Mine spec Ranger XL PLUS released

[naddis01]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

That 4 tonne brick I had had 600NM and 4.30 diff gears and would pull a 5th wheeler unlike your Tonka truck.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

That 4 tonne brick I had had 600NM and 4.30 diff gears and would pull a 5th wheeler unlike your Tonka truck.

Only 130nm more than the Ranger. But the Ranger uses half the fuel and is probably about $100,000 cheaper when new.

My Aunt and Uncle pulled a 5th wheel around Australia for 2 years with less NM than the Ranger with no problems.

I don't care what any miners think of Ranger reliability. Those conditions are going to be much worse than the average person puts their vehicle through.
I think the Ranger is good for what it is.

[Franco Cozzo]

And the Ranger is at least 13 years newer, so in those 13 years I'd hope the Ranger would have caught up to the real stuff.

[Ben73]

Ranger is as good as a Hilux, Navara, Colorado, Triton aka Its competitors.
In reality it shouldn't be compared to any American 'truck' which is a different class.

[Itsme]

I've seen the best of quality made vehicles get trashed by ignorant company workers who don't care about them.

Who cares if a Ranger does not survive mine conditions, my ranger will never get abused like the mine ones do.

[deadfish2]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I don't care what any miners think of Ranger reliability. Those conditions are going to be much worse than the average person puts their vehicle through.
I think the Ranger is good for what it is.

I think the problem lies within the fact that ford marketed them as the toughest thing since sliced bread and their not quite upto the job. Land cruiser is king and always will be

[GTMOND]

Man landcruiser this landcruiser that. I work on them everyday there not perfect trust me no vehicle is. For price you pay for them is rediculous for what you get. Earlier 1hz models are the pick of them. It's a shame some more R&D wasn't put into OKA an Australian built 4wd which had the basis of been a brilliant 4wd but needed a bit more R&D. I know a couple people who have the ranger and love them but not in commercial use though.

[deadfish2]

Originally Posted by GTMOND

Man landcruiser this landcruiser that. I work on them everyday there not perfect trust me no vehicle is. For price you pay for them is rediculous for what you get. Earlier 1hz models are the pick of them. It's a shame some more R&D wasn't put into OKA an Australian built 4wd which had the basis of been a brilliant 4wd but needed a bit more R&D. I know a couple people who have the ranger and love them but not in commercial use though.

We'll that makes two of us then.....

Lc isn't perfect, but they are are a lot better than others....

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by deadfish2

I think the problem lies within the fact that ford marketed them as the toughest thing since sliced bread and their not quite upto the job. Land cruiser is king and always will be

At least Ford is giving it a go..... success or failure time will tell, maybe ford will improve on new model releases.

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by deadfish2

I think the problem lies within the fact that ford marketed them as the toughest thing since sliced bread

I know what you are trying to say, but all of them (Triton, D-MAX, Hilux, Colorado, Navara ect) are marketed in the same "Tuff Truck" way and all are fragile/problematic in different ways.

As above , at least Ford are giving it a go, they have seen a potential for large sales volume and have catered a model to (hopefully) suit.

[deadfish2]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

As above , at least Ford are giving it a go, they have seen a potential for large sales volume and have catered a model to (hopefully) suit.

Originally Posted by trublu

At least Ford is giving it a go..... success or failure time will tell, maybe ford will improve on new model releases.

It is good they are trying to get in there and have a go, but I do feel they will fail at it a bit... And end result won't be good for the private buyers - excellent for purchasers of good second hand units though.

Shouldn't be any real issues chassis wise as they seem to be on the mark with that..

But it's the finicky electrics that's going to catch up to then

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by GTMOND

Man landcruiser this landcruiser that. I work on them everyday there not perfect trust me no vehicle is. For price you pay for them is rediculous for what you get. Earlier 1hz models are the pick of them. It's a shame some more R&D wasn't put into OKA an Australian built 4wd which had the basis of been a brilliant 4wd but needed a bit more R&D. I know a couple people who have the ranger and love them but not in commercial use though.

Someone with an OKA was contacting me about buying my Cummins 6BT to chuck into it.

Those things are still bloody expensive for what they are (OKA).

[simon varley]

this new XL+ is a direct result of Ford getting out into the mines and finding out what is wrong with the current car, and upgrading where possible. It's not really going to be possible to fix everything in one go, and likely not in two or three goes, but I'm sure this will be a big step in the right direction. Don't forget that the LC today is the result of many years' of improvements.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by deadfish2

I think the problem lies within the fact that ford marketed them as the toughest thing since sliced bread and their not quite upto the job

Yes, but according to marketing the average softroader is a great bush basher and your basic hatchback is a sports car.
If you rely solely on ads to tell you about products, you're going to have a bad time.

I looked at 2nd hand LandCruisers to buy, but at the end of it, I decided I didn't need something that tough and was willing to settle for something cheaper with more features that is still tough enough to hold up well in normal situations.
No, I don't thrash it like miners probably do. And the Ranger handles everything I put it through pretty well. ( Basic offroading and light to moderate loads/tows)
Check back in a few years and I'll see how I feel about that Ranger.

In the Hunter Valley and Mudgee I always see Rangers done up in mine type decals traveling around. These vehicles might not be owned buy the mines and travel in the pits or underground, but Rangers seam to extremely popular with contractors or whoever else is driving them on the public roads.
So I'd say a mine spec Ranger would suit these businesses very well.

[XR Martin]

And keep in mind the LC70 has only a few years left, with Toyota saying there will be no replacement.

[Bent8]

Driving an XL 2.2 auto dualcab as my loan car at the moment and I'm surprised at how refined it drives for what is essentially a 4x4 ute.

You lift the hood and that motor is basically wedged against the firewall with a huge fan in front of it... just looks so tiny in comparison to the car!

Even with short gearing, there is literally nothing there under 2000rpm when moving off, then the turbo spools up and you're doing 45pkh at the redline before you can say turbo lag.

Suspension is firmer than expected for a 4x4 but the handling is very good.

Door mirrors are way too big and hinder vision when cornering.

No ignition key illumination doesn't help when trying to start it in the dark and some dials (2H/4H/4L selector) are not even illuminated.

That said, I think the Ranger is one of the best looking utes out there, has a very modern but tough looking stance and lots of space in the cab.

[1TUFFUTE]

The end story is that the workers want something they can thrash....that's nothing on the market!
And the bosses want the best value for money work truck. The ranger is the world truck of the year.......so it can't be a piece of junk like some miners may tell you. The same guys who drive it like it's a dump truck can't be trusted to choose their vehicles. The bosses aren't Stupid...they know these pickup trucks are not bullet proof......but they're cheap to RUN and REPAIR...and BUY. WIN

[GCRXR6]

Originally Posted by deadfish2

I think the problem lies within the fact that ford marketed them as the toughest thing since sliced bread and their not quite upto the job. Land cruiser is king and always will be

Different class to the Ranger. As for Landcruiser... the most horrible vehicle I have put my butt into...terrible entry and exit, terrible driving position, bump steers like a drunken sailor.....

[deadfish2]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

The end story is that the workers want something they can thrash....that's nothing on the market!
And the bosses want the best value for money work truck. The ranger is the world truck of the year.......so it can't be a piece of junk like some miners may tell you. The same guys who drive it like it's a dump truck can't be trusted to choose their vehicles. The bosses aren't Stupid...they know these pickup trucks are not bullet proof......but they're cheap to RUN and REPAIR...and BUY. WIN

The days of the something to thrash is gone, all the vehicles on site have data loggers, speed, excessive revs, too much engine idling, etc, it's all monitored and you'll know about it if you step outa line with them,

I'm on my second (new shape) bt50 the first one done 40,000km on road and it was that reliable I had to get rid of it....and if it wasn't for the fact I got such a good deal on another I wouldn't have done it - stood to loose to much going it a different brand, even this new one with 8,000km has dash squeaks and the rear main on the motor is leaking...

As you said they want something cheap to run and buy, repair cost are on par with Toyota, their are aspects of the ranger that dearer too... Transfer case with no gearbox for a ranger is 7k for instance...
But the one you didn't mention is reliable.... As I said chassis wise there won't be much an issue but the finicky electrics will, there's a reason Toyota still don't use can bus in hiluxes and land cruiser. It's simply more reliable, you get a slightly dirty plug in the can loop and the whole car shuts down... Handy when 1.5k underground....

[1TUFFUTE]

I agree with you but my comments were fueled by the "miner" commenting above listing drifting and thrashing and loosing control of these cars.....