Articles by Marcus Craft

The Ford Ranger line-up attracts plenty of attention but most of that is directed at the higher-specced utes in the range, such as the FX4, Wildtrak or the Raptor - but what about the entry-level variants that are more suited to work than play? Are they worth your consideration? We throw 800kg of horse feed in the back of a Ranger XL 4x2 to see how it performs with a load onboard.

The Mitsubishi Triton has always been a very good value-for-money proposition but in its new GLX-R dual-cab guise it's missing a few elements that make higher-spec variants in the Triton line-up so appealing. So, even though it might still be a good daily driver and quite a capable 4WD, is it actually worth your consideration?

Mark Purkiss, founder of Purkiss Construction, is a builder with more than 15 years experience. He has built a strong reputation as "a trustworthy, honest and reliable builder" serving the Illawarra region.Purkiss Construction employs six tradesman and apprentices, several respected sub-contractors and administration staff. Mark reckons he's had his 3.2-litre Ford Ranger XLT 4x4 for "about four years".Crafty: Why did you buy your Ford Ranger?Mark: I bought it as a vehicle for work but also to tow and to use for camping and caravan trips.Crafty: Do you use your Ranger outside work?Mark: Yes. We go to Thredbo a bit – take the van down for snow season on weekends, and for mountain-bike riding in summer. I go away at least once a month for a long weekend.We use it heaps ; we've got a caravan – a Crusader, which we've had for about two years and weighs about three tonne fully loaded – and that's why I bought the Ranger, to tow.Crafty: Any mods?Mark: Priority was snorkel and bullbar and two-inch lift – all ARB gear. I also have a Thule roof rack, an ARB Ascent canopy and an Oztent Foxwing awning. That's all for leisure – most of this car is leisure.The CSA rims came with it.I've also got Kings LED lights, water tank, fridge slide, kitchen.I've got a dual-battery set-up in the back.I've wired up a water pump in there with a shower hose. We camp off power a lot so what it does is it allows me to fill up the caravan out of that [the water pump/tank], fill that up at a tap and drive back to the caravan, so I can stay for longer off-road – otherwise, in three or four days, it runs out.No real changes in the cabin – I put TV head-rests in there and I've got a Redarc brake controller in there.Crafty: Any problems?Mark: There's nothing wrong with the Ranger but I just wanted a bit more power to tow; it did the caravan okay but on hills and long trips it lagged a bit so I've just bought a Safari ECU upgrade – just for the power – and the Ranger goes much better with the towing.Performance and even fuel economy have improved: I'm now getting 10.1L/100km, and that's around town, fully loaded – which is great with all that stuff on it and the extra weight in it.Crafty: Would you buy another Ranger next time?Mark:  Yeah, well, I did – pointing to the other company Ranger. I wouldn't buy a 2.0-litre . If I didn't have a Ranger, I'd probably go a 200 Series, but just the cost and the outlay for one of those – it's like another mortgage!And for work, even though it's set up like this , I can still throw stuff in it for work. I've got a drawer here – with just basic hand tools and things like that.This Ranger, I've done so much to it I just won't get rid of it.Call Purkiss Construction on 0433 204 827 or visit the website for more details.

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