THE 2012 Ford Ranger was 'introduced' to specially invited guests at the Caymanas dirt-bike track in St Catherine last Saturday.

"It looks bigger than its predecessor because it is," said KIG's sales director Ricky Geourzoung. "The bed is deeper and depending on which configuration you get, a higher payload capacity."

The new Ranger is designed to carry bigger and heavier cargo with a maximum payload rating of 2,959-lb as well as having enough muscle to tow up to 7,385-lb when equipped with the optional towing package.

The vehicle comes with four-wheel antilock braking system (ABS), driver/passenger airbags as standard with side airbags optional.

"You can get either a 2.2-litre or a 3.2-litre, both turbo-diesel," said KIG sales executive Andrew Channer. "You can get it with your choice of a six-speed manual, or a six-speed automatic that features manual sequential shifting. Two- and four-wheel drive are also available."

The sales executive said the "rugged workhorse" could handle driving through nearly three feet of water and with 9.1 inches of ground clearance and electrical components mounted high in the engine with an underbody protection, there was little reason to question that.

"The bonnet overlaps with the side fenders," said Channer. "This seals off the engine to keep it dry."

Ford has also made a huge leap with the interior and convenience features as they have recognised the multi-roles many of these pick-ups will play. The dash board is logically laid out and easy with use with large clear buttons.

"The cab has been double insulated to keep out noise from the engine and off-road tyres," said Geourzoung.

The 2012 Ranger starts at just under $3.5M for the basic single cab, manual gearbox model.