2019 Ford Ranger trail control system overview
Not so very long ago, you probably had to do a course to be able to operate an off-road vehicle's four-wheel-drive system effectively. In some cases, you even had to get out and use a tool to engage the differential lock, but those days are now long behind us. Most manufacturers who offer all-wheel-drive and 4x4 systems now have advanced electronic control systems that make them easy to operate even for inexperienced drivers.
2019 Ford Ranger
The 2019 Ford Ranger is a pickup truck
that's recently been introduced to the US, and it has its own terrain management
system called Trail Control. These new midsize Ford pickup trucks are available
in three different trim levels of XL, XLT and Lariat, which are all standard
rear-drive with all-wheel-drive an available option. The all-wheel-drive system
is operated by a single control knob mounted on the console. However, if you
take the specification up a notch by adding the optional FX4 Off-Road Package
you then get Trail Control as well as the Terrain Management System, off-road-tuned
suspension, electronic-locking rear axle, OWL all-terrain tires, exposed steel
bash plate, skid plates for fuel tank, transfer case and steering gear and FX4
Off-Road box decals.
Trail Control
The Terrain Management System is what most
off-roaders have these days, which is a system with a number of settings that
control various parameters of the all-wheel-drive system in a way that's appropriate
to the surface and conditions. With Ford's Terrain Management System, the
driver has four settings of Normal, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts and Sand, which
are all pretty much self-explanatory.
However Trail Control is something
different and it's an addition to Terrain Management that makes negotiating the
off-road environment easier than it's ever been for novice, intermediate or
even experienced off-road drivers.
If you've ever experienced hill-decent
systems or you know what they are, Trail Control is a little like that but
combined with cruise control. While hill-decent control is a system for
controlled descent of an incline, where the speed is limited to a constant 5-mph
or so and the braking is automatic so all you have to do is steer, Trail Control
goes a big step further.
Trail Control can be used for going uphill,
downhill, or just for going over a relatively level but challenging off-road
surface. You still choose one of the four modes in the Terrain Management
System, but you can then engage Trail Control as well and set your desired
speed to where you want it between 1-mph and 20-mph.
Once engaged, Trail Control manages your
acceleration and braking, sending torque to each individual wheel as needed.
So, whether you’re going uphill, downhill or over really brutal surfaces, all
you really have to do is steer. It really is just like an off-road cruise
control system, and it really does bring negotiating challenging off-road
environments within the capability of just about anyone. Anyone who has a 2019
Ford Ranger pickup truck with the optional FX4 Off-Road Package, that is.
For more details about the 2019 Ford Ranger
and to experience trail Control for yourself during a test drive, don’t
hesitate to get in touch with us here today at Southern California Ford Dealers, the number one choice Ford dealer.
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