Melbourne - When the new Ford Ranger was finally revealed to the world in late November, all of the excitement and hype surrounded the flashier double cab versions. And yes, there was a lot to get excited about, from a V6 engine to a fully digitised cabin and many innovative loading solutions.
But in the real world, many Ranger customers will be opting for the lower-spec XL and XLS model variants, and now we get to see what they look like after Ford Australia quietly added them to its Ranger album.
Disclaimer: we don’t know what the final specifications will be for South African versions, but it is likely that our models will resemble what you see here.
The images also show us what the ‘cab-and-a-half’ Super Cab version will look like, which is similar to the current model but with a more upkicked side window.
The single cab Ford Ranger has yet to be revealed, but it’s unlikely to bring any big surprises.
Ford also released images of the XL and XLS double cab models and they follow a similar formula to today’s equivalents.
As before, the XL rolls on steel wheels and it has a colour coded bumper and black grille, while the mirrors and door handles remain unpainted. Sadly, it is missing the much-hyped load bin step that made its debut in the fancier versions.
We don’t know what content lies inside, but the current version has all the basic comfort and safety amenities but without much in the way of luxuries, and that philosophy is likely to continue.
The new Ford Ranger XLS retains the black grille, but gains fog lights as well as alloy wheels, painted mirrors, side steps and those load-bin steps.
It’s likely that these models will be offered with the single-turbo 2.0-litre turbodiesel motor, which will be offered in two output variants, although Ford has yet to release any power or torque figures. The current 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine, along with the larger 3.2, will fall away completely, Ford says.
Pricing too will only be announced closer to launch, although Ford has promised that the new line-up will continue to cater for cost-conscious customers by covering the “full bandwidth” of today’s range.
The higher-spec models, of course, will introduce many new features and innovations, and you can read more about them in our original story here.