Win and Experience The Call of the Wildtrak

The ‘winner takes all’ mantra has returned to Mater Cars for Cancer, furnishing the lucky prize winner with everything they need in life: racetrack muscle, off-road brawn, and a couple of jet skis. All that kit, including the latest T6.2-series Ford Ranger Wildtrak, could be yours for the price of a lottery ticket.

Designed right here by Ford Australia, the Ranger is now legend. Ford and Mazda have a long history of collaboration, and the Ranger is testament to that, having been developed in kind with the Mazda B-series for bang-on 50 years. That all changed recently, with Mazda’s latest ute shifting platforms to the Isuzu D-Max, allowing the Ford Ranger an independent and thoroughly comprehensive refresh; the T6.2-series.

Pundits reckon the post-Mazda update applied to the Ranger’s venerable T6 platform is so broad, it’s deserving on its own codename, not just a decimal point. Or perhaps the fact it’s not strictly ‘all-new’ is testament to just how bloody good it was in the first place. The previous T6 Ranger even won a 2021 Wheels magazine comparison, despite being the oldest model in the eleven-car test. Nearly all-new and improved, you can experience this legendary ute first-hand for just $30.00 if you’re the winner of Lottery 106.

Ford say their new model is bigger, tougher and smarter, and I’d argue this is more than just advertising rhetoric. Amongst the grand swathe of changes is a 50mm wheelbase increase, allowing the engineers to set the engine back a smidge, giving the T6.2 Wildtrak even greater on and off-road alacrity. The interior is bigger as well, but it’s the tub that’s getting the tradies excited. A wider track now allows for a 1200x800mm Euro-sized pallet to fit between the rear wheel arches, and you no longer have to get a foothold on a potentially slippery tyre to reach into the back as there’s an integrated side step behind the Wildtrak’s rear wheel. The step itself is rated to 200kgs too, so if you’re a burley unit, we’re still good.

So, pretty much all-new suspension coupled with improved aerodynamics developed in the Monash University wind tunnel? Yeah, some ‘update’, Ford! If this ute sounds like you, why not get in it to win it? You’ll be contributing to a great organisation that is helping both those living with cancer every single day and those trying to cure it for tomorrow.

The 2.0 litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel is one of the few carryovers from the previous model, although naturally, Ford have conducted a raft of upgrades to ensure smooth and torquey delivery. Figures of 154kw of power and 500Nm of torque are unheard of in the turbo diesels of yore and contribute plenty to the Wildtrak’s driveability both off road and on, as does the carryover 10R80 ten speed automatic which boasts improved shift logic.

Regular oil changes are paramount in any engine, but this is a new one for me; Ford’s Intelligent Oil Life Monitor measures the performance of the Ranger’s oil and pings your phone if it needs changing. Called FordPass, the smartphone app also allows you unlock or lock, remote start or even locate your car if you happen to have misplaced it.

The tech just keeps on coming, such as Intelligent Adaptive Cruise control, which not only slows the car to match traffic, but will bring it to a complete halt when the traffic stops. Road Sign Recognition reads the local speed signs in real time, while Lane Centring will give your tiller a tug if you’re wandering around a bit. It will also give the wheel a solid yank if you’re about to change lanes into someone, assuming you’ve not paid attention to the Blind Spot Monitoring system.

Combine all this with Dynamic Stability Control that incorporates ABS, EBD and roll over mitigation among other things, and it’s a wonder it even needs the nine airbags that it has. Like most modern cars, it seems impossible to crash, yet it includes an airbag that specifically prevents you from knocking noggins with your passenger, should thingsgo absolutely pear-shaped. On that note, your plans to win this awesome rig will go pear-shaped if you forget to buy a ticket.

The Ranger Wildtrak can park for you, then extricate itself from that park, it can charge your phone, play your tunes, and detect if there’s traffic behind you when you’re trying to back out. The Cross Traffic Alert is also trailer-inclusive, the Ranger can detect if the trailer lights are on the blink (pun intended) and the 12in infotainment system runs a pre-towing checklist to ensure you’ve ticked the boxes before you leave; no more runaway trailers! All this is important, because the winner of the T6.2-series Ford Ranger Wildtrak will also be the winner of a pair of Yamaha VX jet skis and a tandem trailer to tow them on.

Add up the Ranger Wildtrak, the jet skis, the maniacal Mustang RTR Spec 3 muscle car and the $37,399 worth of cashable gold bullion and you’ve got yourself a $300,000 first-and-only prize where the winner takes all. Get on it.