Ford has announced the availability of a number of factory approved accessories for the Ranger, the most prominent being the controversial Raptor-style grille.
One of the most popular aftermarket features fitted to all grades of Rangers, the grille is priced at R4 312 excluding labour and takes a reported 30 minutes to be fitted by an accredited Ford dealer. It is however only offered on the XL, XLS and XLT models.
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Its inclusion comes after the Blue Oval expressed concern last year over the presence of non-approved imitation grilles resembling not only that of the Raptor, but also the F-150 Raptor that could impact cooling and potentially void the four year/120 000 km warranty for being an unapproved item.
“It is essential that we warn customers about the possible risks and dangers of fitting non-approved accessories to their vehicles. These can have a negative impact on the vehicle’s safety and performance, and could impact the vehicle’s warranty,” Ford Motor Company South Africa Product Marketing Manager Dale Reid reiterated.
Powered roller shutter now available on the Ranger Wildtrak only
In addition to the grille, Wildtrak owners can now equip theirs with a powered roller shutter that become available in Australia two years ago. Priced at R20 090, the automatically sliding bed cover boasts an anti-pinch function to avoid trapping hands while closing, and can be opened from the key fob, instrument panel or from the loadbox.
However, unlike the grille, the roller shutter cannot be fitted to existing Wildtraks as a result of the mounting points. It therefore needs to be specified with the purchase of a new Wildtrak in place of the standard manual cover.