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On Road Driving As mentioned earlier, the 2.5-liter turbodiesel engine produces a class leading 117 bhp at 3500 rpm and 280 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm. Mated to a 5-speed manual, the Ranger produces quick, brisk acceleration numbers. It can take on stoplight duels as well as trips to the North Diversion Road with relative ease. However, don’t expect to carry a light conversation while driving, as the turbo diesel produces enough decibels to make your Aerosmith CD seem like it was your mobile phone ringing in discreet mode. The engine is smooth and efficient, but very rowdy especially once the turbo kicks in at around 2,000-3,000 rpm. Below that, the engine is quite dull and powerless. Switching gears with the Ranger is quite a task at first because of two reasons: it’s a diesel and because of the rubbery transmission system. First of all, for a person who’s very accustomed to driving a manual gasoline car everyday, the diesel responds very differently as more frequent upshifts are needed. (Think about it, you’ll need to shift as early as 2,500-3,000 rpm instead of the usual 4,000 rpm!) Secondly, thanks to the rubbery feel of the manual transmission, it is very hard to gauge if the gear slot into place or you’ll end up crunching into fifth while driving at 100 kilometers per hour, just like what happened to me. In terms of ride comfort, the Ranger doesn’t have any—forget about putting on make-up or driving your morning coffee in this truck, you’ll end up soiling your clothes and ruining your face before you get to the office. The combination of the double wishbone at front and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the back make for very good hauling capabilities, but it makes the ride feel like that of a speedboat churning across choppy water. On the positive note, thanks to the stiff suspension, straight line stability of the Ranger is quite superb with only its boxy stature and low-speed full off-road tires ruining the chance for a good high speed run. Handling is quite adequate for a truck of this height. In fact, it betters the Nissan Frontier when it comes to the small, twisty bits as the Nissan tends to sway more from side-to-side. Steering feedback is quite numb, although it is very nimble and the overall maneuverability quite manageable (if it can fit through the Shangri-La Plaza parking lot easily, then it’s got to be very good). Visibility is quite good especially at the sides and rear; the only weakness is the rather straight-edged hood that requires a bit of neck-stretching to judge right. Brakes are the weakest point of this Ford as it lacks the bite even if the pedal is fully depressed. With such a powerful engine, it should have been obvious that Ford increased the braking power as well, but alas, the vented disc / drum combination will have to do. During our weekend with the Ranger, we had some scary moments because of the lack of braking power. The question to practicality cannot be answered simply. With the Ford Ranger, one has to ask for whom—the passengers or the load? In terms of passenger comfort, the Ranger scores quite poorly especially for the people at the back not so much because of the space, but more of the overall seating position. At front, the seating is quite alright especially with the driver. However, because of the thinly padded seating material, your bottom end will get quite sore after a two-hour stop-and-go traffic situation. Moreover, the plastic piping on the seats increase the cheesiness factor ten fold. At the rear, the seats are too upright and the knee space too cramped. This is no way to treat your friends out on a trip to Tagaytay. Four is quite a squeeze already inside the Ranger, so there’s no way you could fit five for more than an hour around town. On the other hand, thanks to the standard bedliner and easy to use tailgate, the Ford Ranger scores perfect in terms of luggage loading. The bed may not be as large as the Chevrolet Silverado, but it can hold a full piece of plywood and a couple of chairs with ease. |
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