China’s Ford Ranger Wildtrak 1st Edition Is A Different And Much Cooler Truck

The Ford Ranger Wildtrak stood as one of the best cars we road-tested in 2023.

We love pick-up trucks over here at CariCarz.com, and the Ford Ranger Wildtrak is one of our top favourites – it was one of the best cars we road-tested in 2023. Putting the extreme Raptor variants aside, we reckon the current-gen Ranger in Wildtrak guise is a tough act to eclipse.

However, it appears the Ford Ranger Wildtrak 1st Edition that just released in China recently begs to differ. Having studied its specs closely, not only is this version of Ford’s staple yet highly successful 4x4 pick-up truck very different from ours, it’s also arguably much cooler too.

Meet the Ford Ranger Wildtrak 1st Edition that just released in China. It's a limited-release special that's both very different and arguably much cooler than the Wildtrak we're familiar with.

On the surface, this Chinese market special looks very similar to the Ranger Wildtrak model we’re familiar with, albeit with several added Chinese script badges. The latter is borne out of the fact that the Ranger in China is produced by Jiangling Motors Co. - Ford owns 49% of which.

Under the hood, you won’t find Ford’s signature 2.0-litre bi-turbo 4-cyl turbo-diesel lump and 10-speed automatic transmission paired with it. Instead, the Ranger Wildtrak in China exclusively gets a 2.3-litre 4-cyl turbo petrol mill paired with a ZF Sachs ZF8HP 8-speed automatic box.

This larger capacity petrol mill is the same that powers the rivalling Volkswagen Amarok. However, the Chinese market Ranger Wildtrak makes do with lower 255 HP (190 kW) and 450 NM outputs over said German-badged rival, which boasts 298 HP (222 kW) and 452 NM.

On of the biggest differences lie in powertrain as this Chinese market special adopts a 2.3-litre 4-cyl turbo petrol lump mated with a ZF Sachs 8-speed automatic box.

On board, this Chinese market special has a slightly different interior too. Notably, it also rides on coil spring rear suspension with watts linkage, not leafsprings.

Nevertheless, this is a significant change indeed as it could also signal a possible switch to said German transmission supply for future iterations of a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Ford Ranger. Adding to which is the fact that said 8-speed AT box was designed with PHEV compatibility in mind.

Different powertrain aside, the Chinese market Ranger Wildtrak comes primed with both front and rear differential locks. It also ditches leaf-spring rear suspension for coil-springs with Watts linkage assemblies instead, the latter being largely mirroring the Everest SUV twin’s setup.

Other notable additions include steel front and rear bumpers, added snorkel and built-in winch, as well as bead lock rims.

Also noticeable in this China-only Ranger Wildtrak 1st Edition is its adoption of steel front and rear bumpers, a slightly tweaked interior, a panoramic sunroof, bead lock rims, plus an added snorkel and built-in winch, amongst many other fancy add-ons.

Just 800 units of the Ford Ranger Wildtrak 1st Edition will be produced for sale in China, each tagged at RMB264,00, or approximately RM172,223. For perspective, this Chinese market special is marginally pricier than the local-spec Ranger Wildtrak that’s tagged at RM170,888.

Are you digging all the added kit this Chinese market special version of Ford’s staple range-topping 4x4 pick-up truck? Would you also fancy the Ranger with this petrol powertrain instead of the diesel? As usual, share your thoughts in the comments below – and our social media pages…