The Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux are the best selling vehicles in Australia! So, given how many people buy the Ford Ranger, is it worth adding to your purchase list if you're in the market for a ute/pickup truck/bakkie? Paul Maric reviews the 2020 Ford Ranger FX4 to see if it's worth adding to your test drive list!
Full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2020-ford-ranger-fx4-review
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 01:05
Interior: 03:24
Infotainment: 04:40
Features: 05:55
Practicality: 06:53
On the Road: 09:16
Verdict: 12:49
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
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#ford #review #ranger #rangerfx4 #fx4 #fordranger @ford @fordofaustralia
Full review: https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-reviews/2020-ford-ranger-fx4-review
Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior: 01:05
Interior: 03:24
Infotainment: 04:40
Features: 05:55
Practicality: 06:53
On the Road: 09:16
Verdict: 12:49
We review every new car on the market, bust car myths, cover the latest car tech and answer your burning questions.
Whether you need new car advice, purchase validation or simply love learning more about new cars and technology, we are your car experts.
Subscribe to Car Expert: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DvMhvy3H7ntEgn9n3xQcQ?sub_confirmation=1
You'll find us dropping new video content three times a week. If you'd like to ask a question about one of our videos, simply leave us a comment. If you'd like to give us any feedback on our content, feel free to email us, or alternatively, hit us up on social media.
Finally, we want this channel to grow with your support and feedback. If there's anything you don't like or would like to see us change, we'd love to hear from you!
Follow us on social media to see what we're up to and to ask any questions!
CarExpert:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarExpertAus
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/CarExpertAus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carexpert.com.au
Paul Maric:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulMaric
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/PaulMaric
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulMaric
#ford #review #ranger #rangerfx4 #fx4 #fordranger @ford @fordofaustralia
Category
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MotorTranscript
00:00 G'day, I'm Paul.
00:01 Behind me is a ute.
00:02 It is the Ford Ranger.
00:03 What's a ute?
00:04 You know, Australians, we love to shorten everything.
00:06 It's a utility.
00:06 So we call it a ute.
00:07 In other markets, you'd call it a pickup truck, a truck,
00:10 or if you're in South Africa, a backy.
00:12 There's all these sorts of different names for them.
00:14 But in Australia, the Toyota Hilux and the Ford Ranger
00:16 are two of the best selling cars every single year.
00:19 In the States, the F-150 is often the best selling car as well.
00:23 So people have an affinity with dual cab utes
00:26 because they can work and then play.
00:28 This one here is called the Ford Ranger FX4.
00:31 It's a special edition of the Ranger.
00:33 It kicks off from just over $63,000.
00:36 So it's getting right up there in terms of pricing,
00:39 but it comes with all these bells and whistles
00:40 that I'm going to run you through.
00:41 Today, we're going to do a detailed review,
00:43 but we're not going to do any off-roading or towing.
00:45 It is just what this car is like to live with
00:47 as a daily driver.
00:49 Now, if you are impatient,
00:50 you can skip ahead to other parts of this review
00:52 by using the time codes on the screen,
00:54 or if you're on YouTube, just use the chapters below.
00:57 And if you haven't done so already,
00:58 I'd love it if you could hit subscribe
01:00 and also press the bell icon.
01:01 That'll tell you every single time we drive something new.
01:04 Let's talk exterior.
01:06 The FX4 comes in five different colours
01:09 and all but white and red, a $650 extra.
01:13 Have a look at this.
01:13 So FX4 comes with a stack of these black highlights,
01:16 but I quite like what Ford's done here.
01:17 The Ranger looks really tough.
01:19 Ever since this car was released on the T6 platform,
01:22 it's always had that sort of gruff appearance to it.
01:24 And it doesn't look as soft as some utes in this segment.
01:27 I love what they've done here with the grille.
01:29 If you run your hands along that,
01:30 that's got some nice sharp edges to it.
01:32 Then you have a couple of intakes on the side here.
01:34 And then a big gaping grille down the bottom.
01:36 You get front and rear parking sensors.
01:38 And let's look at some of the off-road specs.
01:40 800 millimetres of wading depth.
01:42 So that is the depth you can reach with water
01:44 before you start touching any electronics
01:46 or parts that don't like water.
01:48 You have an approach angle of 29 degrees.
01:50 That is the angle of the face you can approach
01:52 with the front of the car before you hit anything.
01:54 A departure angle of 21 degrees.
01:56 And that makes this a pretty serious off-roader
01:59 in addition to that rear differential lock.
02:01 Let's talk headlights.
02:02 Full LED headlights with LED daytime running lights.
02:05 You've got fog lamps tucked in under there.
02:07 And then come around the side of the car.
02:09 Down here, you've got 18-inch alloy wheels.
02:12 This is the 3.2-litre.
02:13 So the engine that you have changes the badge
02:16 on the side here.
02:17 You have a two-litre available as well.
02:18 This is the 3.2.
02:19 Black highlights here.
02:20 More black.
02:21 You get the FX4 sign writing on the side of the car.
02:25 Some sidesteps there.
02:27 Come around to the back.
02:28 A big old roll bar there as well for the FX4.
02:31 Another FX4 badge.
02:32 This one's 3D as well.
02:34 It sticks out.
02:34 Looks pretty cool.
02:36 Down here, tow bar.
02:36 3,500 kilograms of braked towing capacity.
02:40 And I love this.
02:42 So, normal tray.
02:43 But what they've installed in here
02:45 as part of the Ranger update is,
02:47 it's a torsion bar effectively
02:48 so that when you close it,
02:49 instead of having to put a lot of effort into closing this,
02:51 you can literally lift it with one finger
02:54 and then shut it.
02:55 So, pretty impressive setup there.
02:57 What about load space?
02:58 You've got just under 1,550 millimetres of load length,
03:02 just over 1,550 millimetres of load width.
03:05 And then in between the wheel arches,
03:06 you have a little over 1,100 millimetres of space.
03:09 And then to top it all off, 993 kilograms of payload.
03:13 So it's just under one tonne.
03:15 Plus you've also got two cup holders
03:17 required for those dare ice coffee drinks.
03:19 Over here, you've got hooks, a 12 volt outlet,
03:22 and then lights built into the bar.
03:24 So we're inside the Ford Ranger.
03:25 And while this model has been out for a little while now,
03:28 Ford has progressively updated the interior
03:31 to keep it looking nice and modern.
03:32 You may remember when the first T6 Ranger came out,
03:34 it had that poxy little screen up the top there
03:36 and it just looked ridiculous.
03:37 So fast forward to today,
03:39 and they've really done a good job
03:40 with getting soft touch plastics
03:42 and soft touch materials in the car.
03:44 I'm gonna test that in a second.
03:45 And just making it look nice and passenger car like.
03:49 It doesn't feel like you're in a work office.
03:51 This feels like you're in a car,
03:53 but you can use it for work as well.
03:55 So how soft is the soft touch material around the car?
03:58 We have a durometer, which is a hardness tester.
04:00 This is just something we use for fun
04:02 because motoring journalists always go on
04:03 about soft touch materials.
04:05 So we wanna put a number against it.
04:07 It measures from zero to 100,
04:08 where zero is soft and 100 is hard.
04:10 Let's try it out on that dashboard.
04:13 Yeah, it's not bad.
04:14 It's in the 60s there.
04:15 Let's try this centre armrest as well.
04:17 That feels really soft.
04:19 Wow, I haven't seen a car that soft before.
04:22 I wasn't expecting it to be in a dual cab ute.
04:24 So yes, it is presented nicely.
04:25 What about the build quality?
04:28 Look, it actually doesn't feel too bad.
04:29 This is a little bit wonky, but it's not too bad.
04:33 This car's built in Thailand,
04:35 as with most of the dual cab utes
04:36 that are sold in Australia,
04:37 but they tend to all be put together pretty nicely.
04:40 Let's talk infotainment.
04:41 One of the reasons the Ford Ranger
04:42 is so popular with tradies
04:44 and people that live out of their cars for work
04:46 is the infotainment system.
04:48 Ford uses SYNC 3 in the FX4.
04:51 It's an eight-inch screen and it's a colour touchscreen.
04:54 Comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto,
04:56 but it is a wired system.
04:58 It's not wireless.
04:59 I'll show you what that looks like.
05:00 It takes up the entire screen
05:01 and it's quite a nice integration that works really well.
05:04 And then if we jump back to the main infotainment system,
05:06 I'll disconnect CarPlay.
05:08 You have native inbuilt navigation with traffic.
05:10 That works really well.
05:11 It's nice and fast.
05:12 And then you have context menus down the bottom here
05:14 that allow you to switch between audio,
05:16 climate, phone.
05:17 In the audio menu, you have AM, FM,
05:19 DAB plus digital radio built into it.
05:22 And then you have the ability to integrate
05:24 mobile apps into the car.
05:26 Ford is also working on FordPass Connect,
05:28 which allows you to remotely connect to the car.
05:30 That is coming soon.
05:31 And if you are looking to buy a Ford Ranger brand new,
05:34 I would actually hold out until this tech is integrated,
05:37 'cause it means that you'll be able to use your phone
05:39 to remotely start the car
05:40 and check on the car from wherever you are at the time.
05:44 And then in the settings menu,
05:45 you do have a valet mode as well,
05:46 which hides all your recent calls and settings
05:48 and that kind of thing.
05:49 If you do want a more in-depth walkthrough
05:51 of Ford SYNC 3 infotainment system,
05:53 click up here to have a watch of that.
05:55 Okay, let's talk about the other features
05:56 that come standard with the FX4.
05:58 You get dual zone climate control,
06:00 an auto dimming rear vision mirror.
06:02 You get folding side mirrors,
06:04 standard cruise control,
06:05 but you can get radar cruise control
06:07 as part of a tech pack and also a self-parking function.
06:11 And then you have a voice recognition feature here
06:13 that works really well
06:14 and can also pass commands through to your phone.
06:16 You also get a 12-volt outlet and two USB ports.
06:18 Then ahead of the driver,
06:19 you get two LCD displays on either side of the speedometer
06:23 that display things like your trip computer and warnings.
06:25 Then in terms of four-wheel drive equipment,
06:27 you have a low range transmission,
06:29 you have a rear differential lock, a hill descent control.
06:32 On the safety front, you have autonomous emergency braking
06:34 that detects pedestrians as well.
06:36 There's also a reverse camera with a zoom function
06:38 for connecting a trailer.
06:40 And what does the key look like?
06:41 Here it is.
06:42 You have unlock, lock, a blank button down there.
06:45 And then on the back, you have the Ford logo.
06:48 It's proximity sensing.
06:49 So you keep it in your pocket,
06:50 grab the door handle to unlock it,
06:51 and then push button start.
06:53 How practical is the range?
06:54 And where can you put your phone and other bits and pieces?
06:56 So phone, let's see if it'll fit down the front there.
07:00 Yes, it fits a big phone, which is kind of cool.
07:02 It's almost impossible to get out though.
07:04 I gotta use my little fingers.
07:06 There we go.
07:07 You can also stick it in here too.
07:08 So plenty of places for your phone.
07:10 What about bottles of dear iced coffee?
07:13 You can fit that in there perfectly.
07:15 You've got those little teeth on the side.
07:18 And then inside the door, you have stacks of room for,
07:21 you can even put two bottles side by side,
07:23 and then other odds it ends.
07:25 In here, you have a multi-tiered center console.
07:28 It's quite deep as well, plenty of room in there.
07:31 And it also looks like it's air conditioned,
07:34 which is kind of cool.
07:35 And then a glove box.
07:37 Let's have a look at the side of that.
07:37 That's actually pretty good as well,
07:38 with a storage slot for your manual.
07:41 So you have plenty of room either side.
07:43 And then your sunnies live in there.
07:46 What about comfort?
07:47 If you're gonna be spending a lot of time here,
07:48 you want it to be a nice place.
07:50 This seat feels really good.
07:52 Only problem is it's all manually adjustable,
07:54 no electric adjustment, which is a bit disappointing
07:56 for a 60 something thousand dollar dual cab ute.
07:58 Steering wheel sits nice in the hand too.
08:01 No paddle shifters though.
08:02 So before I get in here and show you how much room
08:04 and stuff there is, check this out.
08:05 So you can drop this entirely.
08:07 This is where your jack is located.
08:09 You also have top tether points here.
08:12 Pop this back up and then,
08:14 you have storage under here.
08:16 This is a really big storage box.
08:18 So I'll show you what you can fit.
08:19 That's a bottle, easily fits in there,
08:22 including that one as well.
08:24 There's also a pouch in here,
08:25 a bit like a kangaroo's pouch.
08:26 Okay, what about space?
08:28 Let me hop in.
08:29 Yeah, it's okay.
08:33 I have my seat in my regular driving position,
08:35 which is a little bit far back.
08:37 So you can see my knees are kind of digging into there.
08:40 I've got no toe room either.
08:41 So it's pretty cramped space,
08:43 but it is okay for short journeys
08:45 or if you've got the kids in the back.
08:47 Speaking of kids, ISOFIX points on the two outboard seats.
08:51 Center armrest here with two cup holders.
08:53 Kind of only just fits in there.
08:57 And then you have bottle storage in the door as well.
09:00 I love this.
09:01 So you have a 240 volt outlet here
09:03 for charging laptops and other devices,
09:05 and then a 12 volt outlet adjacent to it.
09:08 So lots of power options,
09:10 mat pockets in the back seat as well.
09:12 And just overall, not a bad place to be seated,
09:15 although it is just a tiny bit cramped.
09:17 We've hit the road in the Ranger
09:21 and that gruff noise is the engine under the bonnet.
09:24 I reckon it's a really good sounding diesel.
09:26 It's a 3.2 litre, five cylinder turbocharged diesel engine.
09:30 Makes 147 kilowatts of power and 470 newton metres of torque.
09:35 Now this is of course also available
09:38 with the new two litre twin turbocharged diesel engine.
09:41 And that thing produces 157 kilowatts of power
09:45 and 500 newton metres of torque.
09:46 So it is probably the better option
09:49 if you are going to be towing over this engine.
09:51 This engine still also has the older
09:53 six speed automatic transmission
09:55 as opposed to the 10 speed that's in the new two litre.
09:58 Now in terms of fuel economy,
09:59 it is going to sip through 8.9 litres per 100 kilometres.
10:03 But in reality, you're gonna be closer
10:05 to around the 10 litre per 100 kilometre mark.
10:08 Right now we are on around 10.3 litres per 100 k's.
10:12 So you don't really have any drive modes to choose from,
10:14 but there is a sport mode.
10:15 So if you push the gear lever across to sport,
10:18 it drops down a gear and makes everything a little sharper.
10:21 So if I kick it now,
10:22 sort of has a little bit of urge to it.
10:25 Actually feels pretty fun behind the wheel.
10:27 I don't know, dual cab units aren't meant to be fun,
10:29 but I just love the noise this engine makes.
10:32 It just feels like it's always willing and ready to go.
10:35 The interesting thing with the Ranger
10:36 compared to something like the V6 Amarok
10:38 is that it's two wheel drive permanently,
10:41 but to go into four wheel drive high,
10:43 you have to be on an unsealed surface.
10:45 Otherwise you'll bind up those gears.
10:46 Same story with low range.
10:48 That means if you do come to a stop on a hill
10:50 or something like that,
10:51 and then you give the throttle a punch,
10:54 it just loses traction really easily.
10:56 So if you don't have a load over the rear,
10:58 you're gonna hear that noise a whole lot of time.
11:00 If you do enjoy your four wheel driving,
11:02 all of this stuff here is really idiot proof.
11:05 So going into four high or four low,
11:07 it gives you instructions on what to do.
11:09 Same story with engaging the differential lock.
11:11 It will tell you when it can and can't do it.
11:13 And the good thing here is that a lot of utes
11:14 in this segment require you to be in a four high
11:17 or four low range to engage the rear diff lock.
11:19 This works in two high as well.
11:21 So it means you don't have to faff about with things.
11:23 You just need that little bit of extra traction.
11:25 Let's talk about the ride.
11:26 Unlike the Raptor, which uses coil springs at the rear,
11:29 the Ranger range, the rest of them that aren't the Raptor,
11:31 use leaf springs.
11:33 The tune here is actually pretty good.
11:36 Unlike a lot of other utes that require weight
11:39 over the rear axle for a leaf spring to feel comfortable,
11:42 Ford's engineered that compliance into it
11:44 so that when you're driving along, everything feels good.
11:47 There's never a point when it feels like it's too firm
11:49 or too soft.
11:50 It just sort of sits there in the middle.
11:51 It doesn't pick up a lot of the ruts
11:53 and the imperfections you'll find on some road surfaces.
11:55 Same translates to the steering.
11:57 It's not too light, but it's not too heavy.
11:59 So you still feel like you're doing a little bit of work,
12:01 but it's not going to give you fatigue
12:04 if you're parking all day long in the city.
12:06 Turning circle comes in at 12.7 metres,
12:09 which is a pretty big turning circle,
12:11 but that's the case with a lot of utes.
12:12 They need a big turning circle,
12:14 given they have hardware on the front axle
12:16 for that four wheel drive system.
12:18 What about road noise?
12:19 There isn't a great deal that comes into the cabin,
12:21 but it is a noisy diesel engine.
12:23 Every time you lean on the throttle,
12:25 you can hear it sort of thrumming through.
12:26 And if you really get stuck into it,
12:28 it makes a whole lot of noise, but it's not a bad noise.
12:30 I quite enjoy the noise of this diesel engine,
12:32 so it's not that big of a deal.
12:34 Visibility is excellent out the front.
12:36 I can see everything.
12:37 Out the back, it's really good as well.
12:38 There's really big wing mirrors as well,
12:40 so I can see clearly down the side of the car.
12:42 I really feel like I'm in command here.
12:44 I'm in control of it.
12:45 I think that's secretly why a lot of people
12:47 love driving these things.
12:49 There is a reason so many people buy the Ford Ranger.
12:52 It is such a good car to drive.
12:54 I say car because it kind of just feels like a car.
12:56 It doesn't really feel like a utilitarian work truck.
13:00 Like, it actually feels like a passenger car.
13:02 So it is really good to drive.
13:03 It rides really well,
13:04 and you can use it as a work vehicle and a play vehicle.
13:07 So play stuff on the weekend with the family
13:10 and then work during the week.
13:11 So it really doesn't have many downfalls.
13:13 The only thing I would recommend, though,
13:14 is picking the two litre instead of the 3.2.
13:17 That engine's got a bit more torque,
13:18 a really nice gearbox, the 10-speed auto,
13:20 and it just drives really well.
13:21 And it is worth pointing out,
13:23 we have an exclusive story on the 2022 Ford Ranger.
13:26 You can click up here to have a look at that.
13:28 That'll give you a bit more detail
13:29 on what is coming for this car and the design.
13:31 But in the meantime, take one for a test drive
13:33 because they have done a really good job with this,
13:34 plus Australian engineering.
13:36 So, win-win.
13:36 Let me know in the comments below,
13:37 did you buy a Ranger?
13:38 What do you think of it?
13:39 Are you enjoying it?
13:40 What are the downfalls?
13:41 What do you like about it?
13:42 If you did enjoy this video,
13:43 don't forget to hit the like button,
13:45 follow it up with a subscribe,
13:46 and also press the bell icon
13:47 so you can find out every single time
13:48 we drive something new.
13:50 But until next time, take it easy.