The materials inside the new Ford Ranger have been designed to handle everything customers can throw at them, whether it is mud and tools, wear and tear from extended road trips or kids on their way to school.
Throughout the design process, Ford subjected hundreds of different materials to thousands of hours of testing to ensure they are not only tough enough to meet the standards expected of a truck used for demanding work.
Among the tests is the scratch test, where the Ranger’s trim materials are scratched with varying amounts of pressure to measure at what point damage becomes visible.
The trim is able to withstand up to 15 newtons (1.5kg) of pressure focused into a single 1mm point
Another is the snag test, where the Ranger’s interior faced an endless list of objects that can potentially snag and damage interior fabrics such as keys, tools, boots, pets and the worst offender - pens.
A metal ball with steel spikes, much like a medieval mace, is run over the materials for hours on end to identify fabrics that are more likely to snag and tear.Last is the stain test, where the cabin faces some of the most commonly spilled staining liquids that include coffee, oil and ketchup.
To pass this test, the stains must be acceptably removed from the materials using simple household cleaning products.
Customers don’t need to worry about wearing new jeans, either – engineers made sure that any indigo dye that rubs off can be cleaned easily.
Ford’s material tests are designed to simulate years of use and abuse long before customers subjects their Rangers to the demands of daily life.
Throughout the process hundreds of materials are rejected for not meeting the high standards demanded by Ranger customers and set by the engineering team.
“Thanks to extensive testing by Ford’s material and seat engineering teams, our customers will be enjoying the new Ranger’s functional comfort for years to come,” said Ford Asia Pacific senior color and materials designer Marie Smyth.
