Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 Bi Turbo Review: A Bakkie with a Big Personality

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The next generation Ford Ranger is here, with a new look and new capabilities designed to ensure the ultimate flex on the roads. This newest iteration of the much-loved bakkie promises to build on the success of the Ranger name in South Africa, offering South African consumers a vehicle with so much more to love, both inside and out. With this year’s line-up of Rangers, Ford says it is giving fans a host of improvements; including improved performance capability, technology, safety and the entire driving and ownership experience.

The brand says customer input was key to developing this Ranger’s rugged new look, as it set out to design the toughest and most capable Ranger ever created. With that in mind; I got behind the wheel of the Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 Bi Turbo to see if living the Ranger life is all it’s cracked up to be.

Test driving the Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 Bi Turbo

Firing up the new Ranger for the first time, it’s clear that this is a car with a big personality. It looks and feels bigger and better than any Ranger before it. Parked alongside the new-look Ranger, with its upgraded chassis riding on a wheelbase 50mm longer and a track 50mm wider than the prior Ranger, competitors on the market pale in comparison. If you’re into big cars, then you’re going to love this bakkie.

Due to its size, the new Ford Ranger thrives on the open road and in the great outdoors. It’s not the easiest car to navigate around the inner city and shopping malls, but if you’re fine with always having to look for an appropriate parking spot and relying on the parking sensors and camera to navigate your way around smaller spaces, then you’ll have no problem fitting the 2023 Ford Ranger into your life.

Other small driver and handling assists, like Pre-Collision Assist, Post-Collision Braking, Blind Spot Information System and Lane Keeping System with Road Edge Detection, also go a long way to making the Ranger an easier drive. The tech built into the vehicle makes it a pleasure to drive whether you’re popping to the shops or hitting the open road. No matter your experience level, having these little driving aides is a comforting add-on.

Tech features aside, the Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 Bi Turbo is supremely fun to drive. Even if you’re on the open road and have cruise control locked in, this bakkie has an undeniable sense of fun and adventure. You’ll find yourself looking for any excuse to hit the road when you have this vehicle parked in your driveway, so it’s the perfect bakkie for anyone who loves to explore.

A sense of adventure

Ford had a tall order to fulfill when designing the new Ranger bakkie. With a really wide spectrum of customers to service, the Ranger is expected to be everything for everyone. While that may sound like a recipe for disaster, fortunately, Ford was up to the task and the result is a bakkie that delivers on all fronts. The Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 Bi Turbo ticks all the boxes — it’s a workhorse for small business owners, a capable, rugged adventure vehicle for 4×4 enthusiasts, and it boasts the comfort and refinement expected from luxury SUVs looking to upgrade to a more versatile vehicle.

When it comes to off-road performance, Ford has made some practical upgrades to the new Ranger to ensure it shines even brighter when tackling tough terrain. The Ford engineers moved the front wheels forward by 50mm for a better approach angle, and outboard for better off-road articulation. They also shifted the rear suspension dampers outboard of the frame rails to give drivers and passengers a better ride both on- and off-road, no matter if they’re carrying heavy cargo for work, or just taking the family out for dinner.

The version I drove had a monstrous 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo in-line four-cylinder diesel engine, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, under the hood. The XLT Double Cab derivative offers the choice of 4×2 or 4×4 drivetrains. The vehicle’s four-wheel drive system boasts an electronic shift-on-the-fly system making conquering tough terrain even more fun. Ford says the 2.0L Bi-Turbo engine is a more “sophisticated”, performance variant for customers who want more power matched to good fuel economy, and I highly recommend opting for this variant if your budget allows.

A luxury drive

As always, Ford’s new Ranger delivers on expectations for a luxury interior. Inside the cabin, you’ll get premium plush materials, ultra-comfortable seats, plenty of legroom, and a prominent centre touchscreen entertainment system.

Ford says the new Ranger’s interior features were also created to lend to the customer-focused cockpit that caters to both work and family duties. The car is fully kitted with functional storage options for drinks, keys, snacks, files, folders — you name it. A large centre console bin makes stashing things super easy and there’s even a dedicated space to store your phone and charge it wirelessly (optional on XLT). In addition, the door pockets are designed to carry more, the wide dash conceals an upper glovebox and there are storage bins under and behind the rear seats.

Plus, the designers have crammed in a high level of well-integrated technology to make your life easier. The heart of the Next-Gen Ranger’s connected experience is the large 10.1-inch touchscreen in the centre stack (orientated in a portrait layout, so you feel like you’re using a tablet). It complements the fully digital instrument panel and is loaded with Ford’s latest SYNC 4A system that includes voice-activated communications, entertainment and information systems.

Additionally, there’s an embedded factory-fitted modem across the range, allowing connectivity on the go when linked with the FordPass App, so customers can stay connected to their world. FordPass enhances the ownership experience with features like remote start, vehicle status check and health alerts, digital owner’s manual and remote lock and unlock functions via your mobile device.

Small improvements for a big impact

But, it’s not just the interior that has clever design upgrades. Ford consulted Ranger drivers on its upgrades to the exterior design features as well. The result is a new-look Ranger that is built to do more with better access, and more functional space.

Visually, this new Ranger is quite the looker. It stands apart from previous models with visual upgrades that will turn heads. The new Ford Ranger has a bold and confident design with upgrades like a defined new grille, signature C-clamp headlight treatment at the front, and a subtle shoulder line down the sides that incorporate bolder wheel-arches.

It’s also a more functional vehicle. For example, upon observing current Ranger owners interacting with the vehicles, the design team added an integrated side-step behind the rear wheels of the new generation Ranger, to create a strong, more stable way for Ranger owners to access the box.

This small design feature truly does make all the difference when you’re having to jump off and on the vehicle to load or unload items you’re carting around. The Ranger team worked to ensure that a wider variety of cargo could fit and stay secure in the load box, which is where widening of the vehicle by 50mm came in. It may sound like a small adjustment, but this additional space facilitates even greater load-hauling versatility, as the new Ranger can carry a full-size pallet.

Other thoughtful, customer-focused touches include a new, rubber-like spray-in bedliner on the XLT series (optional on Base and XL models) that helps protect the load bed from scratches, and customers can also opt for extra cargo tie-down points that provide convenient points to secure loads. The tailgate can also double as a mobile workbench with an integrated ruler and clamp pockets to measure, grip and cut building materials — a very cool addition for those utilising the Ranger as a work bakkie.

More choice

To allow customers to specify the vehicle according to their unique lifestyles and requirements, Ford says it has developed an extensive range of individual options as well as comprehensive option packs that include design, safety, and convenience features relevant to each model series.

The Next-Gen Ranger enables customers to express their uniqueness by jazzing up their vehicles with a wide range of accessories. With a growing list of over 200 factory-backed adventure, urban and commercial accessories, customers will be able to personalise their Rangers to suit their lifestyle.

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In the higher-specification XLT series, there are four Double Cab models. Customers have the choice of the 125kW 2.0L Single Turbo engine and six-speed automatic, or the 154kW 2.0L Bi-Turbo with 10-speed automatic transmission — both of which are available in 4×2 and 4×4.

Buyers of 4×4 derivatives of the Next-gen Ranger also receive a complimentary hands-on practical 4×4 training course highlighting the respective off-road systems and capabilities in a controlled and safe environment, which is a nice touch by Ford.

Pricing

The Ford Ranger 2.0L BiT Double Cab XLT 4×4 10AT is priced at R782, 100.

If you’re not interested in being the fastest off the mark or don’t need as much power on the road, then you can still enjoy the spoils of the XLT derivative in the 2.0L SiT Double Cab XLT 4×2 6AT at R592, 700. You’ll still get most of the bells and whistles and creature comforts of the XLT, without having to spring for the blow-your-hair-back-power of the Bi-Turbo version or the ultimate luxury of a Wildtrak.

After a few years of being fortunate enough to test drive the Ranger XLT, Wildtrak, and even Raptor derivatives, I can confidently say the Ford Ranger XLT will tick all of the boxes for most people when it comes to experiencing that luxury car feeling. Because let’s be honest, not everyone needs a Turbo engine, and Ford’s base XLT Ranger is enough to keep anyone smiling from ear-to-ear with its out-of-the-box features.

Prices for the rest of the Ford Ranger line-up are listed below:

Base

2.0L SiT Double Cab 4×2 6MT — R486,000
2.0L SiT Double Cab 4×4 6MT — R528,600

2.0L SiT Double Cab XL 4×2 6MT — R529,900
2.0L SiT Double Cab XL 4×2 6AT — R544,400
2.0L SiT Double Cab XL 4×4 6MT — R607,300
2.0L SiT Double Cab XL 4×4 6AT — R621,900

XLT

2.0L SiT Double Cab XLT 4×2 6AT — R592,700
2.0L SiT Double Cab XLT 4×4 6AT — R669,800
2.0L BiT Double Cab XLT 4×2 10AT — R702,300
2.0L BiT Double Cab XLT 4×4 10AT — R782,100

Wildtrak

2.0L BiT Double Cab Wildtrak 4×2 10AT — R778,300
2.0L BiT Double Cab Wildtrak 4×4 10AT — R867,700
3.0L V6 Double Cab Wildtrak 4WD 10AT — R953,500

Included as standard is a four-year/120,000km warranty, four-year/unlimited distance Roadside Assistance and five-year/unlimited distance corrosion warranty. The recommended service interval is 15,000km or annually, whichever occurs first.

Customers have the option of purchasing service or maintenance plans for up to eight years or 165,000km. The warranty can be extended up to seven years or 200,000km, while the Roadside Assistance can be extended for an additional one or two years.

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Images credited in this post were shot using the new Oppo Reno10 Pro+ 5G smartphone. If there was ever a case for a smartphone that compels you to ditch your traditional point-and-shoot camera or DSLR, it’s the new Oppo Reno10 Pro+ 5G. This flagship device from Oppo features a 6.74-inch AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 chipset, 16GBs of RAM, 256GBs of storage, a 64MP telephoto camera, and a 4,700mAh battery with 100W Supervooc charging. Read our full review of the smartphone here.