PK Ford Ranger 2009-2012
The PK Ford Ranger arrived in 2009 with updated styling inside and out as well as modest specification upgrades. The new styling made the Ranger more appealing outside of its workhorse reputation and with it came the more obvious lifestyle-oriented Wildtrak.
Its updated styling was previewed by the Ford Ranger Max concept at the 2008 Thailand Motor Expo.
At the front was a new three-bar grille and a new bonnet. Most controversial was the new front bumper which owners regarded as more prone to damage and “forced” the purchase of a bull bar.
There were new exterior mirrors and side air vents as well as new stickers for the new Wildtrak model.
At the rear were new clear taillights and tailgate cladding.
The updated cabins got new door cards and new seats.
The international version of the second-generation Ford Ranger was built in five different factories in Asia, South Africa and South America. Australian and European-delivered Rangers shipped from Ford’s Rayong factory in Thailand.
Thailand – Rayong
Vietnam – Hai Dong
Taiwan – Taiyuan
South Africa – Silverton Pretoria
Colombia – Bogota
A single cab seated three across in the front bench seat, with hardy cloth and hard plastics the order of the day.
The super-cab added two seats in the rear, with access eased a little with two dinky rear-hinged doors. The single cab’s bench seat went in favour of much more comfortable buckets and the addition of a centre console with some storage and the still-novel idea of two cupholders.
Rear seat occupants were basically on vinyl cushions under their butts and another vinyl cushion across the rear bulkhead for some relief from shoulder blades on metal. You could only fit two of your worst enemies in the rear.
The dual cab allowed for five passengers, with a proper three-seat bench in the rear accessed by two actual doors. Obviously, the bigger cab cut into the cargo bed but you could bring your friends and family you like with you in the dual cab.
The PK did not see any great improvement for the engines, with the PJ’s 2.5 and 3.0-litre turbodiesels carried over. All Rangers featured a limited-slip differential.
2.5-litre four-cylinder diesel
The entry-level engine for the PJ Ranger was a 2.5-litre, twin-cam in-line four-cylinder diesel. With a fairly underwhelming power figure came an impressive 330Nm of torque to pull a kerb weight of 1468kg.
A five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission sent power to the rear wheels.
| Size: | 2499cc |
| Cylinders: | 4 in-line |
| Induction: | Turbo (intercooled) |
| Compression: | 18:1 |
| Power: | 105kW @ 3500rpm |
| Torque: | 330Nm @ 1800rpm |
| Transmission: | manual, five speed |
3.0-litre four-cylinder diesel
The second engine in the line-up and found in every variant bar the XL was a twin-cam 3.0-litre turbodiesel with either a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic.
Power and torque were both up but the 4×4 drivetrain added significant weight, with kerb weights from 1864kg to 1907kg.
All variants with the 3.0-litre featured all-wheel drive, with dual-range available as an option.
| Size: | 2953cc |
| Cylinders: | 4 in-line |
| Induction: | Turbo (intercooled) |
| Compression: | 18:1 |
| Power: | 115kW @ 3200rpm |
| Torque: | 380Nm @ 1800rpm |
| Transmission: | manual, five speed / automatic five speed |
2009 Ford Ranger
Seven colours were available and all were free. They included two solid colours (red and white), black mica and four metallics (highland green, Arizona gold, titanium grey and silver).
XL
Starting at the bottom with a bare cab chassis was the manual, 2.5-litre rear-wheel drive. Also available with the 2.5 and five-speed was a Ute version with two or four doors.
In its most basic form, the XL still had steel wheels but did have air-con, a two-speaker stereo with CD player, AM/FM, cloth trim, central locking, cupholders, electric mirrors and a full-size spare.
Some versions of the XL – most notably automatic 3.0- had an upgraded four-speaker stereo with AUX and MP3 input, central locking, rear step bumper,
Safety gear remained scarce in the XL, with just two front airbags seatbelt pretensioners slightly less disgracefully, ABS was an option, albeit at $900 on top of prices starting at $24,490.
You could also pay to replace the bench seat with buckets for $250.
The XL could be had in the Hi Rider 4×2, Hi Rider Super Cab 4×2, Hi Rider Cab Chassis 4×2 and Hi-Rider Ute 4×2.
Going up to the XLT gave you a four-speaker stereo, 16-inch alloys, cruise control, a front centre armrest, front fog lamps, power windows all round, leather shifter and steering wheel, adjustable headrests on all but the rear middle seat, lots of chrome, side steps and a bed liner.
On the safety front you got two side airbags in the front, emergency brake assistance (EBA) and ABS which still isn’t much.
There was still no sat nav, climate control, ISOFIX points or Bluetooth.
The XLT came in Hi Rider 4×2, dual cab ute 4×4 and Super Cab 4×4,, some with dual-range as an option.
The Wildtrak was Ford’s first blinged-up Ranger, arriving in dual-cab ute form in either manual or auto and only with the 3.0-litre turbodiesel four.
Externally it came with a lot of chrome including on the door handles, mirrors, grill and rear garnish. It also came with mudflaps, scuff plates, roof rails and rather fetching 18-inch wheels. And big Wildtrak stickers on the doors and tailgate.
The cargo bay was covered with a metal roll top cover and there was a body-coloured roll bar. The door mirror had puddle lamps.
The interior picked up two-tone leather seats with orange stitching and Alcantara inserts. The floor mats had the same orange stitching to match the Wildtrak stickers.
Added equipment included a six-stacker CD player sending sound into a six-speaker stereo system, sports instruments (so a tacho and a speedo) and a digital clock.
For the 2010 model year, Ford tweaked the available colours, adding Desert Bronze and Winning Blue, dropping only Arizona Gold to take the total to eight colours.
Apart from that, little changed apart from the XLT dual-cab scoring the six-speaker/six-stacker from the Wildtrak, a chrome roll bar (or sports bar)
Very few serious issues developed in these early cars. Rust is rare but anything this old should be checked.
The PJ engines ran dual mass flywheels and this is probably the best-known of the model’s issues. Ford returned to single-mass flywheels in 2012.
You’ll know if you’ve got a dodgy clutch if you get judder, vibrations even when you’re moving at a constant speed or find it tricky to get a gear.
Recalls:
2010: 30,000 Rangers were recalled to replace failure-prone bonnet locks that failed to engage.
Another recall involved an accessory cruise control issue where it failed to engage.