Publications
Partners
If you were keen on a Ranger last year, and waited, how much better is the bakkie you can buy in 2019?
Any vehicle purchase is a significant financial decision and often buyers will defer their impulse, in the hope of capturing greater value with a pending model update. It is a gamble to wait and attempt timing your vehicle upgrade.
The Rand could depreciate, which spikes prices, or you could win in a time of exchange rate stability, by purchasing when a new model is released, gaining additional features and technology.
READ: Refreshed, SA-built Ford Ranger arrives in 2019
We’ve decided to look at one of South Africa’s most popular vehicle choices, Ford’s Ranger, and analyse how much difference a year makes in the buying rationale.
Image: Ford Ranger Wildtrak 2018 / Quickpic
Suppose you bought a range-topping bakkie from Ford’s Ranger portfolio around this time last year, you’d have paid R633 700 for a Wildtrak 3.2 six-speed automatic double-cab, in 4x4 configuration.
The same transaction applied to Ford’s current bakkie offering buys you a significantly upgraded bakkie. Discounting the Raptor, Ford’s lead Ranger product is currently a Wildtrak 2.0 Bi-Turbo ten-speed automatic double-cab, also in 4x4. It retails for R692 900.
Compared the purchase prices for these range-topping Ford bakkies one year apart and the difference is a touch more than 9%.
If we unpack the added features and engineering upgrades applied to the 2019 Ranger, does it justify that 9% price inflation over a year?
Image: Ford Ranger Wildtrak 2019 / Quickpic
The most noticeable difference between the 2018 and 2019 Ranger Wildtraks are their engines.
In 2018 you paid R633 700 for a 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel, boosting 147kW and 470Nm. The peak Ranger offering a year later costs R692 900 and has a much smaller 2.0-litre bi-turbocharged diesel engine, with four-cylinders, which is good for 157kW and 500Nm.
If we compared the price and power increases, you are paying 9% more for a 6.8% power increase. But engine power is not an upgrade in isolation, the 2019 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo Range also has ten gears, instead of the Wildtrak 3.2’s six-speed transmission, which means you are paying 9% more this year for 66% more gears.
Other additional features included with the 2019 Ranger is a reconfigured front-suspension system, autonomous emergency braking and active park assist, a head-up display, forward collision warning, lane-keeping system and the hugely convenience night-driving feature: auto high-beam control.
If you actively use a bakkie for its intended purpose, the addition of Ranger’s easy-lift tailgate, is notable win on the 2019 Wildtrak too. The above-mentioned features are all notable additions for a 9% increase in price.
Consider the engine and drivetrain upgrades and Ford has inarguably added value to its Ranger bakkie, as its price has gone up over the last year. If we analyse the overall value offering, deferring your Ford bakkie upgrade from last year, and purchasing into the face-lifted Ranger in 2019, was a sound decision – gaining any owner an array of additional features and driveability.
