Endearingly Awful - 2009 Ford Ranger XL 4x4 TDCi
Like James May's Fiat Panda, there's an unconventional appeal to this vehicle
My first car was a 1996 Holden Rodeo 4WD turbo diesel. I inherited from my dad and I drove it for two years until it was tragically written off.
In two years Rodeo wormed its way into my heart and left me with an appreciation for the more humble vehicles out there. I learned to drift with it, and how to heel and toe downshift. I raced my mates, laid the odd number 11, bragged about my turbo engine, basically did what teenage car enthusiast with their first car.
4WD utes have all become noticeably bigger and heavier since 1996. They've also become rather more refined with varying degrees of success. Through work I’ve driven or ridden in a number of There’s the clunky and ponderous Mitsubishi Triton, the civilised but enormous Holden Colorado and the Toyota Hilux, which was like having your spine jack hammered. The T6 Ford Ranger 5 cylinder stands head and shoulders above the others. It’s nowhere near as good as a car. It’s not even as good as a 4WD wagon, I drove my dad’s new Holden Trailblazer last weekend and was very impressed by how comfortable and planted it was. But the T6 Ranger 3.2L 5 cylinder is outstanding for a 4WD vehicle with a one tonne payload and 3.5 tonne towing capacity. The 2.2 four cylinder version is slow and whiny.
Which leads me to “my” 2009 Ford Ranger XL 4x4 TDCi. Long name. It's a work vehicle that I share with three or so other regular drivers. I tend to drive it most. Because I ride to work, there some are weeks where I spend more time driving the Ranger more than my own Falcon. This means that over the last 18 months or so I've become very acquainted with it. More than enough to write a review.
Climbing inside, you're greeted by not much. It's unfathomable that it was made by the same company as my Falcon in the same year. There is carpet, but it's so thin it might as well be painted on. There's no USB port, you have to make do with an AUX jack. There is air conditioning, but the first three speeds do very little while the fourth speed sounds like a jet engine taking off. A Mondeo driver I know has informed me that this is something all Fords without climate control from that era do. It has got cruise control. I think it was a dealer fitted option. There's a 2010 Ranger at work and it's cruise control light has been installed in a different spot. The light in “mine” has been smashed in and the stalk on the steering column is somewhat unresponsive so engaging it can take some persevering. You press the button then push the stalk down three times and hope that the accelerator falls away from your foot.
Cabin space is tight, especially considering its 5.17 metre length. The back seat isn't appropriate for adults on long trips. The combination of a low seat and not much knee room means your knees will be elevated and rubbing the front seat. Up front, the lack of width means I can have both hands on the wheel and my right elbow out the window. Getting comfortable may be a challenge for some. The steering wheel has tilt adjustment but not reach, the seats are not height adjustable and the seat back angle is only adjustable to fixed positions.
Built in 2009, but feels more like 1999 inside
As I mentioned earlier, this particular Ranger is the XL 4x4 TDCi. That means it has a Mazda 3.0L turbo diesel four cylinder that produced 115kW and 380Nm when it was new. Its since spent nine years as a company car, so It probably lost a bit since then. It's not a lot of power to move 1,897kg plus the driver and the various tools that are permanently stored in the tray. On any given day it weighs more than two tonnes. 0-100km/h takes a while. Foot flat to the floor, the front end gets light and the engine roars but forward motion is underwhelming. There was even one time where with two passengers on board I couldn't maintain 100km/h going flat out up an overpass. The five speed auto is absolutely not the last word in smoothness, but it does the job and will hold onto gears when you put your foot down.
Around town, however, it actually feels quite lively. That's most likely down to the bare bones, interior, wayward handling and considerable noise. If you've ever driven a crap car or even listened to James May talk about the Fiat Panda, you'll know what I'm on about. Because its threshold for grip is so low, it always feels right on the edge just keeping up with traffic. A live rear axle, leaf springs, front heavy weight distribution and a high centre of gravity combine to give dreadful ride and handling characteristics. Never trail brake a Ranger. Brake straight, coast into the turn and get on the power after the apex. Any other approach will result in frightening levels of understeer and body roll. Rear brakes are drums so stopping distances can take some getting used to. It's a car that makes you drive it properly. Drive in a sloppy manner and it will respond in a sloppy manner.
The driving experience is what makes it so much more appealing than the latest 4WD utes. They've all become much more comfortable and quiet, and gained a lot of weight in the process. I've driven the new Ranger a fair bit too and it's rather dull. Objectively better, I know, but dull. And no new ute I've driven comes anywhere near matching a car for refinement. They're in a no man's land between entertainingly shit and a genuinely good daily driver. The old Ranger falls into the latter category.
It's had a hard life, this Ranger, and it shows. The roof is dented, there's spray paint in the tub and running down the tow bar, a yellow scuff mark on the rear bumper from a scrape with the office building (the canopy makes it impossible to see out the back of), the carpet's torn and several dents in the doors. The check engine light also randomly comes on and goes away due to an electrical fault that is yet to be addressed. Rental cars may have a hard time, but fleet utes don't get much better treatment.
I've also had some experience with the manual version. The manual is certainly the better gearbox for the Ranger. The long throw shifter suits its old-school nature better than the auto and it extracts more of the engine’s precious little power.
The 2009 Ford Ranger XL 4x4 possesses many of the qualities of my old Rodeo. It’s slow, noisy, uncomfortable, cramped, cumbersome, impossible to see out of and poorly equipped. I love it.
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Comments (2)
Hi congratulations - your post has been selected by DriveTribe reviews Ambassador for promotion on the DriveTribe homepage.
Brilliantly written. Feelings of affection for the car evolved inside of me while reading. Thanks for posting!