New Ranger rolls out of Pretoria

Investments of more than R3 billion and 18 months of upgrades to the Ford Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria have paid off as the new Ford Ranger has begun to roll out of the plant.

The Silverton plant produces the Ranger for local and export consumption and the 2019 model offers substantial upgrades over its predecessor. It boasts a new powertrain with more power and greater fuel efficiency, enhanced refinement and more advanced technologies.

While it may look similar, under the bonnet sits one of two all-new 2,0-litre diesel engines that are produced at Ford’s Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth.

In certain top-end models, the 2.0 Bi-Turbo diesel engines will produce 157 kW power and 500 Nm of torque – up 10 kW and 30 Nm compared with the current 3.2 TDCi. This unit is claimed to also deliver up to nine-percent better fuel efficiency when combined with the new ten-speed automatic transmission.

At the other end of the scale sits the 2.0 Single Turbo version of this new engine, producing 132 kW and 420 Nm of torque. It is mated to the same ten-speed transmission.

Some models will retain the current 2,2- and 3,2-litre Duratorq TDCi engines and gearbox options.

Along with fresh design cues, range-topping Ranger models will offer safety features including Pre-Collision Assist and Active Park Assist.

Excitingly, the lauded Ranger Raptor will also be produced and introduced locally and will go on sale in the second quarter of the year.

“The 2019 Ford Ranger goes on sale in the coming months, and we are confident it will once again set the benchmark in the extremely competitive pickup segment,” comments Neale Hill, MD of Ford Motor Company Sub-Saharan Africa Region.