KUALA LUMPUR: The next-generation Ford Ranger which debuted in Malaysia last month is the result of deep customer insight from extensive customer research into what makes a great pickup.
Designers took these insights, plus Ranger’s award-winning pickup formula, to create the next-
generation Ranger – the one iconic, versatile and trusted pickup customers trust to tackle almost
anything.
Ranger chief designer Max Tran and his team spent hundreds of hours with customers around the world to see how they use their pick-up trucks on a daily basis.
Ford conducted more than 5,000 interviews and made more than 1,800 pages of field notes for reference, which helped development and guide both engineers and designers to build a pick-up with the features and capability customers wanted.
“Seeing owners use their trucks, whether for work, family or play, inspired some fantastic ideas
that drove our design and development decisions,” said Tran.
“One great example of that is the integrated box side-step. During our clinic sessions, we noticed that many customers had trouble reaching over the side of the truck into the bed; others were standing on the rear tyre or the bumper to gain access.
“So, we came up with the idea of a box step, behind the rear wheel,” he said.
“We mocked one up, tested it with owners and the response was overwhelming. People told us that step would be reason enough to buy the Ford Ranger,” Tran said.
He also said team fulfilled the customer request for a wider cargo area that could accommodate a full-width pallet in the tray.
The next-generation Ranger conveys confidence and capability through the bold new grille with its C-clamp headlights, daytime running lights and strong horizontal upper grille bar, to the pronounced wheel arches, strong shoulder line and large sculpted Ranger logo on the tailgate.
Customer preferrences also resulted in large centre touchscreen display to get portrait orientation as this created enough space for navigation screens while also leaving room in the lower portion of the screen for other menus, like those for the climate and entertainment controls.
Although designers reimagined key aspects of the cabin; including how the door release handles could be better integrated into the ‘coast-to-coast’ dashboard design, customer feedback led to the door release handles being mounted lower – looking more linear to provide easier reach to window switches and the armrests.
“The next-gen Ranger really redefines the role of the pick-up as a trusted partner for work, family
and play,” said Gary Boes, Enterprise Product Line Management director, Global Trucks.
“With the help of all the rich insights from customers, we’ve created a Ranger we believe will inspire owners to do more of what they love to do, with features that encourage them to explore new
horizons,” he said.
Sime Darby Auto ConneXion, the sole distributor for Ford in Malaysia, will be previewing
the next-generation Ranger in Kuching on Sept 7-11 at Vivacity Megamall, and at Suria Sabah Shopping Centre, Kota Kinabalu on Oct 5-9.
Ahead of its showroom launch, these preview events are a part of the next-generation Ranger’s
nationwide debut tour in 5 regions, including Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru over five
weekends.
Don’t miss out on the upcoming preview events of the next-generation Ranger debut tour.
Sign up at the “Register” page to score exclusive invitations to a venue closest to you.
