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On
September 7 2001, The Ranger Station and its members got the opportunity to get a first hand look
at the Ford Ranger FX4 that was slated to be introduced later in the
fall. Although you'll find other Ranger sites that talk about
the FX4, we actually got to wheel with it and talk to a couple of
the engineers from Ford who are responsible for the Rangers
development. How was The Ranger Station so lucky? Because Jim Oaks
fielded a number of emails asking what modifications off-road Ranger
enthusiasts do to their truck. When Ford put together the FX4 Ranger, it
was only fitting that they let us see it first.
The new FX4 comes complete with the equipment
serious off-roaders will recognize -- Bilstein shocks, Torsen
Limited Slip Differential, 31x10.5 BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO
tires, tow hooks and a full compliment of steel skid plates to
protect the front suspension /differential, transfer case and highly
vulnerable fuel tank. It even comes with a manual transfer
case!
For power the FX4 features a 4.0L SOHC V6
under the hood feeding 207 HP and 238 ft. lbs. of torque to your
choice of a 5-speed manual or an automatic overdrive transmissions
backed by a 31-spline 8.8 rear axle and 4.10 gears.
The Ford engineers didn't baby the FX4 on the
trail either. You can't really tell in the pictured linked to
above lower right, but the FX4 went back to Detroit with some body
damage. The Ford guys are watching and listening to see what
the customer wants in a truck. More importantly, they're
hitting the trail and seeing how their trucks are being used and
what improvements need to be made.
Thanks Ford. Also, special thanks to the
engineers for letting me drive it. - Jim Oaks
 
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