2017 Ford Ranger XLT review
The Ford Ranger XLT has long been our top pick in Australia’s booming 4x4 ute market, thanks to its unrivalled blend of safety equipment, car-like driving abilities and tough looks.
The general public seems to agree, given the Ranger has overtaken the mighty Toyota HiLux as Australia's top-selling 4x4 light commercial in 2016, with 28,009 sales to the end of November (up a whopping 32.6 per cent).
Reinforcing its status as the ‘truck’ to beat, the Australian-designed and engineered Ford recently picked up a range of updates including the Sync 3 infotainment system and a much-needed reversing camera.
But with the Volkswagen Amarok V6 and a revised Series II Nissan Navara ST-X on the loose, and the redesigned and re-engineered Holden Colorado finally delivering the goods, the lone Ranger now has a surfeit of company among the market's best 'lifestyle' utes.
What does lifestyle mean in this context? Well, at $57,615 plus on-road costs as tested, the Ranger is no simple workhorse. It's a statement car for weekend warriors, bought with the heart as much as the brain. Ford says an amazing 62 per cent of Rangers sold are the XLT or the even more primo Wildtrak.
Under the bonnet it's a familiar story, a 3.2-litre turbo-diesel five-cylinder with 147kW at 3000rpm and 470Nm between 1750 and 2500rpm that's at the pointy end of the class, but which has less pulling power than the Colorado and Amarok V6. Claimed fuel use of 9.0L/100km is ambitious, with our drive yielding 10 per cent over. The tank is 80L.
On a side note, small updates for the MY17 Ranger now mean the engine meets Euro 5 emissions requirements.
