Six months with the Ford Ranger Wildtrak Supercab

IT WAS time to hand the keys of our long-term Ford Ranger Wildtrak Supercab back, but not before a final road trip to Hoedspruit in Limpopo.

- WILLEM VAN DE PUTTE

My partner and I had taken a few days off to explore that part of the world surrounded by the Kruger National Park and a myriad private game reserves and hunting lodges. We don't have the budget for those fancy places, so we settled instead for a self-catering tented camp close to the Orpen gate.

Bags, fridges and wood

We loaded our bags behind the seats and the fridge, ammo boxes with our food, wood (because braai) and odds and ends we thought we may need into the loadbox using the handy fastening rings to prevent them from sliding around.

It does have a solid roller shutter, but dust will always be your enemy, hence our bags being stored inside.

We filled up with diesel and pointed the nose towards the N4, set the adaptive cruise control to the speed limit, connected our phones for music to the 12-inch touchscreen Sync 4 infotainment system and settled down for a comfortable cruise.

Interior, engine and tech

Phones connect wirelessly, and in the six months we had the bakkie, it connected every time without a hitch.

Fitted with Ford's 2.0-litre Bi-turbo diesel engine producing 154KW and 500Nm and coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission the Ranger cruises along effortlessly.

Seating is comfortable and it really is an ideal long-distance companion.