Ford Ranger MS-RT Champion Edition brings “bucket loads of style”
Ford’s popular pick-up gets a racy new version at the Paris Motor Show, but there’s no more power to go with the sporty new looks
It’s no RS, ST or Raptor but Ford’s new Ranger MS-RT Champion Edition has the looks to suggest high performance, if not the performance itself.
MS-RT is a tuning firm that has a long-standing partnership with the Blue Oval and it’s brought the latest version of the Ford Ranger MS-RT pick-up truck to the Paris Motor Show - “combining motorsport-inspired styling with luxurious features and Ranger’s proven capability”.
While the MS-RT version of the popular Ranger pick-up truck adds several performance-inspired visual tweaks, the Champion Edition goes a couple of steps further. Set against the black paint, there’s new gold stripes down the bonnet and sides, plus gold accents on the wing mirrors. The MS-RT’s 21-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels are finished in gold, too.
As with the regular MS-RT, there’s a special honeycomb grille, a built-in splitter on the front bumper, a lip spoiler on the tailgate and a faux diffuser on the rear bumper.
Inside the Champion Edition you get gold stitching on the heated sports steering wheel, MS-RT leather sport seats with more gold stitching, gold floor mats and a special plaque on the centre console.
Like in the standard MS-RT, there’s a wider track, larger tyres, a 40mm reduced ride height and firmer front dampers, plus retuned rear suspension. Powertrain options for the Champion Edition are unchanged. That means there’s a plug-in hybrid 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine capable of providing 277bhp and 697Nm of torque. That’s enough for a nine-second 0-62mph time, plus an EV range of around 26 miles. There’s also a 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbocharged diesel putting out 237bhp and 600Nm of torque. This model’s lighter kerbweight helps shave the sprint time down to 8.7 seconds.
At just over £52,000 excluding VAT, the existing Ranger MS-RT is £6,000 more than the Wildtrak on which it’s based. We don’t have pricing for the Champion Edition just yet but it’ll probably command a premium over the standard MS-RT.
The Ford Ranger’s long-time rival, the Toyota Hilux, was launched in an all-new generation this year. It’s already on sale through the Auto Express Buy A Car service with an average saving of over £1,500, but we’re still waiting on the new GR Sport version to truly go up against Ford’s Ranger MS-RT offering.
