Usually, newborns are fostered with tender loving care, but not in the case of Ford. In fact, the new-generation Ford Ranger is undergoing a series of the roughest tests to make sure that will be the “toughest, smartest, most versatile and most capable Ranger ever.”
Ford Ranger Chief Program Engineer John Willems said that the next-generation Ranger is being designed to be capable, customer-ready, and to meet Ford’s world-class quality, reliability and durability standards.
“Earning a Built Ford Tough status is not something we take lightly,” Willems said. "Every part of the next-generation Ranger was tested to the same standards that we demand of every Ford vehicle.”
According to him, the team is giving the Ranger extreme tests to make sure that Ford customers will be able to rely on its service.
“So, we’ve gone to great lengths to subject next-gen Ranger to extreme tests —stressing it much more than a typical consumer would — to help ensure it is ready to face everything life throws at it… Whether it’s tackling muddy bush tracks, coping with the rigors of extreme tropical weather, towing over alpine passes, or enduring temperatures of more than 50 degrees Celsius, Ranger has to do it all.”
As of date, the next-generation Ranger's testing has already covered some 10,000 kilometers of desert driving (which they claimed is equivalent to 1.25 million kilometers of customer driving), and the equivalent of 625,000 km of rugged off-road durability testing at maximum load capacity.
However, even before the first prototypes hit the on-road testing, the next-generation Ranger had already been subjected to thousands of hours worth of computer simulations and thousands more of real-world simulations in laboratories to study its aerodynamics to component and structure durability.
“Computer simulations have helped us speed up development, while lab testing has helped us refine and test specific components — but there really is no replacement for real-world testing to really see how it stands up to years of customer use,” Willems explained.
Further, Ford revealed that some of these tests for the Ranger are too rigorous for humans to endure, so computer simulations and robotics are used to replace humans in cases like the extreme “squeak and rattle” rig where the pickup’s suspension and whole body is exposed to punishing test cycles that are repeated round-the-clock.
“Our job as engineers is to translate the customer experience insights into a clear product definition brief for the engineering group, which becomes the absolute reference for engineers. This is particularly important for the Ranger, given we are developing it to be sold across the globe,” Willems concluded.
Photos from Ford Philippines
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