The Ford Ranger (T6) Thread

Here’s how the new Ford Ranger will look in lower-spec (and Super Cab) formats

When the new Ford Ranger was finally revealed to the world in late November, all of the excitement and hype surrounded the flashier double cab versions. And yes, there was a lot to get excited about, from a V6 engine to a fully digitised cabin and many innovative loading solutions.

But in the real world, many Ranger customers will be opting for the lower-spec XL and XLS model variants, and now we get to see what they look like after Ford Australia quietly added them to its Ranger album.

Disclaimer: we don’t know what the final specifications will be for South African versions, but it is likely that our models will resemble what you see here.

The images also show us what the ‘cab-and-a-half’ Super Cab version will look like, which is similar to the current model but with a more upkicked side window.

The single cab Ford Ranger has yet to be revealed, but it’s unlikely to bring any big surprises.

 
cc @dualmeister @Pineapple Smurf @Mortymoose

Ford Ranger manufacturing robot transformed into TFC BBQ braai master

There’s a new braai (or barbeque) master at Ford South Africa’s Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria. Ford however, says that you should not expect a reply when you tell him how well you want your meat done.

That’s because TCF BBQ, as it’s affectionately known, is a robot. What TCF BBQ (Braai Boerewors Quickly) lacks in communication, it more than makes up for in speed. With a capability to braai 120 pieces of meat in 12 minutes without breaking a sweat, TCF flips and moves grills around with speed and precision as it guarantee its centre of attention position.

The TCF BBQ robot was the result of an internal competition held by Ford South Africa where various departments were encouraged to design something unique using whatever scrap materials and decommissioned tooling they could find and was available at the plant, following the extensive upgrades to the assembly line that took place in 2021.

Inspired by Heritage Day, and local assembly of the Ford Ranger bakkie for domestic sales and over 100 export markets, Claude Roux, Area Manager from the Trim and Chassis and Final (TCF) Line, came up with the ambitious idea of transforming one of the robots into a braai bot. Roux had only one non-negotiable: safety compliance.


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120 pieces of meat in 12 minutes: Ford creates the ultimate braaimaster for bakkie lovers

• Ford SA says its robotic braai represents South Africa's heritage with a modern high-tech twist.

• The programmed robot was salvaged from decommissioned tooling used in the Ford Silverton Assembly Plant and can cook 120 pieces of meat in just 12 minutes.

• A discarded pallet was used for the base, and metal trolleys were converted into braai grills.Who doesn't love a braai? We're pretty sure bakkie-lovers will fancy this braai master for sure. Ford SA has created a robot to braai for you, on a Ranger bakkie!

Move over, Jan Braai; there's a new braai master in town. Ford South Africa's Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria has found the best thing for a braai, since, well, braaivleis. The ultimate braai master can cook 120 pieces of meat in just 12 minutes, but don't expect to get your meat done as requested. You see, the TCF BBQ – as it's affectionately known – is a robot, and there's just one setting to cook your meat.

This is a mouthful, so brace yourself: What do the abbreviations stand for? The Trim and Chassis and Final Line (TCF) Braai Boerewors Quickly (BBQ) has a massive lack in communication, but it more than makes up for it in speeds, says Ford SA. It calmly flips and moves grills around with speed and precision - and is guaranteed to be the centre of attention.

So how did this concept come about?

Ford SA says the TCF BBQ robot resulted from an internal competition where various departments were encouraged to design something unique using whatever scrap materials and decommissioned tooling they could find. It also had to be available at the plant. There were some redundant tools and materials following the extensive upgrades to the assembly line that took place earlier this year.

Inspired by SA's Heritage Day and the local assembly of the Ford Ranger bakkie (or pick-up truck) for domestic sales and over 100 export markets, Claude Roux, Area Manager from the Trim and Chassis and Final (TCF) Line, came up with the ambitious idea of transforming one of the robots into a braai bot.

Roux had only one non-negotiable: safety compliance.

 

2023 Ford Ranger Morphs Into VAG Family of Trucks, Bentley Joins the Work Party - autoevolution​


It has been a while since anyone discussed the FoMoCo and VAG alliance. But with the advent of the 2023 Ford Ranger and the impending arrival of the 2023 Volkswagen Amarok, this partnership is back in fashion.

Bentley

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Seat

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Skoda

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Audi

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Ford reckons this robot is the ultimate braai master

You might consider yourself to be the ultimate braai master this December holiday, but don’t too carried away because Ford South Africa wants to replace you with a machine.

Meet TCF BBQ, whose name stands for Braai Boerewors Quickly, and not that silly word that our overseas counterparts use to refer to the act of braaing. This robot, stationed at Ford SA’s assembly plant in Silverton, Gauteng, might not be able to respond to your ridiculous request for a well-done steak, but it can braai 120 pieces of meat in 12 minutes.

TCF BBQ, which can calmly flip and move grills around with speed and precision, is the result of an internal competition held by Ford SA, where various departments were encouraged to design something unique using whatever scrap materials and decommissioned tooling they could find and was available at the plant.

Inspired by Heritage Day, area line manager Claude Roux came up with the ambitious idea of transforming one of the robots into a braai bot. Roux had only one non-negotiable: safety compliance.

“This was when the innovation and curiosity of that ‘small child’ inside all of us came to life,” explains Roux. “We took our knowledge of braaing and our understanding of manufacturing vehicles and married the two to create a machine with the ability to pick up and manipulate the meat on a grill.

“We decided to use a Fanuc robot that was due to be disposed of during the extensive Silverton Assembly Plant upgrades, along with scrap metal, discarded wood pallets for a base, metal trolleys for braais and a Siemens Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for the controls. We had a qualified electrician, qualified fitter, PLC programmer, and a controls specialist working on it for around four weeks during the plant shutdown,” explains Roux.

https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/indu...i-master-018343f8-d9c7-4522-ba5c-4801ba8563f1

 
6-MONTH TEST: Ford Ranger FX4 hits a sweet spot in the range

VERDICT

The Ford Ranger FX4 provides an economical and good balance between everyday driving, a hard-working bakkie, leisure vehicle and occasional trail rider, and if it was me in the market it would certainly be on top of my list of options.

Ford Ranger 2.0 SiT FX4 4x4 Double Cab

Engine: 2.0-litre, 4-cyl, turbodiesel

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Drive: four-wheel drive

Power: 132kW @ 3500rpm

Torque: 420Nm @ 1750rpm

Fuel use: 7.5 l/100km (claimed)

Fuel use: 9.3 l/100km (tested)

Payload: 1011kg

Towing capacity: 3500kg (braked)

Ground clearance: 237mm

Warranty: 4-year/120 000km

Service plan: 6-year/90 000km

Price: R697 200

 
Comparison test: Nissan Navara PRO-2X vs Ford Ranger Stormtrak

BAKKIE BRAWL: Nissan Navara PRO-2X takes on the Ford Ranger Stormtrak

VALUE AND PARTS PRICING


The Nissan Navara Pro2X retails for R699 000, while the Ford Ranger 2.0 BiT Stormtrak 4x2 commands R775 200. However, the Ranger Wildtrak, which also competes directly with the Pro2X, is priced at R735 000, which still represents a premium over the Navara.

However, when it comes to parts pricing, the Ford wins by a huge margin. Earlier this year the Automobile Association published a parts pricing survey and in the double cab section it listed a Ranger 2.0 single-turbo model and Navara 2.5 LE. The Ranger’s overall parts basket worked out to just 13.6% of its purchase price, while the Navara came last in the pack at 43.7%.

The Navara’s service price parts came in at R11 332, double the Ranger’s R5134 basket and the gap was even wider when it came to body repair parts (R256 929 vs R79 515).

On the flipside, the Ranger no longer has a service plan as standard, while the Navara comes with a six-year/90 000 plan.

VERDICT - JASON

This is a very close call, and there’s a big part of me that wants to declare the Navara as my winner. Its ride quality, lower price tag as well as its fresher design all make it a very appealing package. However, I cannot ignore that the Ranger is likely the best all-rounder when everything is factored in. That’s impressive for an outgoing model.

VERDICT – WILLEM

As with Jason, there’s not much to separate the two, and my vote goes to the Ranger despite coming to the end of its run. I find the interior slightly more appealing with its soft touch surfaces as well as the infotainment system but it’s the bin’s cargo bed divider, roller shutter and more sophisticated engine that pushes its chest out to break the tape.


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A normal Wildtrak 4x4 now costs R31,000 more than what a Raptor cost when it came out just more than 2.5 years ago.

A Raptor basically became R148,000 more expensive in this time frame.
 
A normal Wildtrak 4x4 now costs R31,000 more than what a Raptor cost when it came out just more than 2.5 years ago.

A Raptor basically became R148,000 more expensive in this time frame.
My XLT was R440k in 2017. A new one now nearly R700k when adding the service plan back in. Madness!
 
New Ford Ranger V8 Possible

The new Ford Ranger might gain Mustang V8 power!

Ford’s new Ranger will have a V6 turbodiesel engine. That’s no secret.

But what could be even more interesting is the potential of a V8-powered Ranger.

The current T6 Ranger was going to receive a V8 derivative, but that project never evolved into production maturity. That doesn’t mean the idea has faded into obscurity.

How could a V8 Ranger happen? Thanks to the Bronco, that’s how! Ford has seen tremendous demand for its revived Bronco and a competition-specification version, which uses the brand’s Coyote 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine.

With the Bronco built on an advanced Ranger platform, the proof of concept exists for a V8 double-cab version of Ford’s global bakkie.

Speaking to CarsGuide.com, Trevor Worthington, Ford’s vice-president of global product development, and Mark Rushbook, Ford Performance motorsports global director, alluded to the appeal of a V8 Ranger.

Worthington recognized the parts commonality between Bronco and Ranger. “There is a lot of that Bronco DR that is standard Bronco. And the underpinning of the standard Bronco and the underpinnings of the new Ranger, is the same architecture.”

 
New Ford Ranger could get a V8-powered Raptor R variant, rumours suggest

Those waiting for the new Ford Ranger to go on sale later this year have a lot to look forward to, including new cabin tech and a powerful 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine.

But if the latest rumours are anything to go by, there could also be a Mustang-derived Coyote V8 petrol engine in the works for a Raptor R variant that would likely be an Australian-developed special edition.

Aussie website CarsGuide speculates that such a model could be in the works, having spoken to a few executives that have given positive hints in that regard. This vehicle would inherit most of its bits and pieces from the racing-specification Bronco Desert Racer (DR) that’s produced in Canada.

Ford Performance motorsport boss Mark Rushbook recently told the Australian publication that “there would be a lot that would transfer” between the Bronco DR and a potential Ranger flagship, given that they share a platform.

Furthermore, Ford’s VP of global product development Trevor Worthington reiterated the platform similarities and added this final hint: “25 million people in a country the size of Australia, lots of desert, lots of places to have fun”.

 
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