Having fun in Ford’s courtesy cab

Many may not know, but it’s Organ Donor Month.You may not have known but it seems my Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost Ambiente did. It seemed to take advantage of this to announce that it needed not one but two new ‘body parts’. First sign that something wasn’t quite right was the sensor light which came on and stayed on.

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Long story short: it needed a new engine. No problem, the warranty plan we are on covered that. What an immense relief. However, while it was waiting for a new heart, the technicians discovered the clutch was ending its life span. Who knew a new clutch could nuke your wallet? I won’t mention the amount, in a time of Covid-19 it makes me want to weep. But that’s cars and life. Chin up.Some advice to others – plan ahead and save a little cash.

Or a lot.Do I drive the car hard? I don’t think so; some have suggested I drive like a granny.Does my wife drive the car hard? I’m ‘pleading the 5th’ here before I get myself into all sorts of trouble!Truth is she doesn’t either. Clutches don’t last forever and need to be replaced at some stage. However, due to the colossal Covid-19 backlog there’s been an understandably long wait to get the car back.

Fortunately, part of this wait has been spent behind the wheel of a courtesy car, or rather courtesy bakkie. Before you drive off in one though, make sure your insurance will cover it, like mine did, without hesitation. It’s been a lot of fun driving the single cab Ford Ranger 2.2, complete with Ford branding emblazoned on the doors. It’s a big step up – literally – from the Focus and my father-in-law’s NP200 bakkie which my wife has cruised around in. The Ranger is a big, strong vehicle and it’s not even the biggest of the brothers in the range. But more about the Raptor in a few weeks’ time.

The load bin is huge and you can actually jump out the front seat it sits so high.In traffic it’s great ? you can everything ahead of you.

Massive mirrors assist in visibility. With its wide turning arc, it’s a bit of a mission parking in tight space and doing a 3-point (13-point?) turn in a cul-de-sac, but thankfully the power steering means you don’t need to head to the physio to sort out bunched shoulder muscles. It’s easy-to-access power was impressive, even when it feels like you might be about to stall it. While it comes out of the same stable, it has a very different feel to the Focus, which purrs along smoothly with minimal effort.The Ranger needs a firm hand. And foot. You have to rev quite high before releasing the clutch.

This took me a little while to figure out and I left the Ford dealership feeling like I was in a rodeo…and hoping no-one noticed.It felt like the Ranger was bucking a bit, but the truth is that it was ready to go, just needed more power. While I am looking forward to getting the Focus again, I’m going to miss the Ranger. Very much.

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