Simply good enough

How well does Ford's most affordable 4x4 Ranger double-cab tow when you attach a caravan to it?

- Leon Botha

At around R700 000, the XL is the most affordable 4x4 model in Ford's Ranger lineup. We climbed into this modest workhorse - the only 4x4 in the family with a manual gearbox and single turbo - to see how it performs with a caravan in tow.

With 405 Nm of torque, this entry-level model has enough muscle for towing duty. Its 2 220 kg tare weight also means that, on paper, it's rated to tow some of the heaviest caravans in the country. So that's exactly what we did: we hitched up Infanta's latest model, the Enkulu 4, with a gross vehicle mass of 2 100 kg.

Built for it

Every Ranger double-cab model is rated to tow 3 500 kg, and a tow bar is standard. On the XL, however, the hitch is excluded.

The bar is manufactured by Brink and has a load rating - or D-value – of 17.2 kN (equivalent to 1 754 kg). The vertical load on the towball may not exceed 225 kg, although this is largely academic because legislation limits that weight to 100 kg.

Climb into the XL and the screen behind the steering wheel reminds you to depress the clutch before starting. To your left is a proper old-school mechanical handbrake, but ahead of that is a digital display that offers almost a full towing academy's worth of information.

This is where the reversing-camera feed appears. You might expect something basic in an entry-level model, but that's not the case here. The towbar is clearly visible at the bottom of the screen, complete with dynamic guide lines. As you turn the wheel, the lines curve to show the exact path you'll follow when reversing.