The Latch has partnered with Ford to help you get to know the brand-new Ford Next-Generation Ranger.
Selecting the right car for your family comes with many considerations. Beyond the obvious criteria of needing enough space to fit your children (plus the odd friend or two), you also need to fit all the stuff that comes with them, have top tier safety features, and enough extras to also make the ride comfortable for you.
The truth is, only you know what type of car is going to be the right fit for you and your family. That is exactly why Ford conducted more than 5,000 interviews and dozens of customer workshops when designing their new Ranger model, to understand how customers use their cars, and ensure it fits the bill for anything and everything you could possibly want in a car in 2021.
It goes without saying that the Ranger is a big car, so that’s always going to be a consideration when choosing this vehicle, but as we explained before, it’ll fit all your stuff. Let’s get into the specifics of what Ford learned during their thousands of interviews.
Large Vehicle Owners Still Want Comfort
Through the interviews conducted by Ford, they learned that Australians who own large vehicles still want the cabin to have the comfort of a car. Specifically, plush interiors, a tricked out tech system, plenty of storage and a solid entertainment system.
They delivered this with the Ranger by fitting it with a large 10.1-inch or 12-inch touchscreen in the centre stack, a fully digital instrument panel that has voice-activated phone capabilities, plus full control of the entertainment system. You can also completely control the lock through a phone app, which means you never have to race back into the range of your car to double-check you locked it.
On the topic of storage, it’ll come as no surprise that a ute has plenty of it. But inside the cabin, it’s a similar story, with a handy wireless phone charger, plus multiple spots to stash your phone, plus a large centre console, door pockets, and under-seat storage bins to fit just about anything you could possibly be carrying.
A 360-Degree Camera
Nothing screams safety (or convenience) quite as loudly as a 360-degree camera if you ask us. The goal of the camera is to help make reverse parking a breeze, ease the angst of driving through tight inner-city streets, assist with navigating tricky terrain when off-roading.
Bells and Whistles For Camping Are Welcomed Additions
If you and your family love adventure-filled weekends away, the Ranger may particularly be well-suited to you, in part due to its size and off-roading capabilities, but also because it can tow heavy weighted objects like caravans and trailers with ease.
Ford also introduced an exterior zone lighting system with this iteration of the Ranger, so you can use the internal touchscreen or connect to the FordPass App, to switch specific exterior lights on and off, so you won’t be in the dark when camping (or working).
Those Who Off-Road, LOVE to Off-Road
Ford tells us that their customers said they want the choice between two four-wheel-drive systems when going off-road, so they can choose between the electronic shift-on-the-fly system, or the advanced, full-time 4×4 system. They also know their customer likes to push the limits on their Rangers, so they’ve really taken it to to the limit during the testing phase.
To check whether the newly launched models in the Ford Ranger range are right for your family, head to the Ford website now.
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