Test drive Ford Ranger Wildtrak pickup: good - both on the asphalt and in the forest - part 4

On a regular forest dirt road, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak was remembered for the comfort of the suspension and high ground clearance, and when driving up a hill - for the thrust and huge suspension travels: hanging the wheel is not easy. By the way, pay attention to the springs: a 5-leaf package of springs is used here, but only three and the longest work without load - this seems to be the secret of comfort. And under heavy load - the first package is squeezed and closed on the 4th-5th spring: depending on the version, the Ford Ranger is ready to "take on board" 1024-1197 kg, which is one of the best indicators in the class. And also pay attention to how sensibly the protection from below is made: the off-road package includes engine protection, automatic transmission, "hand-outs". Another example is the high location of the air intake and generator: for the Ford Ranger, a ford depth of up to 800 mm is declared. Here are a couple more numbers: the entry angle is 29 degrees, the exit angle is 27 degrees. The all-wheel drive is implemented according to the Part-Time scheme, there is no center differential, but there is a reduction row.

 Is there any innovation in the Ford Ranger Wildtrak pickup?

 I have partially described the design of the car above, so here we will fix only the main points. First, the car has a frame structure, independent front wheel suspension and rear wheel dependent suspension (solid axle). By the way, the type of elastic elements at the rear may differ: almost all versions of the Ford Ranger, including the Wildtrak, use springs, only the Ranger Raptor received springs on the rear axle - its cutaway diagram and I cite below. All versions of the Ford Ranger are powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder EcoBlue turbo diesel with SCR catalytic converter. Regular versions of the car use a 170-horsepower version of this engine with one turbine, but the Ranger Wildtrak and Ranger Raptor pickups get bi-turbodiesel: two turbines, 213 hp, 500 Nm. The high-pressure turbine has a variable geometry and operates according to a mixed program: at low speeds - half-strength, but in conjunction with a low-pressure turbine; at high speeds - independently, but "blowing out" in full force. The transmission of the car can be built on the basis of a 6-speed. Manual transmission or 10-st. Automatic transmission. All versions of the Ford Ranger sold through the network of authorized dealers have 3-mode four-wheel drive: rear-wheel drive (2H), four-wheel drive (4H), four-wheel drive with low gear (4L).

 Amazing combination of state-of-the-art engine and automatic transmission with old-school four-wheel drive and rear springs, right? But in terms of equipment, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak pickup is a leader in its class: adaptive cruise control, tracking systems on the road, emergency braking function, automatic low / high beam switching. There is even a "valet parking" function! And since we are talking about the electronic systems of the car: the central part of the front panel is built around an 8-inch touchscreen display and the SYNC 3 multimedia system. The latter is clearly not a mistake: it supports the integration of smartphones, offers voice control, there are separate tab pages for detailed climate settings "And standard navigation. The only question is: why does such an advanced multimedia system have such a simple menu design? Oh yes, because in the world of pickups now straight lines and angles rule the show ...