New Ford Ranger Platinum and Tremor models hit South Africa's market
28 Mar 2024
Ford Motor Company Southern Africa has strategically added more finesse to its Ranger bakkie lineup in the local market with the introduction of two new models that serve a niche type of customer. President of the Blue Oval’s local arm Neale Hill said at the media launch of these new derivatives that the double-cab Ranger has outsold its rival the double-cab Toyota Hilux last year, so therefore an expanded lineup makes sense to further capatilise on the success of the new generation Ranger bakkie.
Ford Ranger Platinum
These new Ranger models are the Platinum and the Tremor. The Platinum is now deemed as the flagship of the range, even though it’s slightly cheaper than the off-road performance-oriented Raptor. This model is essentially a luxury double cab bakkie with off-road capability.
The Tremor is based on the XLT series in the same way the Wildtrak X is based on the Wildtrak. The Tremor is cheaper than the Wildtrak X even though they share some of the same off-road tech. However, it lacks the premium of a Wildtrak. This can all be very confusing, but Hille clarified in his presentation:
So what’s different with the Platinum?
The Platinum is easy to tell apart from other next-generation Rangers as it has a unique grill with a silk chrome finish for the horizontal bars and grille surround. Platinum badging is found under the bonnet and lower sections of the front doors.
Chrome is throughout the vehicle, from the side steps to the side vents, window linings and rear bumper, while accented wheel arches house 20-inch alloy machine-faced wheels with ebony accents, fitted with all-season tyres. The front bumper, mirror caps and door handles are also colour-coded.
The Platinum has Matrix LED lights, which are built into the signature C-clamp headlamp design, like the Raptor.
The interior seats of the Platinum are unique as well and feature quilted and perforated leather. Furthermore, the front seats offer heating and ventilated cooling functions, along with a 10-way power adjustment with a memory function. The driver also benefits from a heated steering wheel.
The instrument panel has a soft-touch trim with accent stitching, Black Maple decorative finishes for the dashboard and door appliques, satin aluminium trim strips, and the addition of the upper glovebox.
Tremor
Like the Wildtrak x, under the bonnet is the familiar 154kW/500Nm 2l bi-turbo diesel engine and full-time four-wheel drive (4WD) system. It also comes with the Trail Turn Assist feature and the Rock Crawl drive mode.
The Tremor brings a new driver assist feature to the Ranger lineup in the form of Pro Trailer Backup Assist with Trailer Reverse Guidance which is being introduced as standard on Tremor, Wildtrak X, the upcoming Ranger Platinum and the Ranger Raptor. It will also be offered as an option on the standard Wildtrak models.
The Tremor visually differs from the XLT with a black honeycomb off-road front grille that is equipped with the same LED driving lights as the Wildtrak X, along with unique grey exterior details for the lower sections of the front bumper and H-bar, fender vents, mirror caps, door handles, and rear bumper.
A standout visually for the Tremor is the 265/70 R17 all-terrain General Grabber AT3 tyres with white lettering with 17-inch Asphalt Black alloy rims. Tremor badges can be found on the rear tailgate and bold ‘Tremor’ decals on the loadbox sides.
On the inside the seats are trimmed in water-resistant black vinyl with grey stitching. The front seats have Tremor logos in orange on the seatbacks. Vinyl flooring is throughout In place of traditional carpets, which is a great touch for an off-road adventure-oriented bakkie as it makes it easier to clean dirt off.
Drive
FMCSA led us on a convoy in the Platinum at the media launch, and the first thing I noticed after hopping in was the distinguished upmarket feel of the cabin in comparison to its counterparts. The steering wheel felt nice to grip and the leather of the seat had a softer more comfortable feel to it. The cabin did indeed feel luxurious, an impressive feat for a double cab bakkie.
On tar, the Platinum boasts a familiar performance to the top-spec Willdtrak as it shares the same 3l V6 turbodiesel engine and is AWD. The ride is softer than the Wildtrak X and Tremor but not as quick or as thrilling as the Raptor obviously. Yet again, this ties in with Blue Oval’s aim of providing a product for a certain type of need. In this case, it's for someone who wants luxury but also the capability of a double cab bakkie.
The Tremor experience was a whole other different ball game. FMCSA let us experience the capability of the Tremor by asking us to traverse up and down a 4x4 trail in Grabouw that came with gorgeous surrounding views.
The Tremor did a good job of manoeuvring itself over ditches, bumps, rocks, sand, and other obstacles one would find on a 4x4 trail. We moved cautiously at a snail's pace and put Ford’s Trail Turn Assist technology to the test. For those that don’t know, Trail Turn Assist can reduce a turning circle by up to 25%.
We also used the cruise control version for off-roading, which greatly makes things easier for a driver on a 4x4 trail as there’s no need to use the accelerator pedal. The Trail Turn Assist is no gimmick either, it’s a useful feature for off-roading as we discovered on our trek. The Tremor comes with specially developed Bilstein Position Sensitive Dampers that is also found on the Wildtrak X.
Price
- Tremor: R977, 500
- Platinum: R1,119,000
Included as standard is Ford Protect comprising a four-year/120,000km warranty, four-year/unlimited distance Roadside Assistance and five-year/unlimited distance corrosion warranty. The recommended service interval is 15,000km or annually, whichever occurs first.
Customers have the option of purchasing a service or maintenance plans for up to eight years or 135000km. The warranty can be extended up to seven years or 200,000km, while the Roadside Assistance can be extended for an additional one or two years.
