeal but safety as well. It’s built in such a way that should you decide to bull-doze a pedestrian the impact won’t be as severe. The hood will absorb the impact of the head. And the airbags react faster. In terms of space; there is plenty. The back seat has plenty of leg room and comfortability. Oh and the glove box is big enough to fit a 15inch laptop. I like!

We drove to Elephant Whisper. 

For this stretch of the road in a blue 2.2xl bakkie. Very fitting that we went to check out elephants because the rides we were rolling in are beasts on their own. Got to feel an elephant’s skin, up-close. That was a great experience. And from there we went to our sleeping nest. And Katli and I were assigned a 3.2lt 4X4 automatic.

Let it be noted I don’t like automatic cars! I feel like it takes away the whole experience of driving. I love chatting to my car and when I change gears manually, it is how the communication happens. Now driving an automatic just feels so uninspired. It feels like I’m an ungrateful slave master. We arrived at at Casterbridge Hollow Boutiquesl.
It was great. I will not divulge further what happens when a bunch of journalist are fed and provided with a very open bar. The next morning, driving back to the airport in the 2.2xls Double Cab was…well a burden, nothing to do with the car but everything to do with the night before.  

 Thanks to Ford SA for some of the pics on this Blog! Whoop whoop!

Comments

  1. Molemo Nemo...15 November 2011 at 12:49

    WOW!!!!! U r doin so well 4 urself gurl... M proud of u n congradulations. Keep da flag flyin high!!! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous16 November 2011 at 12:39

    Go girl! Your mom gave you wings keep flying.

    The day we got lost inside the Krugerpark you were laughing from the back seat when it was getting dark and I had to drive at high speed risking our lifes under the dark skys. With full bright not knowing what will happen if we come across big animals instead we saw something like a river and we were compelled to u-turn because we were not certain whether we will be drowning ourselves in a sedan. I am happy that you were taking notes and realised the a 4X4 is the way to go. Mani Molefe

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lesego Maja4 January 2012 at 23:48

    I lobe love love. (two thumbs and two big toes up)

    ReplyDelete
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    you've a great readers' base already!

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    ReplyDelete
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