Ford Ranger Hurricane Blows In
Ford Malaysia has added yet another member to its segment-pioneering Ranger stable – the Ranger Hurricane. First seen last year in Thailand, where Ford makes Rangers at its huge Rayong plant for domestic and export sales, the Ranger Hurricane is part of a Ford regional programme to give customers more choices in the growing pick-up segment.
Based on the success of the Ranger Extreme – which is unique to Malaysia – and which has already sold more than 700 units, Ford Malaysia embarked on yet another program with modifications based on local customer insights and trends. While the Extreme caters to customers who are looking for a very bold statement, the Hurricane was designed with the young and trendy in mind. These are customers who wanted a tough truck, yet preferred a more refined look for their Ranger.
“The Hurricane is part of the continuous evolution of the Ranger series, and it would not have been made possible without the feedback from our customers. At Ford, we believe that the customer is always Job No 1 and listening to our customers is how we develop our product line”, said Deborah Aronson, Managing Director of Ford Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
The Ranger Hurricane shares the same technical specifications as the Rangers assembled at the Ford AMI plant in Shah Alam, Selangor. It possesses all the strengths of the popular pick-up including a tough heavy-duty steel ladder chassis frame and the proven Ford WLT turbo engine – still the most powerful engine in its class, with 280 Nm of torque and 86 kW/117 ps of power.
“Ford has been a pioneer of vehicle customization. That is why we have what we call Vehicle Personalization (VP) Teams which are units that customize and build special edition models on a regional and local scale”, said T.H. Chong, Marketing Manager of Ford Malaysia. “This sort of vehicle personalization has been very successful in many markets as we get to appeal to a more specific set of customer needs. This ultimately gives the individual customer something different.”
The Ranger Hurricane comes with a host of features such as wider all-terrain tyres and alloy rims as well as a new sportsbar and two-tone bodyside moulding. The Hurricane is equipped with a high security package which has received Thatcham Category 1 classification, one of the highest classifications in security system worldwide. Ford Malaysia was quick to respond to the ‘popularity’ of its pick-up among car thieves last year by upgrading its vehicle security system late last year and it now includes a very secure installation for the engine immobilizer as well as an ultrasonic sensor within the cabin.
“We understand that many customers would like to customize their vehicles but lack the expertise and funds to do so. Also, in the Malaysian market, where choices are very limited by the pricing structure, customization is an alternative to changing vehicles. The Ranger Hurricane is one of Ford’s options for people who want a change… without burning a hole in their pockets”, added Chong.
To take home a Ranger Hurricane, you’ll need to pay RM87,458.40 (plus whatever insurance premium is due) and you can choose from two two-tone body color combinations of Panther Black with Champagne or Dark Nautic Blue with Silver
Meanwhile, for those who are thinking of buying a Ranger Extreme, you may be interested to know that the Ford Concessionaires dealer group is offering a free custom-designed stainless steel kangaroo bar (worth RM750) with each new unit purchased from now till December 31 2002. The standard Ranger Extreme does not come with this item and it’s just the sort of thing this rugged pick-up should not be without.
