The Wildtrak's 3.2-litre engine uses about 9.6 litres/100km Picture / Ted Baghurst
Skyping with my Trinidad-based brother, Jared, this weekend I couldn't help but brag to him that I'd just finished testing his dream Caribbean vehicle - not a Ferrari 458 Spider but the all-new Ford Ranger Wildtrak.
While we all assume a luxury convertible would be ideal in the tropical climates
of a West Indies isle, having driven around Trinidad's capital, Port of Spain, last Christmas I know an exotic vehicle wouldn't last an hour.
First, you'd have to fight off the bandits trying to carjack you, but the suspension wouldn't cope with the pothole-filled roads that make New Zealand's bitumen paths look like autobahns.
Instead, an off-roader is your best choice of vehicle to not only cope with the rough roads but also the rain-swollen tracks during the rainy season.
As they drive on the left in the southern Caribbean country, Jared had opted for a 2010 Ford Ranger 4WD, double-cab diesel rather than import a left-hand-drive American truck and have it converted. But his Ranger can outrun any bandits, cope with the drive to the many nearby beaches and have enough room in the rear tray to store gear for trips on the ferry to neighbouring Tobago.
