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On Wheels by Brooks Peterson Archives | Arts & Entertainment | Audio/Video | Business | Classifieds | Columns | Food | Forums | Health & Fitness | News | Obits | Opinions | People | Politics | Science/Technology | Search | Sports | Subscribe | Travel | Weather Saturday, March 10, 2001 Ford Ranger XLT blends sense and sensibilityExtended cab, four doors give you all the splendor you need in a truck you put to work
Top-of-the-line In case all the nomenclature in the preceding paragraph remains unclear, I should explain that this is the top-of-the-line (XLT) version of Ford's little Ranger pickup, with an extended cab, four doors (2 regular ones, plus two mini-doors) and 4-wheel-drive. This one arrived sporting the biggest engine available, a new-for-'01 4-liter single-overhead-cam V-6 that makes 47 more horses than its predecessor, upping the ante to 207 hp.
This is, then, the Ultimate Ranger for the time being: roomiest, most powerful and most likely to take up you up the sheer side of a mountain. (I say "for the time being," because I suspect that at some point the Ranger, like several of its competitors, will be available in the same kind of crew-cab configuration as the one we experienced, and enjoyed, on the King Ranch Edition SuperCrew F-150 a few weeks back.) Exterior makeover For 2001, the Ranger has undergone something short of a total cosmetic makeover - but it does come to the fray with a bit more visual bravado about it, thanks largely to the new grille. It's more than a little reminiscent of the honeycomb (or chicken-wire?) effect you've seen on the big F-Series pickups for years.
(And just by the way: This year, there's the Edge, a new model situated between the base XL and the hi-line XLT. It offers, FoMoCo says, "aggressive styling and a high stance." That "high stance" denotes the fact that Ford, following in the tracks of Toyota's Tacoma, is now offering a 2-wheel-drive Ranger with the high-riding suspension from the 4WD model. Does this make sense? You get the rough ride and tippy handling that comes with 4WD - but none of the grip. Bet they sell a million of 'em.) Roomy interior As it stands, this Ranger offers what virtually every other stretch-cab trucklet does for its owner: It provides exemplary room for the driver and front passenger, and really cramped quarters for two (petite) persons in back on two jump seats. In fact, for all practical purposes, I'd recommend putting no more than one there. Toting two for any distance on those perches would surely violate some clause of the Geneva Convention. (If it doesn't, the diplomats need to get to work on it.) Now, with that lusty new V-6, you might expect a walk, even a gallop, on the wild side when you hit the throttle. That may very well be the case with a 2-wheel-drive, 4-liter V-6-equipped Ranger, but you must bear in mind that in our tester we're toting around not only all that 4WD gear but also such add-ons as a skid plate to protect bits and pieces that might not take kindly to getting hung up on a boulder. Smooth ride
So: You step out smartly from a halt, but not volcanically. Assuming you've got the automatic trans, as most buyers will, it's all managed with a degree of smoothness that would have been unthinkable when mini-pickups first debuted on these shores. Oh, and note well: This is a five-speed automatic. So? Not that long ago, the only vehicles that even offered five-speed ATs were Mercedes-Benzes and other such pricey iron. (Who says trickle-down doesn't work?) Splendor in Ranger The Ranger, even in XLT guise, does not offer the kind of sybaritic splendor you encounter in some of the upscale full-size pickups - but that's not really a rap on the vehicle. If you're actually going to drive your truck as if it were a useful implement rather than a rolling fashion statement, the Ranger has all the splendor you need. The front seats, upholstered in a nubby, rugged-looking fabric, are particularly impressive: There's a bit of lumbar support right where you need it, and, as noted, the legroom, headroom and shoulder room just don't quit. (This, of course, is assuming you've gone for the bucket seats. Three sitting on the 60-40 bench wouldn't be all that grim, but it would require a certain degree of chumminess. Good entry
If our tester posed anything in the way of a challenge, it was with regard to the always-crucial quest ease-of-entry issue. Having spent time with a couple of big, high-riding pickups previously, I anticipated that accessing my 4WD Ranger would require the same sort of approach. But no: It's significantly lower than the F-Series trucks . . . but not quite low enough to allow for the same ease of entry you'd get in a 2WD version. You can back up and get a running start, then toss yourself in like a sack of spuds . . . or you can sort of back yourself into it. I'm still working on it, actually. It's not onerous, just . . . different. Powerful speakers If I have one regret from the time I've passed with this Ranger, it's that it lacked one option that sounded genuinely intriguing: the Tremor (I kid you not) audio system. This thing merely delivers 560 watts of screamin', stompin', thumpin' aural overkill.
Eh? . . . How's that again? . . . Say what? How about you get back to me on that later, OK? [an error occurred while processing this directive] 
© 2000 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved. |
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