Ford Ranger FX4 - All You Need to Know

Ford Philippines kicks off the year with the return of the FX4. After a short hiatus, this badass Ranger variant returns to the local automotive landscape as a part of Ford PH’s refreshed Ranger lineup boosting the Blue Oval’s solid fleet of PPVs. While each of the new rangers we’re given a few minor upgrades, the latest Ford Ranger FX4 has something else to offer to prospective Filipino car buyers; it bridges the gap between Ford’s base (XLS and XLT) models and its Wildtrak variants. That said, the all-new Ford Ranger FX4 makes for a mid-size pickup truck that offers the perfect marriage between luxury and utility. It’s a capable workhorse and an opulent light-duty pickup truck making it better suited for both city driving and off-road adventures.
Here’s everything you need to know to get up to speed with the 2020 Ford Ranger FX4.

Pricing

The Ford Ranger FX4 offers the muscle and the power one would expect from an American duty truck but presents a price point similar to that of its Japanese competitors. This puts the 2020 Ford Ranger FX4 in a position where it can offer car buyers the best of both worlds.

The Ford Ranger FX4 inherited the 2.2L Duratorq TDCi Diesel Engine from its XLS and XLT brethren. This familiar diesel engine manages to chuck in 160 buff horses and 385 Nm of torque. It drives the power back to the rear wheels and comes mated either to a 6-speed automatic tranny or a 6-speed stick-shift.

Exterior

While it shares the same power plant as its duty-level brothers, it sits above Ford’s fleet of work-oriented PPVs because of its upscale blacked-out exterior features that are enough to make the dark knight jealous.

The Ford FX4 is outfitted with a striking black grille. It drops the chrome-lined front fascia in exchange for the Blue Oval’s blacked-out dual-bar grille. This feature alone separates the FX4 from its brethren as it’s the only Ford Ranger to don this black muzzle and a black skid plate. The lower chin of the FX4 borrows design cues from the Wildtrak line-up with a blacked-out chin of its own. Apart from its dark and menacing grin, the FX4 also sports black step boards, a set of 18-inch black alloy wheels (black Ford center caps), and tubular roll bars – also in black. At its tail, you’ll find a black bumper and a black tail lamp. Completing the look are two FX4 decals at each side.

The Ford FX4 comes in Arctic White, Aluminum Metallic, Meteor Grey, True Red, and of course, Absolute Black.

Interior

Pop the doors open and you’ll be greeted with black leather seats accentuated with red stitches and an embossed FX4 branding on the backrest of the front seats and on the floor pads. The same design language can be found of the FX4’s dash, handbrake, side panels, tiller, and shift boot.

It also comes with an eight-inch touchscreen panel that’s both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay ready. As with higher Ford pickup trim levels, the FX4 comes with cruise control as well as steering wheel controls. It also offers a foldable armrest at the back.

Safety

As expected from high-end mid-size pickup trucks donning the Blue Oval logo, the FX4 offers a slew of safety features that makes every Peso worth it.
It comes with a full suite of standard safety features as well as two airbags at the front, ISOFIX anchors for child seats, and an anti-lock braking system (ABS) with automatic brake differential (ABD).

Competitors

While the Ford Ranger FX4 is a one-of-a-kind Ranger, its arrival in the local automotive landscape is not met without competition. It stands toe to toe with other beefed-up mid-size pickup trucks like the Nissan Navara 4x2 EL Calibre Sport Edition 6MT.

Nissan’s EL Calibre Sport Navara is sold at ₱1,255,000 and offers only slightly better safety features with the inclusion of brake assist (BA) and an alarm with an engine immobilizer. Although it can be useful in certain situations, Ford Ranger FX4’s combination of ABS and ABD proves to be quite sufficient especially for its price.

Ford Ranger FX4’s black on black design makes it a mid-size pickup truck that boasts a demeaning presence with an engine to match. Its overall performance as a light-duty pickup truck coupled with its luxurious amenities makes it the ideal truck for many Filipino families.

Check out our story on Ford’s unveiling and reintroduction of the Ford FX4 and other Ford Ranger variants in a recent story we published.

 

Also read: Ford PH Brings Refreshed Ranger Lineup
Ford PH Hits All-Time Sales Record for Ford Ranger in 2019