If you can stay in Iceland, you can stay anywhere. This applies to people … and cars.
So, what is the best place to launch anywhere in any double place? This is exactly how Ford I saw this, as the American manufacturer invited us to fly along the way from Melbourne to Reykavik, Iceland for a new experience Guardian Fif.
PHEV was sold along with regular diesel versions of the goalkeeper in Australia, and the same promises were taken to the unparalleled country capacity, the ability to rough roads and the ability to narrow. That’s right, Ford says it “will continue to do things.”
It will also make hybrids in additions, such as the drive only on electrical power, provides export electricity, and consumes less fuel than standard CAB. However, the extent in which these things can do (especially the EV) is limited, with a relatively small Li -Ion battery of 11.8 kWh per hour.
But it is still possible to do things! This brings us back to Iceland, and the car that lasted throughout the day sponsored to show the ingenuity of PHEV, both on rough roads or off -road.
The starting point was the capital of Reykravic, home to residents with a population of about 140,000 people. For context, this is less than you will find in Geelong, Cairns or Newcastle. In other words, it is a wicked coastal city more than the sprawling city.
However, he feels annoying positively compared to what lies outside the city’s borders.
The first station of our motor included a long period of the highway north on Road 1, which is the main national road that is on the entire island, and soon it became clear that Iceland consists of the wild that it had not barely separated from small cities, with no names that can be easily announced by the Australians like you or.
The traffic traffic and the highway were relatively straight, so our attention quickly turned to the guard and his new tricks. Among these battery and conjunction is an electric motor, which allows hybrid driving and EV.
Ford claims that Ranger Phev can travel to 49 km on electrical energy alone. We tested that and fell well, as we managed to manage it only 33 km with two passengers and minimal luggage on the plane. However, most of these kilometers were destroyed on the highway – a test required by the EV group.
In Australia, Ranger Phev is compared to the likes of Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PEV. My ready -made meals from our small experience was that if you plan to move on the Iceland Ring Road without expelling any carbon dioxide, these hybrid UTE alternatives come Trump.
We also recorded a 0-100 km/h of 8.95 seconds-making what you want.
Road performance and fuel efficiency is important, but Ford was more interested in proving that Ranger Phev is the appropriate spine of the emblem, which is installed during the morning breakfast stop in Kleif Farm.
Kleif Farm is about 40 minutes north of Reykjavik, which is a resort villa between high peaks, flowing water and dirt paths, and the other provides an ideal opportunity to download Ranger Phev to test the fast diameter.
Noticeably, this was the first time that I met, and while the risks were few and far apart, I was a little tense. Fortunately, the guard was at the level of the mission, with enough necrosis to withdraw the trailer filled with heavy straw plaque around the property.
Looking at my experience, we then played with the Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature, which allows you to “guide” the trailer using the external loop of the control unit of driving driving on the central console. It is an abnormal feeling at the beginning, but after some practice, I won Bat on his back to accurately support the trailer in a car park in Creekside.
Ranger Phev has been classified to withdraw up to 3.5 tons like its diesel siblings, but it should be noted that we have previously noticed that the ecoboost smaller gasoline engine is particularly tense when trying to move anything above 2.0 tons.
Ford also used stopping in Kleif Farm to show “Pro Power Onoard”, known as exportable energy in the form of 15A power outlets built into the Ranger Phev. It can be used to operate a wide range of power, electronics and camping equipment – in this case a large circular saw.
It is a feature that Ford pays as part of the Ranger Phev sales stadium, and it is not the only manufacturer that is doing it. Just last year, I attended the BYD Shark 6 launch at Broken Hill, during which coffee was presented of test vehicles – an elegant touch.
Both models can serve as a mobile cafe, but Ford has a BYD and GWM covered with the capacity of the output. There is only much that you can do with the fixed UTE, so we got to the highway again in search of a new challenge.
He flew around the east towards the center of the island, occupied the natural beauty of Iceland again.
June represents the beginning of the summer here, which means melting ice, the grass court and an endless days. Ice and volcanoes also form a arid landscape, which is why Iceland is known as “Fire and ice”.
I spent most of this leg in the passenger seat, staring at the window with the camera on hand, exhausted. However, a quick look at the set of tools revealed that our test vehicle is now working on an empty battery, and consumes more than 9.0 liters/100 km as a result.
This type of number will be familiar to Diesel Ranger owners, but this is not what follows from the hybrid. Prefabbed meals here is that PHEVS needs a charged battery to be logical, especially when this battery plays part of many main compound functions.
The second station of our trip was concluded in “Springfield”. No, this is not Springfield, for all Simpson fans there. Instead, this was a small town at the base of a non -narrow volcano. Contrary to preparation Simpson familyHere you will find the thermal springs that explode across the ground.
This should not be a surprise, because Iceland is the most volcanic island in the world. The explosions occur almost every five years, although the frequency of such events has increased in recent years.
The Rikjanis Peninsula has seen nine revolutions since 2023, the first of which has led to the evacuation of 4,000 people from Grindavík in the south of the country. Most of the city’s residents have not been no longer since then, with many homes sold to the country.
Fortunately, the Grensdalur volcano remained sabotaged during our visit, allowing some rough roads near Ranger Phev. Ford’s planned road included a mixture of river crossings, gravel paths, and the right mountain climb, all of which showed different properties of the guard.
We ran through the SUVs around the-4 H for dirt sections, 4L for the most severe, more aggressive climbing, and until it turned into control of Hill Hill on the way back to the bottom of the mountain.
None of the water crossings that we made was particularly treacherous, as you will likely notice in the pictures below. However, it was comfortable to know that the battery is protected by its position over the back axis.
Ranger Phev maintains all the important group full of standard diesel variables, including the back differential lock, the above -mentioned 4WD patterns, and the protection of the scent.
One of the main differences between the models is that PHEV is able to rugged Strike Ev, although our exhausted battery was not really if this is presented. However, the Turbo-PeTrol engine in PHEV is quieter than its diesel counterpart, and we managed to reach the final peak without making a comfortable racket.
The summit presented a high point of view of the landscape that we had only seen from the Earth level, and the boy was a useful vision. Not because there was a lot to see it – the opposite, in fact.
Our guide shared that the foxes in the Arctic were the only creatures that were found on the island when Vikings first arrived about 12 centuries ago, and it seemed that it has not changed much since then.
The original horses and a few sheep are prohibited, difficult to get wildlife. Because despite its rugged charm, Iceland is still an abandoned and harsh place to contact the house.
Its unforgettable nature has led to the appearance of wonderful exploits of human innovation, including the Earth’s thermal energy network that consists of large pipelines that transport both hot water and steam, and the latter is used to generate electricity to the nation.
We encountered some of these tubes while we were going down, but I do not recommend approaching – the presence of hydrogen sulfide makes the smell of air like a corrupt egg … No thanks!
Move quickly onwards, a set of spaghetti -like gravels led us to the mountain base, and all cars are still in good health.
Ford from us barely asked us to overcome its new devices, but it seems that Ranger Phev is a welcome addition to the double UTE market, and a worthy competitor with the major hybrid assistant from China.
One of the final rapid roads led to its end, after more than eight hours after starting it. Short and sweet, as they say.
For me, this meant a plane ride to Melbourne the next morning, but the same thing can be said about our blue oval vehicles. This is because Ranger Phev is scheduled to be an essential element in the UTE market in Iceland, although it will not become cheap – Ranger Wildtrak is retaining the equivalent of $ 155,000, as all cars are generally strange here.
Without being an expert in the Icelandic car market, I could not tell the locals whether this is a decent value. But what I can say is that Ford Ranger Viv may be a little different, but he can still do “things.”
More: Explore the Ford Ranger showroom