Ford Ranger Wildtrak Or New Vigo?

[skybluestu]

Hi,

I'm trying to decide between the Open-cab Ford Ranger Wildtrak 2.5 and the new Toyota Vigo 2.5G. Does anyone have any experience of either/both of these they would like to share please? I know Toyota is more popular here (good advertising?!) but I am leaning towards the Ford at the moment, I know it has a higher spec but would pay extra if I bought the Vigo so it was of a similar spec.

Thanks

S

[imaneggspurt]

Hi,

I'm trying to decide between the Open-cab Ford Ranger Wildtrak 2.5 and the new Toyota Vigo 2.5G. Does anyone have any experience of either/both of these they would like to share please? I know Toyota is more popular here (good advertising?!) but I am leaning towards the Ford at the moment, I know it has a higher spec but would pay extra if I bought the Vigo so it was of a similar spec.

Thanks

S

The ford is an ok truck, however there is no comparision in resale or desireability,. its not just toyotas advertising that sells them, they are the best, you will of course get owners loyal to other brands ( i had a neighbor that loved skodas ! ) but the figures speak for themselves.neither are a bad truck, but i consider one is better that the other ,.

[stingray]

Ford is Mazda, so there is no troubles at all. Nice american style Pick up Trucks. To me they look much better than Vigos. But of corse everybody have different taste. Resalevalue will be lower than Toyota.

[Dave the Dude]

Ford is Mazda, so there is no troubles at all. Nice american style Pick up Trucks. To me they look much better than Vigos. But of corse everybody have different taste. Resalevalue will be lower than Toyota.

Hi

Very true statement and I might add that 'everybody' has a Vigo too.

Dave

[Heng]

How about dealer/service center/parts accessibility (assuming you don't own a garage or are a capable mechanic)?

[Gary A]

I too like the looks of the Ford much better. The Ford will do better on diesel also.

[skybluestu]

OK, well I paid my deposit on a beautiful white Ford Ranger Wildtrak yesterday, got a nice discount and lots of freebies thrown in too! After looking at them both the Ford's spec is much higher and better quality, lots of leather and chrome, abs, airbag and a very sporty feel/look. It drives really well as well and all I seem to see is Toyota's, I'm sick of them! From what I've been told, mainly because of good advertising, the Thai's only want Toyota or Isuzu. There will be no problem with parts/service and a car Magazine recently tested a wide range of Pick-Ups and the ranger came 2nd in Fuel Economy, just behind Isuzu, and came top in the level of Torque.

[taxexile]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

[billd766]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

I have had my Ford Ranger 4 door, 4x4, 2.5 turbo diesel since December 4th 2001.

It has nearly 180,000 km and I have had very few problems over the years and apart from a leaky radiator they have all been fixed by the Ford dealers.

I am offshore in New Zealand for a couple of years but when I get back I will be looking for a new pick-up. I read in the BKK Post recently that in 2010 Ford will be bringing out a completely new model.

I have had a Toyota for 4 months as a company car in PNG and the Mitsubishi here in NZ and I not overly impressed with either of them so I will probably go for the Ford. :D

[Gary A]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

And exactly what space age improvements does Toyota have over Ford? Is it the fact that they get the worst fuel economy of any Thai truck? Or is it that they roll over easier than the rest of the trucks?

As far as market share, I'd call it the lemming principle.

[Crossy]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

And exactly what space age improvements does Toyota have over Ford? Is it the fact that they get the worst fuel economy of any Thai truck? Or is it that they roll over easier than the rest of the trucks?

As far as market share, I'd call it the lemming principle.

Do remember that the Ford Ranger here is not the same as the North American vehicle (which is total carp from what I'm told) but is the Euro version.

I have a Ranger 3.0 XLT 4x4 which is the same as the Wildtrak without the options pack. No issues in 2 years from new, sips the B5 - mid 30s per (UK) gallon average pushing 40 on a gentle long run.

[kartman]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

They sell in vast numbers because Thais are born with either a Toyota or Isuzu gene unless theres a mutation then they buy a Honda.

I think skybluestu has made the right choice if he's meeting someone and they say what will you be driving ,the answer "a white ranger wildtrak" will save them going crosseyed if a "vigo" had been the reply.

Even well kept versions of the previous Ranger/Mazda still look good in traffic where as well kept old Toyotas/Isuzu's(Hilux/Dragonpower) just get lost in a sea of old wa-k-rs including early Dmax and Vigo's.

[skybluestu]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

They sell in vast numbers because Thais are born with either a Toyota or Isuzu gene unless theres a mutation then they buy a Honda.

I think skybluestu has made the right choice if he's meeting someone and they say what will you be driving ,the answer "a white ranger wildtrak" will save them going crosseyed if a "vigo" had been the reply.

Even well kept versions of the previous Ranger/Mazda still look good in traffic where as well kept old Toyotas/Isuzu's(Hilux/Dragonpower) just get lost in a sea of old wa-k-rs including early Dmax and Vigo's.

The Chrome, Leather etc isn't the reason I'm buying the Ranger but it is one of the reasons why the Interior of the Ranger is much nicer than anything else I looked at. Going from sitting in the Ranger to a Triton, D-Max then Vigo there was a noticeable difference in the Quality of the cabin and also the Exterior and how it drove, it seems alot of the Farang out here have also been brainwashed like the Thai's into thinking anything but a Toyota or Isuzu is not worth a second look!

[Heng]

I'd definitely go for the Ford for looks first, performance and reliability second (in Thailand anyway, as after the first 100,000 km or so -the "honeymoon" period with your dealership-, one's relationship with their service centers becomes a lot more important). First car was a Mustang, loved it.

But for nearly unlimited choices in dealership/service centers, would have to go with any other brand name that has more marketshare -which believe it or not, you have to build with marketing AND quality-. With a brand like Ford, Hyundai, or whatever brand is still making inroads into Thailand despite being here for decades... you end up having entire provinces (outside of Bangkok) with just one dealership. Often times (not always) these dealerships don't exactly keep customer service in mind, as they know they are the only show in town. And then if we're talking non-authorized dealerships, it can be a crapshoot as to whether they'll even be able to service your unfamiliar brand vehicle or not. Sure, everyone has their own needs, but if you frequently road trip, you should probably keep this in mind.

It's just rationalization that a lot of people are clearly looking for here on the motor forum (ala "I've already made up my mind, now I need some reassurance").

Edited September 8, 2008 by Heng

[mgjackson69]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

I think you have been here long enough to know the "that good reason"...because Thais are followers, not leaders.

Toyotas are good because "everyone else has one, so they must be good".

Isuzus are good because "not use so much oil".

Having said that, my recent truck purchase was a Toyota. I really did not care all that much about brand, the Toyota is a good truck, and my wife is Thai.

Edited September 8, 2008 by mgjackson69

[stingray]

lots of leather and chrome,

........ to seduce the unwary into buying a lemon.

those fords are from the dark ages..... with a bit of chrome slapped on every now and again to tart 'em up a bit.

toyotas and isuzus sell in vast amounts for a good reason.

I think you have been here long enough to know the "that good reason"...because Thais are followers, not leaders.

Toyotas are good because "everyone else has one, so they must be good".

Isuzus are good because "not use so much oil".

Having said that, my recent truck purchase was a Toyota. I really did not care all that much about brand, the Toyota is a good truck, and my wife is Thai.

This is correct. It's remember me in Switzerland when i was in the school in the early seventies. The parents of all my friends had a VW "Buck". They all said, that this is the best car ever. I wasn't agree, because my father had a Opel Commodore A GSE in 1972. Even i was a kid, in my opinion the Commodore was technicly much advanced in compare the Volkswagen Buck. But noone of me schoolfriends want belefe that. They only beleve the VW was the best, because so many people drove it, in that time. In Thailand ist's a liitle bit the same. It's only Vios, Vigos and Jazzes. Similar to Russia before the wall came down. Only Moskwitch and Ladas.

Ford, Chevy, even Toyota is not same as in USA. Overthere they use complete different engines than here. Personally i don't like Diesel. But if i would buy a Pick Up Truck, then only a Ford or a Chevrolet. the shape of this two are mucht better (Japanese don't have good designs in my opinion), Risk of theft ist not that high with a Ford or Chevy.

[Plus]

Local Chevrolet is, of course an Isuzu in disguise, and Ford is a Mazda.

I don't know who do you trust more - people opinions or brand names. Both can be deceptive.

[gobs]

Hi Skybluestu,

I'm now on the same way you were about 7 months ago: Toyota Vigo or Ford Ranger Wildtrack?

Heart says Ranger Wildtrack and reason says Vigo...

How do you feel with your FORD Ranger Wildtrack? Some inputs, please...

Driving, comfort, noise, maintenance, fuel greed and so on? What you like, what you dislike?

The Wildtrack have IMHO a good sport design look.

But THE (very little) thing I dislike at all on the Ford are the orange stickers: that's too much!

If I buy one I think I ask the dealer to take them off before going on the road...

Cheers,

Gobs

[yadetout]

Hello,

I would choose the Ford Ranger.............. MAX !!!!!!!!!

Check this out http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Ford-Ranger-Max-t225815.html

Cheers

[skybluestu]

Hi Skybluestu,

I'm now on the same way you were about 7 months ago: Toyota Vigo or Ford Ranger Wildtrack?

Heart says Ranger Wildtrack and reason says Vigo...

How do you feel with your FORD Ranger Wildtrack? Some inputs, please...

Driving, comfort, noise, maintenance, fuel greed and so on? What you like, what you dislike?

The Wildtrack have IMHO a good sport design look.

But THE (very little) thing I dislike at all on the Ford are the orange stickers: that's too much!

If I buy one I think I ask the dealer to take them off before going on the road...

Cheers,

Gobs

Well I've only done about 3300km's but so far so good. When I was deciding which one to buy I drove the Vigo, Triton and D-Max and then the Ranger Wildtrak and it was then a very easy decision. It was just a much nicer drive, the steering, the suspension, the torque, interior, exterior, everything was much better than the others I drove that day. The imported leather seats are very comfortable, air-con very good and fuel consumption is good, very close to Isuzu's I believe, I use B5 Plus and think I get about 12-15km per litre but not sure as I haven't been that anal with my calculations. As with most diesel engines it's on the loud side but no more than any of the others, quieter than a couple of them for sure, with the windows up and cd playing it's fine. I got mine for 644k, list price was 693k so a nice discount plus free insurance, think ford might be offering even higher discounts at the moment as well.

The new Ranger Max does look very nice, if available soon and price not too much higher I would wait but it could be quite a while yet possibly more than 1yr so if you want one now....

anyway, good luck with whatever you decide, it's nice to see that all the Farang living here haven't been brainwashed the same as the Thai's have...Toyota-Isuzu-Toyota-Isuzu-Toyota-Isuzu etc etc

[Birdman]

...looks good.

I have a top D-Max Gold Series model since 10 months - very nice indeed. But no chance to sell my 7 year old Mazda Fighter for a reasonably good price. So we have 2 pick ups now.

[sabaijai]

Ranger +1

I've owned Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Ford pickups in Thailand so far. I would buy Ford again over all the others. Mitsu was the worst followed by Toyota.

[stingray]

Ford Ranger Max looks absolutely gorgious. I hope they come with a "real" engine, like a V6 or even a V8. We don't know yet. Most of foreigners buy Toyota or Isuzu, because the wives bother say so. That's the difference to the western countries. In Europe nobody would let the brother in law to make the choice. I personaly would go for the Ford Ranger Max.

[yadetout]

Ford Ranger Max looks absolutely gorgious. I hope they come with a "real" engine, like a V6 or even a V8. We don't know yet. Most of foreigners buy Toyota or Isuzu, because the wives bother say so. That's the difference to the western countries. In Europe nobody would let the brother in law to make the choice. I personaly would go for the Ford Ranger Max.

You are true stingray.

However, I do not agree regarding the engine, I think the Diesel is nice except the noise...

Driving sometimes a Ranger XLT 4x4 3.0 TDCI open cab, I will say the handling is far better than the Vigo but it is my opinion.

Is the new vigo equip with the VSC as found on the fortuner??

Edited December 2, 2008 by yadetout

[stingray]

Ford Ranger Max looks absolutely gorgious. I hope they come with a "real" engine, like a V6 or even a V8. We don't know yet. Most of foreigners buy Toyota or Isuzu, because the wives bother say so. That's the difference to the western countries. In Europe nobody would let the brother in law to make the choice. I personaly would go for the Ford Ranger Max.

You are true stingray.

However, I do not agree regarding the engine, I think the Diesel is nice except the noise...

Driving sometimes a Ranger XLT 4x4 3.0 TDCI open cab, I will say the handling is far better than the Vigo but it is my opinion.

Is the new vigo equip with the VSC as found on the fortuner??

I know, todays diesel engines with comonrail and torbo intercooler, are quite powerful, fast and have a good torque. The problem is only the noise. I missing the "blubbering" sound of a V8". Todays V8 don't use so much gasoline anymore. I had a Lexus ES 400 and was very suprised about how low was the fuel consumption. I just think that a nice looking Ford Max should have at least one version with a V8. I quite sure they would find some buyers, including me.

[saorsa]

That Ranger MAX looks the dog's dangly bits, but as far as i could tell from the Ford site, it is just a show car, so wont't be available to the public...I would love to be wrong about that though as I am looking to buy a new pickup early next year and that would be top of the list if i can get it!

[Plus]

There's absolutely no way there will be any V gasoline engine in a Thai pickup. Forget about it.

One thing about Ford - they sell so few of them that there might be an issue with the production process. Can they keep the standards high on the assembly line that builds three trucks a day instead of a thousand it was designed for. And what about components - without mass production they are bound to be either more expensive or of lower quality.

Bottom line - the more trucks we have the better. Please someone buy a Ford for a change.

[mgjackson69]

There's absolutely no way there will be any V gasoline engine in a Thai pickup. Forget about it.

One thing about Ford - they sell so few of them that there might be an issue with the production process. Can they keep the standards high on the assembly line that builds three trucks a day instead of a thousand it was designed for. And what about components - without mass production they are bound to be either more expensive or of lower quality.

Bottom line - the more trucks we have the better. Please someone buy a Ford for a change.

Seems to me that a production line running slower would result in a better build quality, and allow for more QA/QC time on each completed vehicle.

Unless the line is running so slow that Somchai is falling asleep on the job.

We are in agreement on the component cost...there is a fixed-cost component that will be constant whether one unit is being produced or 50.

For Ford, or GM for that matter, to capture a meaningful share of the market, they need to build a top-quality product at a decent price...then somehow convince Somchai that it is as good as a Toyota. It is a tough thing to do, but is certainly possible. Even 4 years ago, almost every motorbike you saw was a Honda. Now you see plenty of Yamaha and Suzuki as well.

Edited December 4, 2008 by mgjackson69

[Plus]

I'm not sure about assembly quality.

There's optimal speed for everything, try to do it faster or slower and number of errors will increase, ie. Somchai falls asleep/loses concentration/forgets to do something.

And when errors happen - will they stop the line to correct minor problems with a particular car? I don't think so.

Shouldn't be a problem if they redesigned the line to work slower and still keep workers busy, but if your whole job is to screw one lousy bolt at odd intervals, you are bound to lose concentration and make mistakes.

>>>

I don't understand the "fixed cost" that doesn't depend on the number of parts. How about a fixed cost of designing and testing a part that is spread over a million vs a hundred of pieces?

[mgjackson69]

I don't understand the "fixed cost" that doesn't depend on the number of parts. How about a fixed cost of designing and testing a part that is spread over a million vs a hundred of pieces?

We are talking about the same thing, from different directions. For example, that large building that contains the assembly line...it costs x to build, and you must have it, even if you are building one truck per day. And the cost of that building is going to figure into the P&L sheet as x/vehicle produced.

Same for the capital investments and R&D needed to produce parts. The cost of developing that first part will be spread over however many parts are produced over the production life of that part.

So, as we both have stated, fewer parts = higher cost/part.