Ford Ranger XLT perfect addition to typical Mzansi household
While a bakkie is technically specified as a vehicle, it is an institution in South Africa. Something that is almost a necessity in every household.
The Citizen Motoring doesn't exactly qualify as a household, but our long-term Ford Ranger XLT has become an indispose asset to all the households that make up the department.
Bakkie is a must
Blessed with good weather at the Southern tip of Africa, there is as much demand for a bakkie in a domestic set-up than there is an commercial one. There are always garden refuse, plants, compost, a lawnmower, major appliances, furniture, sporting equipment, a bicycle or a wet dog to move. Many of these items can fit is passenger cars, but it is messy and can be a mission of note.
The Citizen Motoring's R681 500 Ford Ranger double cab's XLT badge indicates that it is a much humbler offering than its flashier siblings. Those that carry Raptor, Platinum and Wildtrak badges.
The peach tree was no match for the Ranger. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
The XLT grading does not come standard with the likes of a loadbin liner. electric sliding roller shutter or fancy roll and sports bars. Our tester does feature after-market rubberising in the loadbin and a soft tonneau cover to keep cargo dry and hidden from prying eyes.
ALSO READ: Even without a fancy badge, Ford Ranger XLT is a lot of bakkie
Ford Ranger XLT shines
The more workhorse-like touches work quite well when you regularly put the bakkie to work. Without the flashy bars and add-ons there are less to scratch or break. Especially when you get a spur-of-the-moment idea to chop down an unloved peach tree in your garden. In hindsight not the greatest idea ever, but to chuck everything on the back of the XLT and dump it at the Pikitup is a lot better than splurting out some hand earned cash for someone doing it for you.
And even better, when your bakkie lets you move a big kitchen appliance at no extra cost. Nothing irks this writer more than a shop trying to rip you off a good few hundred rand for delivery when buying something that don't fit in your car. Especially after having forked out a small fortune to replace a tumble dryer in our case, which was a grudge purchase to start with.
ALSO READ: Easy-going Ford Ranger XLT the perfect camping companion
Easy on the juice
The Silverton-built Ford Ranger XLT's 2.0-litre single turbo engine that produces 125kW of power and 405Nm of torque and mated to six-speed auto box is of course capable of carrying a lot more than a chopped down tree and a 32kg tumble dryer. A payload of 965kg and a towing capacity of 3 500kg to be exact.
Take your exuberant delivery fee and shove it. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe
The nice thing about this mill is that it never feels underpowered and delivers excellent fuel consumption as our average of 8L/100km indicates.
Keeping an additional bakkie for when you need is not a commodity the average household can afford. But having one as a daily that can do all your domestic chores over weekends makes perfect sense. Once you are used to the convenience it offers, it's hard to imagine live without one.
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