2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak 4×4: Unmatched pick-up prowess
Prowess has two meanings, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (yes, it’s still alive and kicking in this age of A.I. searches for seemingly everything).
The first pertains to extraordinary ability – think of the likes of Regine Velasquez, Lani Misalucha and Martin Nievera, and you have a decades-long legacy of Filipino music that moves the spirit. The second meaning refers to distinguished bravery, particularly in military action.
Some people believe that cars are capable of possessing prowess, largely because of our tendency to associate human characteristics with certain inanimate objects. As such, models like the Porsche 911 and Honda Civic Type R are considered the ultimate sports car and the ultimate hot hatchback, respectively.
But what about utilitarian vehicles like 4×4 pick-up trucks, which were designed to serve as modern beasts of burden on any terrain? I believe that even in an automotive segment that puts a primacy on pragmatism, some animals are more equal than others.
Cue the 2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak 4×4.
Tough exterior
The entire Ranger lineup has aligned its aesthetics to the world-renowned F-150 pick-up.
As such, you get a blocky front end with a large black grill and a massive crossbar, the latter defining the C-shaped LED daytime running lights that frame the powerful LED headlights. Down the side, this high-spec Wildtrak variant distinguishes itself with its silver roof rails and bed rails, along with a gloss-gray sports bar.
The Ranger Wildtrak also has a narrower body than its muscular Raptor sibling because of the smaller 18-inch alloy wheels with 255/65-series Goodyear highway-terrain tires. Out back is a colossal bed with niceties like a standard plastic bedliner, tie-down hooks, LED lights and even a 220-volt electrical outlet for outdoor adventures that need modern conveniences.
The rear bumper is also unique because of the integrated steps that allow you to clamber onto the bed, even if the tailgate is blocked. All in all, the Ranger Wildtrak has a purposeful exterior design that is easy to spot among rivals like the Toyota Hilux and the Mitsubishi Triton.
Soft interior
Given that pick-up trucks were originally designed to be workhorses, interior comfort had really been limited to “can carry some people.”
But Ford was one of the first automakers to target non-commercial buyers by putting premium-sedan niceties inside a pick-up. This tradition holds true today as the Wildtrak sports plush leather upholstery with orange contrast stitching and orange Wildtrak decals sprinkled throughout its capacious crew cab.
Most attention-grabbing is the 12-inch, portrait touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that offers a good view of the 360-degree camera. It is not only so much nicer than the system in the positively prehistoric Hilux, but also far easier to use than the complicated setup in the BYD Shark DM-O.
Indeed, I feel that the Ranger Wildtrak has the best interior in its class for ably combining modern technology with the common-sense philosophy expected in pick-ups – this includes the separate controls for the powerful dual-zone climate-control system and the traditional gear selector. The only let-down is the scratchy plastics on the rear door cards.
Goes like hell
There’s a memorable scene in the 2019 film “Ford vs. Ferrari” where the late Caroll Shelby holds up a placard to Ken Miles (another racing driver with prowess).
It said, “7000+, go like hell,” prompting Miles to go all-out in his Ford GT40 race car despite team orders to stay under 7,000 rpm. I recalled this scene because the Ranger Wildtrak 4×4 has the sort of engine that has the goods to go hard, no matter the terrain.
Besides the Ranger Raptor, this is the only other Ranger variant that packs the American automaker’s 2.0-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 twin-turbodiesel, which produces 207 horsepower and 500 Newton-meters of torque. Compared to the Raptor, acceleration is relentless, thanks to the well-tuned 10-speed automatic transmission and smaller wheels.
And this punch can be enjoyed on any surface, thanks to selectable driving modes (including Mud and Sand) that automatically adjusts the four-wheel-drive system and locks the rear differential. Keeping all this heave under control is reasonably easy – the steering is light (albeit rather numb on tarmac) and the four-wheel disc brakes are strong, despite the spongy pedal.
And although this Wildtrak doesn’t get the Raptor’s fancy Fox dampers, you still get the best-riding 4×4 pick-up in its class. Put another way, it doesn’t have the bone-crushing ride that the Hilux is notorious for, nor the unsettling body wobble of the Triton.
Fuel consumption is average for the class – we got 7 to 10 kilometers per liter in the city and 15 to 18 kilometers per liter on the expressway. Unsurprisingly, the BYD gets better fuel consumption thanks to its plug-in powertrain (although Ford does sell a plug-in-hybrid Ranger in other markets).
One huge positive point for the Ranger Wildtrak 4×4 is the standard active-safety suite that includes Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Lane Centering, Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Evasive Steer Assist, Lane Departure Warning & Lane Keeping Aid and Reverse Brake Assist.
Cream of the crop
I’m still among the few people who feel that a leviathan 4×4 pick-up isn’t the ideal daily driver in city streets.
But even I will admit that the Ranger Wildtrak 4×4 will appeal greatly to those who need one car that can do practically everything. It is refined and modern enough to substitute for a large sedan, all while being big and strong enough to deal with potholes, muddy tracks and ghost flood-control projects.
At P2,340,000, the 2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak 4×4 is practically peerless – its closest rival would likely be the P2,298,000 BYD Shark DM-O Premium, which packs a more powerful electrified powertrain, but is duller to drive.
Then again, as Ford has proven over and over again, true prowess is always party of one.
