Ford has released a new special edition of
the Ranger pickup truck in Europe called the Thunder. Offering an exclusive
color-contrast exterior and interior specifications, the Ranger Thunder is
limited to 4,500 units for Europe, of which 1,400 will reach the UK and 30 will
go to Ireland. It’s not the first time Ford launches a Ranger Thunder, as the
first one debuted in 2003 and the second in 2009.
For the third-generation Ranger Thunder,
Ford has chosen to build on the Ranger Wildtrak trim level and add exclusive
interior and exterior design while offering many popular practical options as
standard. You’ll recognize the Ford Ranger Thunder thanks to the unique livery
combining a Sea Grey body color with red highlights on the grille and sports
hoop. The model also features Ebony Black executions for the front grille, rear
bumper, skid plates, fog light surrounds, load bay sports hoop and door
handles.
LED headlights with darkened bezels are
also standard, as are the darkened taillight bezels at the rear, 3D-effect
‘Thunder’ badges for the front doors and tailgate, as well as matte black
‘Ranger’ logo. The Ranger Thunder rides on exclusive 18-inch black alloys and
offers a black Mountain Top powder-coated roller shutter with bedliner divider
as an optional extra.
Inside, Ford has equipped the
Ranger Thunder with full Ebony leather seats with distinctive ‘Thunder’ red
embroidery and matching stitching on the steering wheel, seats, instrument
panel and key touch points throughout the cabin. The list of standard features
also includes black floor mats and bespoke red-illuminated sill plates.
Under the hood, the Ranger
Thunder features the mighty bi-turbo 2.0-liter EcoBlue diesel engine shared
with the Ranger Raptor. Rated at 213 PS and 500 Nm of
torque, it’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel
drive. According to Ford, it deliver up to 31 mpg UK (9.1 l/100 km or 25.8 mpg
US) on the combined cycle and 239 g/km CO2, according to the WLTP test.
Prices for the new Ford Ranger Thunder
start from £ 32,965 (€ 36,920 / US$ 39,900) in the UK (excluding VAT), with
deliveries set to begin in late summer. The new special-edition model comes hot
on the heels of the Ranger’s best-ever year in 2019, with 52,500 unit sold
across Europe – more than 16,000 of which in the UK.
