Ford’s commercial Ranger derivatives: From Wildtrak luxury to Dropside practicality
Key topics:
Ford expands Ranger range with luxury Wildtrak and practical Dropside.
Super Cab Wildtrak offers SUV-level comfort and tech with 1,000kg payload.
Ranger Dropside focuses on payload and functionality for serious work.
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By Miles Downard
Ford knows South Africans love a bakkie, and that every customer needs a different flavour. Some of us need leather seats and 12-inch touchscreens to get through the working day, while others just want to load a few tons of bricks and be on our way. Enter two very different takes on the commercial Ranger. The new Super Cab Wildtrak and the Dropside conversion. One’s a hard-working show pony, the other a purebred workhorse.
Super Cab Wildtrak: Luxury Meets Utility
The big news from Ford is that the Super Cab is now available in Wildtrak trim for the first time. Traditionally, Super Cabs were the awkward middle children of the bakkie world - more versatile than a Single Cab, but without the family-friendly appeal of a Double Cab. With the Wildtrak badge, though, the Super Cab has stepped into the limelight.
Under the bonnet sits Ford’s familiar 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo diesel, producing a meaty 154kW and 500Nm, paired to the 10-speed automatic and four-wheel drive. In practice, this means you get enough grunt to tow the holiday boat and still blast past slow trucks on the N3 without breaking a sweat.
But the real talking point is the cabin. Step inside and you’re met with eight-way power adjustable seats, dual-zone climate control, and Ford’s latest SYNC 4A infotainment system displayed on a portrait-style 12-inch screen. It’s the kind of kit you’d expect in a premium SUV, not a bakkie that can still haul more than 1,000kg in the back.
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Speaking of the back, the Super Cab’s extra space behind the front seats is a huge win for small business owners and weekend adventurers alike. You can stash tools, groceries, or your overenthusiastic Labrador without having to sacrifice load bed space. The Wildtrak version adds the drop-in bedliner, 400W inverter, and Ford’s ingenious side-step that makes climbing into the loadbox feel far less like a CrossFit exercise.
Driving it on tar and gravel, the Super Cab Wildtrak feels composed, confident, and surprisingly refined. The suspension is still firm enough to remind you it’s a commercial vehicle, but the cabin isolation is so good you’ll barely notice the corrugated gravel until you open the window. Add in adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and even a 360-degree camera, and suddenly this “commercial” bakkie starts looking like an executive cruiser.
In truth, the Wildtrak Super Cab is aimed at business owners who don’t want to compromise. It’s just as happy parked outside a client meeting as it is stacked with building materials. At R772,800, it’s not cheap, but you’re essentially getting a luxury SUV with the added practicality of a flatbed and an input credit from SARS.
Ranger Dropside: The No-Nonsense Workhorse
At the other end of the commercial spectrum sits the Ranger Dropside. Unlike the Wildtrak, this one doesn’t bother with luxuries. No 12-inch screen, no ambient lighting, and certainly no puddle lamps under the mirrors. What it does have is sheer practicality.
The Dropside is based on the Single Cab Ranger, and instead of a standard load box you get a flatbed with hinged sides. This means loading and unloading is a breeze - you can forklift pallets from the side, tip in bags of cement, or slide in fencing poles without worrying about scratched paintwork.
Importantly, the Dropside doesn’t compromise on payload. It still carries the same weight as the standard Ranger it’s based on. Better yet, it comes with the reassurance of being a Ford-approved conversion, handled by RMA SA. That means your factory warranty and service plan remain intact, and the converted portion gets its own warranty coverage for the same period. Try getting that from your backstreet modifier.
Ordering one is as simple as walking into your Ford dealer, ticking the “Dropside” box, and waiting four to six weeks for delivery. The process includes a Homologation Certificate, so you can legally register it and sell it later without having to explain to a buyer why half the bakkie looks like it was hacked apart in a backyard workshop.
Of course, there are compromises. Removing the loadbox means you also lose the rear camera and parking sensors. But let’s be honest, if you’re in the market for a Dropside, you’re probably more concerned about payload than parallel parking.
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On the road, the Dropside feels much like any other Single Cab Ranger. The 2.0-litre Single Turbo with 125kW does its job faithfully, and while the ride is firm when unladen, it settles nicely with a load on board. This is a bakkie designed to graft, not glide.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
What Ford has cleverly done here is expand the Ranger range to cater for both ends of the commercial spectrum. The Wildtrak Super Cab is the aspirational choice - a plush, tech-laden machine for those who want to combine work and leisure seamlessly. The Dropside, meanwhile, is pure function. Unpretentious, durable, and ready to earn its keep from day one.