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Mixed messages: 2022 Ford Ranger Stormtrak 2.0 BiTurbo d/c 4x4

A touch of pizzaz

Posted: February 17, 2022

The numbers
Price: R855 200
Engine: 1996 cc, CRDI, DOHC, 16-valve, four-cylinder with twin turbochargers
Power: 157 kW at 3750 rpm
Torque: 500 Nm between 1500 and 2000 rpm  
RPM at 120 km/h in 10th: 1800
Zero to 100 km/h: 10.0 seconds (Car magazine, South Africa)
Maximum speed: 170 km/h*
Real life fuel consumption: About 10.1 l/100 km
Turning circle: 12.7 metres
Tank: 80 litres
Payload: 860 kg
Tare: 2195 kg
GVM: 3200 kg
GCM: 6000 kg
Maximum towing mass within GCM: 3500 kg
Ground clearance: 237 mm
Maximum wading depth: 800 mm
Approach/departure rampover angles: 25.5/21.8/18.5 degrees
Standard tyre size: 265/60R18
Spare: Full size alloy
Warranty: 4 years/ 120 000 km, with 3 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: 6 years/90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals
*Australian test     

                                                                                                      
Older readers may recall a number of special edition, run-out variants of the VW Citigolf; models designed to bring a last hurrah to a dying range. Ford has been doing much the same lately; special, limited-edition Ranger pickups to add a touch of pizzaz to the outgoing generation for buyers who are perhaps not yet quite ready to embrace the new one.

The latest, and possibly last, is called Stormtrak. Like Wildtrak on which it’s based, step-brother to Thunder and Kissin’ Cousin to Raptor, it’s powered by the biturbo version of Ford’s two-litre diesel motor and fitted with the same ten-speed autobox. The differences are in decorative kit and specific equipment.

Stormtrak’s distinguishing features include a black mesh front grille with red inserts; custom decals; 18-inch glossy black alloy wheels; black roof rails and bin hoop; 3D Stormtrak decals; four colour choices - Lucid Red, Sea Grey, Frozen White and Blue Lightning; Power Roller Shutter and adjustable bed divider. We particularly liked the powered roll-top bin cover; two clicks on the key fob, a’la the hatches on upmarket SUVs, opens and closes the lid as wide as its user may choose.

Its otherwise all-black interior features red Stormtrak logos on the front chairs; leather trim with red stitching on seats, upper dashboard, steering wheel and gear lever, and illuminated scuff plates.

Borrowed from Wildtrak are LED headlamps and running lights, adaptive cruise control, pre-collision assist, driver alert and other electronic safety aids. Among the reasons for its       R40 000 price bump over Wildtrak are the leather upholstery, the roller shutter (although this can be ordered optionally for Wildtrak at around R21 000), the Ford Pass communications package, and autonomous emergency braking.

Otherwise it’s “just another” 157 kW, double-cab Ranger. There’s plenty of power for day-to-day activities, a torque band wide enough to be able to accelerate strongly from 120 km/h should the troll ahead threaten to swing into your road space and the ten-speed gearbox works almost unnoticed.

On that note, a change from other autoboxes is that manual override in Normal mode keeps the new gear selected for as long as one wants it. That obviously applies in Sport mode too. A further neat feature is that a touch on the “minus” button on the gear knob displays the ratio currently in use – on the left hand screen in Normal or on the rev counter dial in Sport.

An anomaly we hadn’t noticed on other Rangers is that, when gravel roads combine the right mix of small potholes, washboard and buried stones, the vehicle goes into skip-and-dance mode; rather like certain offerings from Brands M and T in years past. If buyers plan to use this machine for its intended purpose, rather than just play with its toys, they might want to visit their local 4x4 equipment store to negotiate for a set of specialist shock absorbers.

Getting back to the “mixed messages” mentioned in the headline, this vehicle and its limited-edition brothers don’t seem to be very sure of their purposes in life. On one hand, their off-road credentials are among the best in Bakkiedom (the world of pickups for foreign readers) but on the other, the overwhelming array of electronic gadgets is more suited to posers than to real-world drivers.

Test unit from FMCSA press fleet



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This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.

Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

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