C O V E R     S T O R Y

The wind buffeted even more as the tire noise filled the cabin.  I knew for a fact that this vehicle was being driven at its very limit.  The odometer indicated a mere 3,525 kilometers—pretty young to undergo such a harsh treatment.  The stiff ride sent every single road imperfection straight to my spine and into my brain, registering with great tenacity like hot needles on cold, bare skin.  My pulse quickened as I gripped the gear lever trying to find another gear—I wanted to go faster—I needed another upshift.  To my surprise—that was it.  Only five gears? 

For any normal vehicle, five forward gears would be more than enough, especially given the fact that Manila traffic only requires the first three.  However, it seems that this vehicle had its gearbox designed primarily for pulling power or torque instead of the usual speed-biased automobile.  What we have here, is the performance king of compact pick-ups. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present, the Ford Ranger XLT. 

Introduced in 2000, the Ford Ranger XLT had all the right ingredients to topple the competition: the most powerful diesel engine in its class with 117 bhp at 3500 rpm; looks that echo its F150 bigger brother and a great extended engine warranty (four years if you use Shell oils).  In fact, it sold pretty well in Asia and in Europe, as the Ranger is the best seller in compact pick-ups in Thailand, which is the largest pick-up market outside the United States and it's the bestseller in Britain too.  However, here, it seems to be languishing in third or fourth place. 

Why?  Simple.  Filipinos love good looks, scary but true (just ask Brad Pitt and the Corolla Altis).  Upon its launch, Ford had to redesign the Ranger to make it look more like the F150 through several means including: the front grille, headlight and signal light combination, the badge locations and even the rear area.  Alas, even after it conquered Mount Pinatubo, the Ranger had for its biggest market the utility companies who saw the great sales package but appreciated neither the looks nor the performance. 

Fast forward a year later and Ford finally gets the right scent and decided to facelift the Ranger.  New to the 4x4 XLT are front bull bars, step bars, a streamlined bed design, upgraded wheels and a redesigned rear window.  Beyond the exterior, Ford also managed to tweak the interior bits by adding an upgraded stereo cassette system with single-CD, keyless entry and redesigning the dashboard with better plastic bits.  They also addressed the issue of safety by adding dual airbags (the only one in its class to have it) and limited slip differential.

So…will this redesigned Ford Ranger XLT sell?  Err…sorry to conclude so early, but if Filipino still cared about looks more than anything else, then no.  The Ranger’s perennial rivals, the Nissan Frontier, Mitsubishi L200 XT, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu Fuego also underwent through different metamorphoses, the most extreme of which is the Frontier, where Nissan even added leather seats, wood trim and a 6-disc CD changer as standard.  However, if performance could kill, then no one does it better than the Ford Ranger.

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