Quality control

Owners can also take comfort in the fact that every Ranger manufactured at the Silverton plant in Pretoria goes through a comprehensive six-point checklist before leaving the factory.

It starts with the dark room with head and taillights, the instrument cluster, a Sync4 screen and all interior lighting are tested for brightness and alignment.

There’s literally a hands-on inspection as well where inspectors run their hands across every surface, tracing the contours for any imperfections, while also checking panel alignment while every button, switch, and control is pressed, poked, clicked and pulled.

The last time I saw that was at the Ferrari factory in Maranello, a grizzled Italian with white gloves ran his hand over the cars.

A systems check does a comprehensive diagnostic check to ensure the electrical components are connected correctly.

Ford’s mobile artificial intelligence vision system (MAIVS) uses advanced algorithms to scan the exterior of the vehicle for any flaws, like missing or crooked badges.

The Leak Test simulates a five-minute monsoonal downpour. High-pressure water jets blast the vehicle from every angle. All the lights and seals are inspected for water tightness and the doors opened while rubber seals are checked for any signs of water ingress.The water used is collected, treated and reused for subsequent tests.

Finally there’s the squeak and rattle test.

The Rangers drive over uneven cobblestones and angled irons to simulate a variety of real-world driving surfaces to ensure there are no unwanted noises, and that the suspension and steering operates exactly as it should.

I’ve done a lot of gravel driving in it and so far there have been no issues with our Ford Ranger Wildtrak Supercab, so clearly it works.

road test

The Ford Ranger Wildtrak and why bakkies rule in South Africa