Buying a Ford Ranger Wildtrack pickup

[Najinsky]

I have one, the 3.2L Wildtrak. I took delivery of mine in May 2013, after waiting a mere six months in the queue. It was worth the wait.

It pulls like a train, it's got some serious grunt. The 5-cylinder diesel sounds throaty when you push it a little, and with all that torque it's happy accelerating at any speed, no matter what you have in the back.

The Ford sales people were pretty useless, but you always do the research up-front before stepping into the showroom anyway, so all you need them for is to do the actual sale. Their service department is so-so at best. They don't seem to care about anything, but that's not an attitude I have found is unique to car service people, here.

I have also driven the 2.2L manual version, and actually preferred the manual box to the auto (but I learned to drive in the UK where most cars have manual transmission, and I miss it here where everything seems to be auto), and the 2.2L engine is not as strong as the 3.2L one (I guess that makes sense) but drinks quite a lot less fuel! The 3.2L engine is on the thirsty side.

If you need a truck, and have to spend a lot of time in it, this is the one to get. It's comfortable, and has a more car-like interior and ride. The entertainment system is OK, and wins for me because the Bluetooth system is fantastic. I listen to music or podcasts on my phone for long drives, and it works flawlessly. Get the four-door version if you will ever need to have more than two people in the cab, as it's pretty cramped on the rear bench if you don't.

Recommended.

I tried to push the salesman on delivery date and he said it should be less than a month at the moment. That may have been in relation to the 2.2L 4wd version I was viewing, not sure if it would be the same for 3.2L version.

I agree about the cockpit, it felt much more appealing for long journeys than the Revo and VCross I sat in, and this is important for me. The Revo did have a coolbox on the passenger side which was a nice touch, and also the 220V AC power socket. Don't think the Wildtrak has option for the coolbox and don't know about 220V AC power yet.

[SWW]

I tried to push the salesman on delivery date and he said it should be less than a month at the moment. That may have been in relation to the 2.2L 4wd version I was viewing, not sure if it would be the same for 3.2L version.

I agree about the cockpit, it felt much more appealing for long journeys than the Revo and VCross I sat in, and this is important for me. The Revo did have a coolbox on the passenger side which was a nice touch, and also the 220V AC power socket. Don't think the Wildtrak has option for the coolbox and don't know about 220V AC power yet.

The 3.2L Wildtrak has a small small coolbox between the driver and passenger. It's quite useful, but since it runs off the A/C it only gets cool while the engine is running - so no leaving a can of Coke in there overnight and expecting it to be nice and cool in the morning!

I looked at the Revo recently, and thought the dash was a hideous monstrosity - your mileage may vary on that.

You can buy 220v inverters cheaply enough, and the Ranger has three 12v (max. 10A) charging points in the cabin that you could connect one to. The Wildtrak has an additional point outside in the back too.

[pmarlowe]

in my view its all about the dealer. Ford in nonthaburi has been first rate. i don't have a ranger but a fiesta. they had the shortest waiting time, got the color we wanted fastest. minor repairs and parts overnight almost...warranty work all first rate...its worth the drive if you don't live close.

[NanLaew]

Bought first 2.2 AT XLT in early 2012 after a 2-3 month wait. Traded in earlier this year for a 3.2 WT with only dealer prep delay of 2 days (in stock).

The only issues I recall during the +60,000 km on the smaller one was some lights failing on the dashboard speedo and tacho illumination, a low frequency 'hum' vibration from the aircon blower motor, a bit of a rattle from somewhere in the plastic radio/CD/climate control binnacle and the driver seat height setting always getting lower as I climbed in and out (fat ar5e and bad seat-height control lever placement). Apart from that, absolutely nothing major and all (4) services were done without any issues. The 2.2 had plenty power for my barging around highway and city and was great on the frequent Isaan-to-earth runs.

Done around 17,000 km on the WT since February and nothing causing me any grief yet apart from a bad week of numpties running up my ar5e during the summer. Solved that by replacing the stock back bumper with an MCC (Ban Bueng) combo towbar/step chunk of metalwork.

[crazykopite]

Fords are now made in Thailand and shipped around the world , good reliable cars and better still spares and service costs are cheap as chips , the only issue is the resale value is not as good as other makes . To me there are more + than -- so go for it !!!!

[Jitar]

Dunno about the WIldtrack versions but our Ranger XLS work trucks have been fine. Ford dealers seem pretty disorganised when it comes to sales, especially finding stock but our Dealer has been ok for servicing. One of our drivers created a need for some new front panels which had a lead time of 2 weeks or so. Other than that its been oil, filters, tyres and brakes. Not bad considering these truck are not babied.

[Najinsky]

I looked at the Revo recently, and thought the dash was a hideous monstrosity - your mileage may vary on that.

No, my mileage doesn't vary, I agree it's hideous. The thought of spending 8-10 hours in front of that was a big turn-off, although I did like the truck in general and having owned Lexus and Toyotas in the past I've got no issue with their build quality and comfort.

[Don Mega]

good reliable cars

Until they crap a turbo/gearbox/random electrical gremlin etc etc.

But this is not solely a feature of the Ranger (or Ford for that matter).

[NanLaew]

If the OP does a simple English google search for 'ford ranger px t6 problems', he will see a slew of complaints from South Africa and elsewhere on the dark continent with most all of the complaints being due to after sales service, lack of parts and associated delays. Maybe someone can do a Thai google search and see what the local language forums throw up but I reckon the complaints would be few and far between. There's no denying that the very infrequent report of a 3.2 languishing for weeks while inept mechanics sort out warranty issues with more inept management is still one report too many but things are not as dire here as they are in Bulawayo.

If you want one, go and get one and bugger the opinions of those with memories of Dagenham dustbins and things of that ilk. If they truly can recall those 4-wheel disasters from the 1970's, they are way, way too old to be talking about a flash new WT let alone driving one.

[Gary A]

I have to agree about the super ugly tablet that Toyota stuck on the dash. What were they thinking about? Whoever came up with that idea should be looking for a new job. LOL!

[donmuang37]

I bought a Ranger Wildtrak 3.2 liter, top model in July 2014. Previously drove a Vigo for 8 years, and it was a good truck.

Currently have just under 29,000 km on the clock. My dealer is in Phatum Thani. I'm very satisfied with the reliability and service. I've had no reliability problems so far. (Fingers crossed!) About a year ago, the air conditioning wasn't working well. Took it in. Went for lunch. Came back and picked it up. Problem was low "Freon". No problems since.

The 3.2L 4x4 ride was a little harsh for me. Had Old Man Emu gas shocks fitted and they solved 80% of the problem. But I'm an old guy, so you young dudes may find the ride acceptable.

Performance, brakes and handling are outstanding. Fuel economy is about 10% better than my Vigo. I do have a heavy right foot, so I'm happy with the mileage.

Equipment provided on the top model is great: 6 airbags, power driver's seat, auto windshield wipers, cruise control, etc.

It had no GPS, but I use Garmin units mounted above the dashboard. (With power cord run behind the dash for better appearance.) I also mounted a Garmin video recorder at the same time to protect myself from false accusations in the event of an accident. Works for me.

Bottom line. I love my Wildtrak. My wife loves it, too, and drives it frequently. I think Ford service has improved and is OK now. Seems to be getting better. But agree that Ford can be a little slow for spare parts. (My wife had to wait awhile for parts when her Fiesta was rear-ended. But partly an insurance company fault.) As for Toyota, they make a great truck, too, and their service is the best in Thailand. I just like my Wildtrak better.

Good luck!

[NanLaew]

.... Just look at the Vigo "Champ" generation and how less often it was in service bays than it's predecessors (no more failing injector seals, no more warped front brake discs, no more rear suspension coming loose etc).

The type of major and common issues that have never been reported in the Ford stable either but seem to have been forgotten by some owners of afflicted chumps. Maybe the speed of the repair with minimal waiting for parts was the deal maker?

... Back in August we even did some community investigations to determine whether some of the common issues with the 2011 Ranger had been fixed - e.g. there was a hose on the original version that could chafe over a period of time - that hose has now been wrapped in techflex (along with several others)...

That hose chafing issue was the subject of a Ford Thailand recall notice; I received it (Thai and English document) and recall that there was almost a 3 year window for any owner to take his Ranger in and get it checked and/or replaced for free under warranty.

[chilli42]

Najinsky,

Have a look in the "Business in Thailand, Jobs in Thailand" section.

The Motoring Forum should be under that heading.

I am sure you are right but not very intuitive.

[fred Kubasa]

Most widely sold pickup, in the world, for the last 10 years says it all.

[Najinsky]

I tried to push the salesman on delivery date and he said it should be less than a month at the moment. That may have been in relation to the 2.2L 4wd version I was viewing, not sure if it would be the same for 3.2L version.

I agree about the cockpit, it felt much more appealing for long journeys than the Revo and VCross I sat in, and this is important for me. The Revo did have a coolbox on the passenger side which was a nice touch, and also the 220V AC power socket. Don't think the Wildtrak has option for the coolbox and don't know about 220V AC power yet.

The 3.2L Wildtrak has a small small coolbox between the driver and passenger. It's quite useful, but since it runs off the A/C it only gets cool while the engine is running - so no leaving a can of Coke in there overnight and expecting it to be nice and cool in the morning!

I looked at the Revo recently, and thought the dash was a hideous monstrosity - your mileage may vary on that.

You can buy 220v inverters cheaply enough, and the Ranger has three 12v (max. 10A) charging points in the cabin that you could connect one to. The Wildtrak has an additional point outside in the back too.

On further investigation it looks like the WT does have a 230V AC power socket.

Which appears to be located in the rear of the centre console

But haven't seen which models it's for or if it's standard or optional yet.

[whatproblem]

I brought my ford and after a year and half asked about part ex on a new one they said keep the old one ,I told them I want to change for new but they said no ,I not buy ford again here

[StasD]

In my opinion if you want to sell a car in future successful it must be TOYOTA or ISUZU. Thai respect these names mostly.

[IMHO]

In my opinion if you want to sell a car in future successful it must be TOYOTA or ISUZU. Thai respect these names mostly.

Yeah we keep hearing that T&I have better resale values, but I don't see any evidence to support it

Here's some used Wildtrak's for sale:

http://www.one2car.com/ford/ranger/double-cab/wildtrak/?body_type=pickup&min_year=2012&max_year=2013

Bear in mind that the 2.2L 6MT Hi-Rider 4-door was 869K new (and had an 81K 1st car buyer rebate on top) - the top 2.2L 4x4 6AT was 969K, and the top 3.2L was 1.059M.

Go compare those to the prices that Vigo's and D-Max's are selling for, and I think you'll be in for a real shock.

[Don Mega]

Most widely sold pickup, in the world, for the last 10 years says it all.

Thread is about the Ranger, Not the Hilux Vigo.

[IMHO]

Most widely sold pickup, in the world, for the last 10 years says it all.

Thread is about the Ranger, Not the Hilux Vigo.

I'm pretty sure the Ford F-150 takes the prize anyway - and has done for a lot longer than just 10 years

[Ace of Pop]

Nah, Ford rebadged the Mazda B Series Courier Truck calling it a Ranger in 1998.

[fullcave]

Bought first 2.2 AT XLT in early 2012 after a 2-3 month wait. Traded in earlier this year for a 3.2 WT with only dealer prep delay of 2 days (in stock).

The only issues I recall during the +60,000 km on the smaller one was some lights failing on the dashboard speedo and tacho illumination, a low frequency 'hum' vibration from the aircon blower motor, a bit of a rattle from somewhere in the plastic radio/CD/climate control binnacle and the driver seat height setting always getting lower as I climbed in and out (fat ar5e and bad seat-height control lever placement). Apart from that, absolutely nothing major and all (4) services were done without any issues. The 2.2 had plenty power for my barging around highway and city and was great on the frequent Isaan-to-earth runs.

Done around 17,000 km on the WT since February and nothing causing me any grief yet apart from a bad week of numpties running up my ar5e during the summer. Solved that by replacing the stock back bumper with an MCC (Ban Bueng) combo towbar/step chunk of metalwork.

Pleease goive us a follow up report when you get to 170,000 km.. Thanks

[Najinsky]

I replied to many of the posts individually, but just wanted to say a general thanks for all the great replies.

I've decided to buy the Wildtrak, now just need to decide 2.2L or 3.2L and 4wd Vs 2wd.

My original thinking was if I went for the 2.2 it would be 2wd as little point having an underpowered 4wd. Then IMHO mentioned the new engine system, and checking on the ford.co.th site I see the 2.2L has been improved from 150 PS to 160 PS. Is it safe to assume that most comments here about the 2.2L are based on the older 150PS engine? I ask because the comments are already generally favourable, so with the extra 10PS, I think the 2.2L with be more than enough, and more economical to run.

However, lack of clarity in the standard features versus optional features is complicating the issue. The Ford website says the 18" wheels and reversing camera (and some others) are a feature of the 3.2L model. Yet the model I saw in the showroom was 2.2L but had both of these features.

The conversation at the showroom was already very difficult, and I doubt I'll get all the features I want unless I can get good information first about which models come with which features. But the spec sheets and brochures are all in Thai.

[IMHO]

I replied to many of the posts individually, but just wanted to say a general thanks for all the great replies.

I've decided to buy the Wildtrak, now just need to decide 2.2L or 3.2L and 4wd Vs 2wd.

My original thinking was if I went for the 2.2 it would be 2wd as little point having an underpowered 4wd. Then IMHO mentioned the new engine system, and checking on the ford.co.th site I see the 2.2L has been improved from 150 PS to 160 PS. Is it safe to assume that most comments here about the 2.2L are based on the older 150PS engine? I ask because the comments are already generally favourable, so with the extra 10PS, I think the 2.2L with be more than enough, and more economical to run.

However, lack of clarity in the standard features versus optional features is complicating the issue. The Ford website says the 18" wheels and reversing camera (and some others) are a feature of the 3.2L model. Yet the model I saw in the showroom was 2.2L but had both of these features.

The conversation at the showroom was already very difficult, and I doubt I'll get all the features I want unless I can get good information first about which models come with which features. But the spec sheets and brochures are all in Thai.

Yes, it's safe to assume most people will be referring to the old spec 2.2L - except maybe JaseTheBass - I think he has the new version 2.2L WT?

This link should help you figure out what's included and what's not:

https://www.ford.co.th/en/trucks/new-ranger/models#step=1

As for 2.2L vs 3.2L: take a test drive - that should help settle it

[Disting]

Am so impressed with the Everest that we will be getting the 3.2 Ranger WT for the wife in about 6 months time.

[watso63]

I have the Mazda BT-50 Pro Hi-Racer 2.2 manual 4 door. Everything drive train wise same as the Ford. Actually preferred the Mazda styling, interior and was a lot cheaper too. Bought it for 670,000 baht after the gf got 80,000 baht back thanks to the first car buyer scheme. Had it 3 years, average 7.2l/100km before I fitted a Carryboy GMX, now getting 6.9l/100km. 45,000km done, tyres still good drives really well with car like steering and very little body roll. Because of the rear leaf springs it can get a little bit tail happy over the rough stuff but all in all very pleased with no problems.

I'm a 22 years served army mechanic that's drove, fixed and inspected most types of similar style trucks. All in all a good buy.

[Jitar]

Most widely sold pickup, in the world, for the last 10 years says it all.

Thread is about the Ranger, Not the Hilux Vigo.

So the Ford F150 would be best then?

Big sales volume only says the pickup is well marketed, adaptable and not a dud.

Different versions are used as show ponys or consumed by mines or a multitude of uses somewhere in between.

No pickup is gonna be the best at everything everywhere.

[IMHO]

Am so impressed with the Everest that we will be getting the 3.2 Ranger WT for the wife in about 6 months time.

It's funny, but my wife actually asked me to buy a Ranger too, after 2 months of on/off Everest driving... The only reason I'm not buying it is because I've only seen my current pickup (2009 D-Max) about 4 times in the last 2 years - it's always on loan to someone in the family - so what's the point of upgrading it for someone else?

[Disting]

Haha, I see your problem. I have a bog standard Vigo lwb pickup for family to use. No one touches our cars except us.

[IMHO]

Most widely sold pickup, in the world, for the last 10 years says it all.

Thread is about the Ranger, Not the Hilux Vigo.

So the Ford F150 would be best then?

Big sales volume only says the pickup is well marketed, adaptable and not a dud.

Different versions are used as show ponys or consumed by mines or a multitude of uses somewhere in between.

No pickup is gonna be the best at everything everywhere.

I could not agree more