- Ford Ranger named a finalist in this year’s Car of the Year competition
- Ford Ranger 3.2 XLT 4X4 Double Cab Diesel AT selected to represent the range
- Overall winner to be announced at a gala banquet in March 2013
PRETORIA, South Africa, 30 October, 2012 – Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) will once again contest the South African Car of the Year (COTY) competition with the Ford Ranger emerging as a finalist in this year’s contest.
“We are thrilled that the Ranger has been selected as a finalist,” commented Jeff Nemeth, president and CEO Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. “Built at our Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria the Ranger is perfectly suited to local conditions and the COTY jury’s selection of the Ranger bears testament to this.”
Launched in October of last year the all-new Ranger boasts all the toughness and rugged capabilities of a pickup truck, but also features smart technology, outstanding safety, superior fuel economy and high standards of quality and comfort normally associated with passenger cars.
“The Ranger is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. Hundreds of engineers and Ford staff from around globe were involved in making the introduction of the all-new Ranger a success; this is therefore a very proud moment for everyone involved in bringing the Ranger to fruition,” added Nemeth.
The model selected to represent the Ranger line-up is the Ford Ranger 3.2 XLT 4X4 Double Cab Diesel Automatic. With its 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel engine it offers a flat torque plateau with higher levels of torque available over a broad rpm. It is able to pull full loads on the highway easily without having to change gear thanks to ninety percent of its 470Nm torque peak being available from 1500 to 2750rpm.
The COTY jury will evaluate the 12 finalists selected for this year’s contest during a two-day test session to be held in February 2013 at the Gerotek test facility near Pretoria. The testing at Gerotek will allow the vehicles to be evaluated under the conditions they would normally be expected to perform under including an off road evaluation for the Ranger, the only pick-up to be selected this year.
The test days offer the Jury the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with various aspects of the vehicles such as aesthetics, build quality, ergonomics, fuel consumption, environmental friendliness, safety features and value for money.
The winner of the 2013 WesBank / SAGMJ Car the Year will be revealed at a gala banquet in March 2013.
