The Ford Range is one of those cars. It feels like one of the quintessential cars that every South African has experienced at some point in their lives. Whether it be driving to school sitting in the back of one or witnessing some jackass driving on rage down the N3, one doesn’t need to think back too far to remember the Ford Ranger making some kind of impression. Which is why Ford’s Ranger Thunder announcement is so cool as it takes one of the most iconic bakkies around and supes it up with some very snazzy new features.

The Ranger Thunder looks like a monstrous car, even just by looking at it. Design wise, it’s apparently based on the Ranger Wildtrak, modernising that bulky exterior for a newer generation. Coming in four different colours (Sea Grey, Frozen White, Absolute Black and Moondust Silver) this new version of the Ranger comes with LED headlamps, some smaller lights for the day…”nostrils”? That’s what folks are calling them apparently, they’re the two red lines alongside the radiator grille and they function…is fashion.

On the inside, the Ranger Thunder has had a bit of a redesign and it looks far better than some of the previous utilitarian builds. It’s classier, for the more refined bakkie driver. You got your leather-clad dashboard, multifunction steering wheel and even heated seats for those cold mornings on the farm. Oh, and voice command options and Ford’s Sync3 infotainment system mean the onboard tech is a little more up to date than older models.

Oh, and this tremendous vehicle? It even comes with semi-automatic parallel parking assistance which is real handy. Using ultrasound sensors, the Ranger Thunder can detect parking spaces and steer the vehicle into the space, meaning all the driver needs to do is accelerate and brake.

If you’re looking to haul some weight with the Ford Ranger, you’ll have to fork over a decent amount of cash. According to TimesLive, costing for the three variants are:

3.2 TDCI Double Cab 4×2: R711,600
2.0 BiT Double Cab 4×2: R736,000
2.0 BiT Double Cab 4×4: R787,000

I mean, do you really need all those comforts when driving your kids to school or checking up on your farm? What am I saying, of course you do.