OREANDA-NEWS. December 14, 2015. Ford Malaysia recently organized three, one-day media drives to the idyllic Tadom Hill Resort in Banting, Selangor to showcase the on- and off-road capabilities of the newly launched Ford Ranger.

At the resort, a specially constructed drive route enabled media participants to experience a number of off-road activities to highlight the capabilities of the new Ranger, including water wading, Hill Launch Assist, Hill Descent Control, electronic locking rear differential and shift on the fly.

Also, joining the trip were winners of Ford Malaysia’s “Tough Done Smarter” social media contest, who used their prize — the latest GoPro video camera — to film their journey, which will be shared on Ford’s social media channels.

Showcased during the drive were both the XLT, with a 2.2-litre Duratorq four-cylinder diesel engine, and the WildTrak, with a 3.2-litre Duratorq five-cylinder diesel engine. Not only is the new Ranger the most powerful pickup in Malaysia, it has the highest payload capacity in the segment, up to 1,200kg. The vehicle can also wade through up to 800mm of water, the deepest of any pickup in Malaysia.

November also marked two important milestones for the new Ranger, which was recognized for its class-leading safety features and its overall leadership in the pickup truck segment.

Underlining its safety leadership, the new Ranger was awarded a maximum five-star safety rating by the ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP), with a total Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) score of 15.45 out of 16 possible points — the highest of any pickup truck in Malaysia.

The Ranger’s suite of active and passive safety features is unmatched, with up to six airbags. Ford’s Electronic Stability Control and ISOFIX child safety mounts also come standard, making Ranger the only pickup truck in the country to offer these two important safety features across all variants. These are complemented by smart driver assistance technologies such as the Lane Keeping Aid, Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Warning, Electronic Stability Control, and Roll Over Mitigation.

The new Ranger WildTrak was also named “Pick Up Truck of the Year” at the New Straits Times-Maybank Car of the Year 2015 awards, building on the Ranger’s growing momentum since its launch in October.