THERE WILL BE MUD
Ray_Leathern & Gareth Dean
GarethD_CARmag
Petridish_Mooks
It’s 10 double cabs engaged in a game of turbodiesel top trumps. Who will walk away with the accolade of South Africa’s best double-cab bakkie? The next 29 pages will reveal all…
Our go-to bakkie expert
With decades of invaluable off-roading experience, Gerhard Groenewald, the owner of Klipbokkop Mountain Reserve and a legend in 4x4ing circles, is our off-road expert. He’s also the mastermind behind some of the more stringent tests you’re going to read about…
FORD RANGER
2,0 SiT 4x4 XLT FX4 10 AT
Eagle-eyed readers may have spotted a definite numerical motif attached to the Ranger’s inclusion in this year’s Bakkie Shootout. Enjoying its tenth year on the SA market and possessed of Ford’s latest 10-speed transmission, it joins CAR’s biggest double-cab comparative test to date as one of 10 such models currently available locally.
Most poignant of all, however, is that the single-turbo 4x4 XLT FX4 featured here was also our pick of an extensive Ranger litter that’s netted the Top 12 Best Buys award for… you guessed it… the tenth consecutive year. That’s not why it’s wearing number one, mind. It’s simply alphabetical order.
We’re big fans of the Ranger – something that’s garnered agreement and criticism in equal measure from the public on many occasions – but we feel the praise is justified when looking at just how well resolved a product Ford’s double cab is. While it may not possess the biturbo’s outright low-end grunt, the single-blower is still a gutsy and (by double-cab standards) refined unit, thanks to the added flexibility its smooth 10-speed auto ‘box affords. In both the Ranger and Amarok’s cases, the term “car-like” has been wheeled out almost ad nauseum. However, from the solidly constructed and ergonomically well-thought-out cabin to on-road handling and ride characteristics that have rightly seen it draw comparisons with some SUVs, it’s nonetheless fitting. In addition to such features as the intuitive SYNC3 infotainment system, dual-zone climate control and keyless ignition and access, this model’s FX4 designation ushers
