Ford Ranger Automatic Officially Launched
The way the market is going these days, car companies waste no time in letting the public know that new and exciting models are on the way. Competition is growing and they can’t afford to let rivals steal potential customers when their brand new offering is just around the corner.
So the trend these days seems to be to ‘announce’ the arrival of a new model shortly and then officially launch it later. Problem is, the publicity in the media can sometimes be plentiful and to the public, it seems as if the new model is already ‘launched’. After all, in the old days, when reports started to appear in the press, the model was officially launched and on sale.
Anyway, today saw the official launch of the new Ford Ranger pick-up at MidValley MegaMall in Kuala Lumpur, an event which Ford Malaysia and its dealers have eagerly awaited. Having been frustrated by the absence of a Ranger with automatic transmission – a major demand by buyers these days – the company is now looking forward to the Ranger regaining the title of best-selling pick-up in Malaysia.
As our earlier reports indicate, it is an improved model over the one which set the pick-up segment ‘on fire’ in Malaysia from 1999. Major improvements include a slightly more powerful engine, more comfortable ride and the standard inclusion of dual front airbags and ABS (the only pick-up sold locally with these features). The new Ranger also has the distinction of being the first locally-assembled vehicle to have an audio system that is able to play MP3 CDs.
Of course, the most significant thing is the automatic transmission which is an electronic 4-speeder. While a Ranger 2.9 non-turbo diesel has been available in some countries, Malaysia is the first country in the world to get the Ranger with a 2.5-litre turbodiesel with automatic transmission.
To get this required a separate engineering program as it was not just a matter of bolting on an automatic transmission because of issues such as cooling, performance and NVH. Extensive testing was done in a number of countries, including Malaysia where prototypes were run an average of 1,000 kms a day for one month.
The retail price of the new Ranger Automatic (excluding insurance) is RM91,159 in Peninsula Malaysia. For the time being, Ford Malaysia will only be assembling the vehicle with automatic transmission and will gauge customer feedback before deciding whether to offer a manual transmission.
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| The new Ford Ranger Automatic |
