Roof tent weight limits on a Hilux canopy — structural limits and safe setup
Running the Ford Ranger XLT for 21 months now, 32268km on the clock including 5 proper off-road trips. Here is my honest take.
The good: the off-road capability straight from factory surprised me. I have done Sani Pass, Baviaanskloof and multiple Kruger trips without a single mechanical issue. The 2.8L turbodiesel is 9L/100km on tar if you keep it under 120km/h.
The bad: the dealer experience left something to be desired. Also the dealer here in Paarl could learn something about customer service, but that is a SA-wide problem not specific to this brand.
Mods I have done: Rhino 4x4 bar (R13k fitted), Ironman suspension lift (R16k fitted), MaxTrax recovery boards, and a Engel MR040 fridge. Total spend on mods: around R53k. Worth every cent.
Price paid at my Paarl dealer was R680,000 — they threw in a full tank and floor mats. Finance rate was 11.5% over 72 months which is the reality of SA interest rates in 2025.
Would buy it again. Happy to go into detail on any specific aspect.
3 Replies
What suspension are you running now? I have the same setup and am looking at OME BP51 bypass shocks — around R15k fitted at my local workshop. Keen to know if the ride quality improvement on corrugated gravel roads is as significant as people claim.
The fuel consumption figures you mention match what I see. The V6 Raptor is fine on tar if you stay under 120. The issue for me is long-range touring — I fitted a Brown Davis 104L long-range tank to solve the range anxiety completely.
On the mod budget — R66k sounds like a lot but if you are amortising it over 7 years of serious use, it works out to less than R1,000 per month. And the safety improvement in a real recovery situation is not something you can put a price on.