With the Raptor’s introduction to the local line-up fresh in mind, Ford Australia is wasting no time in adding the new Ranger FX4 Special Edition to the MY20 range of the iconic ute come December.
The FX4 is based on one of the best-selling variants - the XLT dual-cab 4x4. The returning nameplate slots itself between the variant on which it’s based on and the Wildtrak 4x4, of which only a 1000 initial units will be offered here in Australia.
On the outside, the FX4 will wear 18-inch black alloy wheels, wrapped around Bridgestone Dueler Highway/Terrain rubbers. Additionally, its adorned with smoked Bi-LED headlights that’s accented by the Ebony Black mesh front grille along with exterior mirrors, tailgate handles and fenders of the same finish.
Completing the dark look of the FX4 is the extended sports bar in the bed coupled with the tailgate and door decals. Offered alongside Shadow Black are Arctic White, True Red, Meteor Grey and Aluminum Grey licks of paint.
Inside, you’ll find ‘FX4’ embossed leather-wrapped sport bucket seats. Race Red stitching is applied to the seats, dashboard, steering wheel, centre console and doors finish the upholstery. Soft touch materials and the graphite colored instrument cluster further accentuates the sporty FX4 treatment.
Standard interior features include the 8-inch SYNC 3 infotainment screen bundled with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a full-colour reverse camera amongst others.
The variant ships with a suite of safety systems such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Keeping Aid, Lane Departure Warning and so on. Available optionally are the Adaptive Cruise Control and Semi-Auto Parallel Parking features.
Powering this mud-slinger along are two powertrain choices. Alongside the rough and tough 3.2-litre five pot oil burner found in the Wildtrak is the 2-litre Bi-Turbo EcoBlue mill first seen in the Ranger Raptor. The former is mated to either a six-speed manual or automatic while the latter is paired up to a 10-speed paddle shifting affair that’s tuned for towing hefty loads.
The Bi-Turbo engine delivers 157kW and 500Nm of torque while returning a respectable fuel consumption figure of just 7.4L/100km. Despite the frugality, this 5 star ANCAP-rated beast will haul a braked mass of 3500kg. Impressive.
While pricing isn’t yet available for the variant, the Blue Oval is offering a five-year unlimited kilometre full factory warranty. Service intervals are paced out at 15,000km per year.
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