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Ford sends a message
Canberra Times (Australia) 11/10/06
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After nearly 30 years, Ford has dropped the venerable Courier nameplate from its model line-up and will replace it next year with the all-new Ranger. The Ranger line-up will arrive in Australia after extensive durability and performance testing in severe conditions and temperatures ranging from a nippy -25C to an egg-frying 50C.
Development testing was completed at proving grounds in Australia, the United States, Europe, Japan and South Africa. Early production vehicles tackled the mountains of northern Thailand and Laos, the jungles of Borneo, the Australian outback, South Africa's Kruger National Park and German autobahns. Ford Australia boss Tom Gorman says the Ranger sets new standards in the light-commercial sector.
He said Ford recognised the Ranger had to be versatile enough to adapt to the changing needs of the light commercial owner in the 21st century. ''It needs to be a combination of reliable workmate, family vehicle, lifestyle statement and an adventure vehicle.''
Pricing starts at $20,990 for the 2.5-litre turbo-diesel 4x2 single cab-chassis XL and tops out at $45,990 for the three-litre turbo- diesel 4x4 crew-cab XLT ute. The dropping of the Courier nameplate came after exhaustive customer research. Gorman says that while it was a tough decision to change a name that has been part of the Ford Australia family since 1978, the research was overwhelming. He said the Ranger brand was used around the world and Ford saw this as the ideal time to introduce a new light truck with a new name for the Australian light commercial market.
While the Ranger's persona is more aggressive-looking that the outgoing Courier, it has a modern, car-like interior, two new common-rail turbo-diesel engines, better ride and handling and greater towing capacity. Ford says the new 16-valve 2.5-litre and three-litre four- cylinder engines are quieter and combine more performance with improved fuel economy and lower emissions.
A variable-geometry turbo- charger has significantly reduced turbo lag, broadened the torque curve and delivered faster acceleration. The 2.5-litre engine produces 105kW of peak power at 3500rpm and 330Nm of torque at 1800rpm. The torque figure is a 22 per cent improvement (at 200 fewer revs) on the outgoing 2.5-litre engine and fuel economy has improved 17 per cent. The story is even better with the three-litre engine with 380Nm of torque at 1800rpm and 115kW of power at 3200rpm. Buyers will have the choice of a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. Both engines are monitored by a 32-bit micro- processor.
High-torque performance, mated to a robust 4x4 transfer case and fed to the road through larger wheels and all-terrain tyres, provide the extra traction needed to take drivers anywhere. Ranger's 4x2 and 4x4 models are fitted with a car-like independent double-wishbone suspension at the front that uses a larger torsion bar and larger- diameter dampers for better driver control and ride comfort.
Canberra Times (Australia) 11/10/06
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[Broken External Image]:
After nearly 30 years, Ford has dropped the venerable Courier nameplate from its model line-up and will replace it next year with the all-new Ranger. The Ranger line-up will arrive in Australia after extensive durability and performance testing in severe conditions and temperatures ranging from a nippy -25C to an egg-frying 50C.
Development testing was completed at proving grounds in Australia, the United States, Europe, Japan and South Africa. Early production vehicles tackled the mountains of northern Thailand and Laos, the jungles of Borneo, the Australian outback, South Africa's Kruger National Park and German autobahns. Ford Australia boss Tom Gorman says the Ranger sets new standards in the light-commercial sector.
He said Ford recognised the Ranger had to be versatile enough to adapt to the changing needs of the light commercial owner in the 21st century. ''It needs to be a combination of reliable workmate, family vehicle, lifestyle statement and an adventure vehicle.''
Pricing starts at $20,990 for the 2.5-litre turbo-diesel 4x2 single cab-chassis XL and tops out at $45,990 for the three-litre turbo- diesel 4x4 crew-cab XLT ute. The dropping of the Courier nameplate came after exhaustive customer research. Gorman says that while it was a tough decision to change a name that has been part of the Ford Australia family since 1978, the research was overwhelming. He said the Ranger brand was used around the world and Ford saw this as the ideal time to introduce a new light truck with a new name for the Australian light commercial market.
While the Ranger's persona is more aggressive-looking that the outgoing Courier, it has a modern, car-like interior, two new common-rail turbo-diesel engines, better ride and handling and greater towing capacity. Ford says the new 16-valve 2.5-litre and three-litre four- cylinder engines are quieter and combine more performance with improved fuel economy and lower emissions.
A variable-geometry turbo- charger has significantly reduced turbo lag, broadened the torque curve and delivered faster acceleration. The 2.5-litre engine produces 105kW of peak power at 3500rpm and 330Nm of torque at 1800rpm. The torque figure is a 22 per cent improvement (at 200 fewer revs) on the outgoing 2.5-litre engine and fuel economy has improved 17 per cent. The story is even better with the three-litre engine with 380Nm of torque at 1800rpm and 115kW of power at 3200rpm. Buyers will have the choice of a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. Both engines are monitored by a 32-bit micro- processor.
High-torque performance, mated to a robust 4x4 transfer case and fed to the road through larger wheels and all-terrain tyres, provide the extra traction needed to take drivers anywhere. Ranger's 4x2 and 4x4 models are fitted with a car-like independent double-wishbone suspension at the front that uses a larger torsion bar and larger- diameter dampers for better driver control and ride comfort.
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