For a long time now, I have been dreaming of going to the Aquila Private Game Reserve. Given this Pandemic, I have not been doing work trips or flying anywhere, so when Ford invited me to spend the weekend at the Aquila Private Game Reserve and road trip there driving their Ford Ranger Thunder, I asked where do I sign up!
The weekend getaway started with the lovely people from Ford dropping of the Ford Ranger Thunder. I was taken through the vehicle and given the low down.
The Ranger Thunder models are exclusively available in Sea Grey, Frozen White, Absolute Black and Moondust Silver. I was loaned the Frozen White model which looks clean!
Here is what I got up to during the Weekend Getaway:
To make the Thunder stand out from the other Ford Rangers available, Ford has given the Thunder some key details to look out for. You will notice the new black mesh grille that features red inserts. The 3D Thunder branding on the side and tailgate. Lastly, the sports hoop that is now in red compared to the orange of the Wildtrak.
Climbing inside, you will find red leather stitching on the leather seats together with a Thunder logo on the seats. The dashboard, steering wheel, and other bits are covered in soft leather.
After getting to know the vehicle, I headed off to fetch my friend that joined me for the trip and started the 130 KM journey to Aquila. On the way, we stopped for a quick stretch of the legs, even though there is so much space inside. Ok this was more of a stop to check out this cool spot!
The Ranger Thunder made the drive comfortable and effortless. I mostly used the adaptive cruise control to keep the speed at bay and also to keep us a safe distance away from the vehicles and trucks in front of us.
To make sure that I didn’t land up in Johannesburg, even though that would have been a fun drive, I used the built-in Navigation to get to the destination. We also had a great music experience thanks to the Ford Sync 3 System together with the 6 speakers, the 8″ Touchscreen, and the dual USB ports! Lastly, we were kept nice and cool thanks to the automatic aircon.
After a fun drive, we arrived at the Aquila Private Game Reserve and found another Ranger Thunder! I am thinking this could be the perfect his and hers combo!
The Aquila Private Game Reserve is absolutely beautiful. It is situated in the Touws River, a valley between the Langeberg and the Outeniqua Mountains. There are over 10K hectares of African beauty which provides the perfect place to relax, wine and dine, go horse riding or quad biking (I did this and it was loads of fun), swim in the outdoor pool or the pools at the spa, as well as see the Big 5 and a significant amount of other wild game, which roam freely on the reserve (Behind the fence). Here is a bunch of photos I snapped during my stay 🙂 Thanks to Goldies for the Kosher food!!
Waking up the next morning, I glanced out the window whilst making a coffee and fought the Ranger Thunder looking excited for the day ahead. Might I say, nearly as excited as me.
I remember driving the Ford Ranger FX4 and how I referred to her as “The Beast”, and I hope it is ok that I also refer to the Ranger Thunder as the same, as she is powerful. The Ranger Thunder comes in three versions, with either a 2L or 3.2L engine. I was lucky to drive the top of the range which has a 2.0L Bi-Turbo 4-Cylinder Diesel Engine with 157kw and 500Nm of torque. Coupled with a 10-speed Automatic Gearbox that gives you the right amount of power when you need it. The Thunder I drove has Progressive Range Select which allows you to manually change the gears. This came in handy when overtaking trucks but is also meant for rough terrain. While going there, most of the roads were tarred but I did land up hitting some off roads and the Ranger Thunder handled the rough terrain well thanks to its 4X4 capabilities. Shifting from 2X4 to 4X4 is as easy as turning a dial.
The 4X2 mode is for normal driving, then you get 4×4 high range for poor road surfaces and 4×4 low range for very challenging terrain. The Ranger Thunder has a towing capacity of up to 3 500kg and an 800mm water wading depth and 230mm ground clearance.
The Ford Ranger Thunder looked right at home in the wild.
When it comes to fuel efficiency, the Ford Ranger Thunder is surprisingly fuel-efficient. On the drive from my home to Aquila, which took 3 hours and 13 minutes, I averaged 9.7L per 100 km. While on the drive back I managed to get 9.4L per 100 km over 185.2 KM. This took us 2:25 as there were fewer trucks on the road.
I really felt super safe driving in the Ranger Thunder thanks to all of its safety features. Some highlights: 7 Airbags – Dual Front Airbags, Side & Curtain Airbags, Electronic Brake Assist, Hill Descent Control, Front & Rear Parking Sensors With Rear-View Camera, Lane Keeping System With Lane Keeping Aid, Lane Departure Warning & Driver Alert System! The Ranger also has LED headlamps, LED daytime running lamps and LED fog lamps for improved visibility.
The Ford Ranger Thunder is the perfect vehicle for getting your work done during the week thanks to its payload capacity of 860KG with 1.18m3 of space as well as zipping away for a Quick Weekend Getaway as we did! Ford’s innovative EZ lift tailgate, now also available on the Ranger Thunder, makes accessing the load bin significantly easier through the incorporation of a torsion rod system that reduces the initial lift force required to raise the tailgate by 70 percent!
The Ranger Thunder has a lockable “Mountain Top” black roller shutter to safely secure goods. There’s also a cargo area management system with a bed divider that allows the owner to easily compartmentalise the available space for securely holding different-sized items.
The Ford Ranger Thunder is priced as follows:
RANGER 3.2 TDCI DOUBLE CAB 3.2 THUNDER 6AT 4X2 711 600
RANGER 2.0L BiT DOUBLE CAB THUNDER 10AT 4X2 736 000
RANGER 2.0L BiT DOUBLE CAB THUNDER 10AT 4X4 787 000
All models come standard with Ford Protect, comprising a four-year/120 000km comprehensive warranty, three-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance and five-year/unlimited km corrosion warranty. A six-year/90 000km service plan is included, with 15 000km service intervals.
Thanks to Ford for letting me borrow the Ford Ranger Thunder as well as for giving me a weekend at Aquila, it is really what I needed to destress during the pandemic!
I returned from the trip with a few days to enjoy the Ranger Thunder in Cape Town, and it was great driving to the office in such a sturdy powerful vehicle. I headed out to my favourite spot near my office which is basically an off-road track in the middle of the city!
If only I could drive such a vehicle every day, I guess I can only pray that Ford doesn’t steal my Thunder 😉
