Ford will launch a more rugged Super Duty version of its Ranger one-tonne bakkie in South Africa next year.
Designed in collaboration with customers and built in Thailand, it is a bigger and tougher bakkie with enhanced towing, carrying and off-road capability for consumers such as emergency service operators, farmers, forestry workers and miners.
Ford is not able to confirm any vehicle specifications as yet and will share additional details closer to local introduction.
However, according to Ford Australia, where the vehicle was unveiled last year, it has a reinforced chassis, underbody protection, a wider track, a ground clearance up to 299mm and a tow rating increased to 4.5 tonnes — 1.5 tonnes more than the regular Ranger. It also has a 4.5-tonne GVM, an 850mm wading depth and a 3.0l V6 diesel engine.
The enhanced capability will give owners the flexibility they need to get big jobs done, with the confidence of a factory-backed warranty, said Neale Hill, president of Africa operations.
For adventure enthusiasts, the Ranger Super Duty is designed to traverse extreme terrains and tow large caravans to the most remote corners.
Developed by Ford’s international markets group product development team, the Ranger Super Duty will be offered in double cab and single cab configurations.
Hill said Ford will work closely with customers as well as vehicle modifiers through the Ford Pro converter programme to ensure the Ranger Super Duty is configured for the needs of South African consumers.
With Ford Pro, customers can work with their preferred dealer to adapt their Super Duty to suit their specific industry or personal requirements, be it adding a bulletproof conversion or adapting the load bed for a specific use case, he added.
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