Making off-roading easier: We drive the 'gorgeous' Ford Ranger Tremor
Motoring journo Melinda Ferguson takes a look at South Africa's bakkie market and drives the Ford Ranger Tremor.
Ford Ranger Tremor. Instagram/@melsmacked
Melinda Ferguson joins CapeTalk's Sara-Jayne Makwala King on Car Talk.
This week on Car Talk, motoring journo Melinda Ferguson focuses on South Africa's booming bakkie market, and takes the Ford Ranger Tremor off-road.
One in five vehicles sold in the country are bakkies, with around 130 000 units bought a year.
Ford in particular has been clever in bringing out derivatives, providing a huge range of options for bakkie fans, Ferguson says.
"In trying to keep the customer excited and being able to get all these varieties, Ford are pretty much doing more than any other bakkie manufacturer in the country in terms of having so many options and models available."
Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journalist
After the launch of the Tremor last year, Ford followed up with the Ranger Platinum, a more luxurious version of the double cab.
She describes the Tremor as the more practical model which is more off-road capable.
The 2.0L bi-turbo diesel engine delivers 154 kilowatts of power and 500 newton meters of torque.
It also boasts 10-speed automatic transmission.
In terms of off-road performance, Ferguson highlights the bakkie's full-time four-wheel drive, good ground clearance and different drive modes which include tow/haul, mud/ruts and eco.
"These are all things that make off-roading so much easier."
Melinda Ferguson, Motoring Journo
While the vinyl floor gives a less luxurious feel than the Platinum, this utilitarian finish does make cleaning really easy, particularly in the case of drivers who have animals, she says.
The Ford Ranger Tremor comes in under R1 million, at R977 500.
Ferguson gives it a 'solid' eight out of ten rating.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to Ferguson's review (bakkie overview at 6:00 and Tremor at 8:54)