Owner
Lance Pawley
Kilometres travelled
50,000 - 75,000 km
Did you buy this car new or used?
New
How much did you pay? (including all on-road costs)
$87,020
What were your needs when you bought this car? Has it fulfilled those needs?
Daily heavy towing for business. From new, this Ute was mostly a pleasure to drive (once Iʼd learnt to navigate the pre-launch setup). There are significant steps to follow for towing, and sadly the car forgets those setups even for a short refuelling stop - so that is frustrating!
What were your initial thoughts about the car? Tell us why it appealed to you.
I ordered this car without viewing it simply on experience with previous Rangers. Purchased simply as a work vehicle with good presentation, my primary purchase goal was towing torque. 1st impressions were positive.
What have you discovered since owning the car?
Some silly oversights and changes from previous model soon became extremely frustrating, such as; No gas struts on hood - back to lift and place in holding rod. If you are shorter than 1.5 itʼs difficult to lift the hood and support it, and get it down again! Hood release in passenger footwell (!!!!!!) No 230vac inverter. No chiller in centre console. Roller shutter switch hidden deep inside tray and frequently blocked by cargo. No hard copy manual - you have to use the touch screen to read which makes searching for items very slow and cumbersome. No onboard memory for setup. Need to reset towing setup every time ignition cycled (like refuelling).
What do you like/dislike about the car?
Good economy and torque for towing. A pleasure to drive long distance. Love the smart cruise control and speed sign recognition - I use it all the time.
Any other comments on the car?
Over 18 years Iʼve had 8 new Rangers of various models. In this time weʼve had 3 total engine failures before 75,000 km. All have been reappeared under warranty and relatively quickly - so while frustrating, at least Ford have supported their product (in my experience).
Reliability
3
Features/technology
4
Performance/economy
5
Value for money
4
Overall rating
4
Lastly, would you buy this vehicle again?
No
Why would/wouldn't you buy it again?
Hoping for good PHEV or full EV alternative SOON! Will thoroughly investigate PHEV Ranger but not committed yet - I have no blind brand loyalty anymore.
