The Ford Ranger Continues to be Popular

The Ford Ranger continues to out sell any other vehicle in New Zealand and only gets pipped out of top spot by the Toyota Hilux in Australia.

It is designed and engineered in Australia and constructed in Thailand. The Ranger has gathered, over the past few years, a passionate and loyal fan base and in recent years has almost single-handedly kept Ford Australia and New Zealand afloat.

In 2019 Ford sold more than 40,000 Rangers in Australia and nearly 10,000 in New Zealand.

The Ranger hasn’t been the greatest in the reliability stakes, especially the PX Ranger that’s been around since 2011 with some early issues around diesel injector leaks, noisy transmission and coolant leaks.

These issues appear to have been addressed by Ford but reports of expensive repairs continue to persist for the Ranger, including major engine and gearbox failures. Some of this could be down to a lack of regular servicing as many Utes work hard for tradies and commercial operators who are reluctant to take their vehicles off the road for any length of time.

The facelifted PX2 which arrived mid 2015, are more expensive to buy second hand but are safer bets and feature better equipment and greater refinement. If you find one with an existing warranty remaining in place, it’s a far safer purchase.

You might want a Ranger for its tough good looks but you’re also buying one of the best all-round one-tonners in a crowded and very competitive market. It’s comfortable enough even without load in the back, it’s also well-equipped and tows up to 3,500kg.

The 3.2L 5-cylinder or later 2.0L twin-turbo 4-cylinder diesel engines are recommended and eager performers.

May 2020