Next-gen Ford Ranger undergoes extreme testing to guarantee toughness and durability

MANILA: Last month, Ford Philippines released a teaser of the next-generation Ranger, which will be launched next year. Since it is positioned to be the “toughest, smartest, most versatile, and most capable Ranger ever,” the truck undergoes more physical and virtual testing than ever before.

In a statement, Ford Ranger Chief Program Engineer John Willems said, “Earning a Built Ford Tough status is not something we take lightly. Every part of the next-generation Ranger was tested to the same standards that we demand of every Ford vehicle.”

The next-generation Ranger is being put to test in some of the world’s toughest terrain to guarantee that it is not only capable and customer-ready, but also meets Ford’s exacting world-class quality, dependability, and durability standards.

“It’s important that our customers are able to rely on Ranger to deliver years of dependable service,” Willems stated. “So, we’ve gone to great lengths to subject the 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.”

To date, next-generation Ranger's testing has covered around 10,000 km of desert driving, the equivalent of 1,250,000 km of customer driving, and the equivalent of 625,000 km of off-road durability testing at maximum load capacity, with more testing to come. Ford’s engineers put the next-generation Ranger through thousands of hours of computer simulations and thousands more of real-world simulations in laboratories, covering everything from aerodynamics to structure durability, before the first prototypes hit the road for testing.

“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 said.

Ranger customers expect their pickups to go above and beyond, so this demanding testing simulates a range of real-world situations. It takes place at Ford facilities across the world to guarantee that the next-generation Ranger can satisfy the demands of customers in over 180 countries.

Some of these tests were considered too demanding for humans to withstand, so computer simulations and robotics were used to take their place in situations like the intense “squeak and rattle” rig, in which the vehicle’s suspension and entire body are subjected to punishing cycles 24/7.

“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 added.

Photos from Ford

Also read: Ford PH sales up by 57% in first 9 months of 2021