The big banger Thailand Grand Touring Cars return to the local Bira circuit this weekend, with the main events on this Sunday after Qualifying on Saturday.
As well as the GT Cars there will be the Concept cars with full fields for the first round of their championship.
The new “Sport Grand Champion” cars will also be seen for the first time. These are very quick little joggers. They have attracted some overseas
entrants as well as locals and are an ideal stepping stone towards the ‘big time’. I tested one this year and I can assure you that these will be lapping quicker than the
Grand Touring cars, despite only having a 1.6 litre engine.
The racing commences at 11 a.m. for the first round of the GT Cars over 25 laps,
followed by lunch. In the afternoon, racing starts around 1 p.m. with a 15 lapper for the Concept cars, then a 10 and a 20 lap race for the Sport Grand Champion runners and
then a 25 lapper for the Group N Touring cars. See you there!
Full Test! Ford Ranger Double Cab XLT Turbo
At the Bangkok International Motor Show I was able to tee up a road test of one of the Ford products coming off the assembly line at the Auto Alliance in
the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate. Since the Ford Ranger was the principal vehicle, it was decided I should try the 4x4 double cab, 4 door turbo diesel version and I
must thank FoMoCo for delivering it right to the door.
The first thing to strike you as you walk out to the vehicle is the size. It is
bloody big, especially in the 4x4 guise, with a whopping 208 mm ground clearance. Real springboard stuff to vault into the cab, even if not quite requiring a stepladder.
Still on the physical size, the cab area is just huge. With twin buckets up front and a bench rear, for once it is not a case of two adults and three
legless midgets. Honestly there is room for two giraffes up front and three hippo’s in the rear (even with the front seats racked all the way back). The designer must have
been on Pepsi when he drew the cab and ended up with “Max Headroom”. I had a 2 metre tall passenger who still had room to spare. Amazing.
Physical appointments in the cab do tend to be minimal, but there is a decent sized bin between the seats, some storage spaces in the doors and a couple of
stowage areas forward of the twin gear shifts, one of which will take cups, while the other takes mobile phones nicely.
The dashboard is again fairly Spartan, but there is a rev counter, which is important, especially in the turbo diesel versions. The air conditioning
controls are worth a mention - simple rotary switches for temperature and fan speed. How retro, but how simple and so easy and convenient. I must say that I have never been a
fan of the LCD switches you get these days where you spend time stabbing a button to get the desired temperature level up or down.
The 4x4 is not full-time, and the smaller gear shift allows you to select Low range 4WD, or High range 4WD or High range 2WD. The operation is simple, but
after being in 4WD you have to unlock the front wheels if you wish to run along in the 2WD mode. This is done by depressing a switch on the dash, clearly labelled RFW
(Release Front Wheels I imagine, but I didn’t get a manual with the vehicle - an oversight I am sure).
Now while the switch was clearly labelled, here is the first of the gripes - from the driving position, the steering wheel obscures the switch totally.
Sure, a little orange sign comes up on the bottom of the dash display panel, but it is easy to miss it. Surely, since the RFW switch is a simple electrical one, Ford could
design a micro-switch that “RFW’s” for you when you disengage 4WD? After all, they can turn on the gear lever operated reverse lights with micro-switches. Next model
please, Mr. Ford.
While on the gripe, which museum did you get the handbrake from Mr. Ford? Umbrella handles under the dash went out with button up boots, and I don’t care
if Toyota Tigers have them too. They are fiddly, cumbersome and not user friendly. A floor mounted handbrake beside the seat next time too, please.
So to the drive. The diesel engine starts easily and the first impression of the car is how quiet it is. Perhaps one gets too used to the chug-a-lug
diesels in the baht busses round Pattaya, but Ford have done very well with this one. The capacity is 2.5 litres and the motor has 12 valves actuated by a single overhead
cam. In the turbo form it delivers 121 Kw, which puts it right up there with the best of the others in the bang for your baht competition and the 270 Nm torque at 2,000 RPM
is excellent stump pulling power. Power comes in strongly after 2,000 RPM and peaks at 3,500, and while it will run along smoothly at 1,500 RPM, do not expect neck snapping
acceleration at low engine revs.
Gear shifting in the 5 speed box is a breeze, though I must say I found the bottom two ratios very low, and there was so much torque available I was
looking for 6th gear all the time. The final drive ratio for the 4x4 variants is 4.444, while the 2x4 gets a 4.1 and I believe the 4x4 would benefit from the 4.1 final drive.
However, I must admit I was driving it like a passenger car and at no time was shifting the 17 Hippos that could be fitted in the cargo/load area.
The 4x4 version as tested came on 15" alloy wheels with huge ‘ditch
digger’ tyres and I was most impressed with the accuracy of the steering, despite the large block tread. While that was good, the turning circle was fairly large, possibly
because of the 4WD, but is a minor inconvenience only.
Brakes were excellent, and an elderly Chinese gentleman should write to Mike Pease of Ford Thailand to thank him. Said chappie, while getting doused, fell
of his bicycle in front of me during the Songkran water throwing madness. Ranger stopped straight and true.
The actual ride itself I found to be very firm and I would personally go for more compliant spring rates and heavier damping - but then, as mentioned
before, perhaps this one had the 17 Hippo option. The road holding was, however, surprisingly good and had none of the skittishness I would have predicted, especially with
the choice of 4x4 rubber.
After a few days in the 2WD mode I decided it was time to go mud plugging and see what the Ranger could do in 4WD. At the outset I must admit that I do not
consider myself to be expert in any way in the off-road department. Having had a lifetime of motor racing, where you did everything possible to stay on the blacktop, sloshing
about in the mud was quite foreign. I should not have worried, in the low range the 4WD gave me the impression it could have crossed the Red Sea, even without Moses.
Bottomless muddy paddocks were crossed with ease and slopes churned through effortlessly.
Having decided that I was not going to be marooned in a muddy field, I got a little braver and selected the 4WD High range. This was the eye opener. The
damn thing just went where you pointed it and the steering was so good in the slush you would have imagined you were on bitumen. Yes, that good.
The overall impression of the Double Cab, 4x4 XLT Turbo Ford Ranger was one of
capability and solidity. The body was as tight as a drum, and even some high speed dirt road work did not loosen anything up. It was quiet, it had adequate power and heaps of
torque. For anyone looking for a pick-up with at least some of the creature comforts of a passenger vehicle, then this Ranger variant should be on your ‘looking at’ list.
At the price quoted of 680,000 baht, it is also cheaper than the majority of its competitors.
Thank you Mike Pease of Ford Motor Company for making this test possible.
Automania Quiz
Last week the question referred to Ralf Schumacher’s maiden win at Imola. The BMW Williams runs on the French tyre Michelin. The question was when was
the last time Michelin won a round of the F1 Grand Prix championship? Again a very easy one - it was 1984.
So to this week. Let’s continue with F1 and another easy one. When did Ron Dennis take over McLaren?
For the Automania FREE beer this week, be the first correct answer to fax 427 596 or email [email protected]
