With the arrival of the ‘ute tax’ and the blip that occurred when it came to pass, one might have thought a sea change was coming for the light commercial vehicle market. It was, but the sea change shifted, in favour of a familiar, but significantly improved model.

A perennial award winner with NZ4WD and others in the previous version when you make the best even better what do you expect!

What we have seen in the Next Gen Ranger is a new-from-the-ground up model, which is longer and wider, has seen significant suspension tweaks, improvements at the business back end and in cabin electronic sophistication as far as the instruments, infotainment and general electronic connectivity is concerned. Under the bonnet, Ranger uses the already proven bi-turbo diesel, but supplements that with a new generation V6.

The Ranger delivers exactly what was promised – a 4WD ute which sets the standard, just as the previous model did. Of course, that does mean the new model has to be better and it is. Ranger obviously appeals to those who know what they’re doing when it comes to true four-wheel driving, but what sets it apart is how easy the Ranger makes it for even entry level 4WD drivers to tackle environments they otherwise not even attempt. As well as dial up solutions, which automatically link off-road systems to maximise the vehicle’s abilities, the incorporating of the dedicated off-road screen to the display and intelligent use of cameras onboard the Ranger makes it so much easier and user friendly for experts and novice drivers alike.  All this makes it a worthy winner of this double tribute!