We are into the second month of our long-term test with ‘our’ Ford Ranger FX4 4×4, and now that it has stopped roaming to the coast and back, it was time to put it to work. And by work, I mean tow my E90 BMW 335i race car to the track for some much-needed shake down time.
Okay, hands up how many of you are hardcore towing experts? You can reverse up to your trailer or caravan and line everything up in a matter of seconds? You can then reverse the thing out of wherever and be on your way? No guessing which way is right or left on the steering wheel?
Well, I am not that guy. I know the basics, and my towing skills are improving all the time, but I will happily take all the help I can get. Thankfully, our Ranger FX4 has some tech on board that makes my life easier.
Towing a familiar sight for most bakkie and would be Ranger FX4 owners.
First up, is the good old reverse camera. While the outside lines shown on the screen are more for standard type stuff like parking and manoeuvring around objects, it’s the centre line that is gold when it comes to towing. This allows you to line the tow hitch to your trailer coupling, and when you get close, you can enlarge the image on the screen and literally stop right on the hitch.
Trust me, not only does this allow you the convenience of loading almost anything you want on your own. It could just save your marriage by not letting your wife direct into the front of the trailer. There can’t be a couple on earth that has not had this type of argument at least once in their lives.
Then you have what is called Trailer Control that forms part of the bakkie’s Electronic Stability Program (ESP). This program monitors yaw, acceleration, and steering angle, and when it detects that the trailer is starting to sway, it intervenes by making brake and accelerator changes based on the severity of the conditions experienced.
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Of course, you still need to be awake. Technology can only help you so much, but at least it is standard fitment on our FX4. Towing in South Africa is no joke. People love to change lanes without warning or cut in front of you and then jump on the brakes without any understanding that you now must try stop a two-ton bakkie and 1.5-ton cargo in 10 m of road.
There are additional active safety features onboard that include Traction Control, Hill Launch Assist, Roll-Over Mitigation, Adaptive Load Control, and ABS brakes with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution and Emergency Brake Assist.
Powering the R704 500 Ranger FX4 is a 132kW/420 Nm 2.0-litre, single turbo diesel engine mated to a ten-speed automatic gearbox. While it is obviously not the strongest tow bakkie on the market, the Ranger is rated at 750 kg for an unbraked trailer and a class-leading 3 500 kg for a braked trailer. And towing with it presented no problems for me when it came to maintaining a respectable level of speed and overtaking ability.