Ford Courier XLT Crewcab 2005 Review

Some regular readers would know that I ran a 1988 Nissan Skyline wagon as my main car for the best part of 10 years. Although it had at least another decade left in it, it was struggling to carry several bicycles, an open water kayak and four people with overnight luggage. The option of towing a classic car or camper trailer was limited with the Nissan, too.

Because a tow bar bike carrier compromises towing capacity, luggage access and exposes the bikes to grit and grime, this eliminated all passenger vehicles. And although I carried up to three bikes on the Skyline's roof, it was only a matter of time before I forgot they were there and tore off the roof and bikes under a carport!

The replacement was narrowed down to a twin-cab ute or a Mercedes-Benz Vito van. The Vito lost out on ground clearance and the fact that I had to make a choice between bikes or luggage inside if the kayak was on the roof.

It was then that I developed my own twin cab installation to carry four bikes over the load area with the area underneath sealed and locked with a roll-top cover. Racks on the cabin roof could lift the kayak over the bikes which I could watch in the rear vision mirrors. Because they sat much lower compared to a rooftop mounting, the bikes would not snag passing branches or awnings. Luggage could also be accessed without moving the bikes by dropping the tailgate.

In line with most of the market at this level, my first choice was a Rodeo 4x2 until I discovered as of March 2004 that the only twin cab with a long enough load area to carry an adult bike within the vehicle's length was the Ford Courier/Mazda B-series. There was no 4x2 variation with a diesel or V6 and raised ride height so I ended up purchasing a new Ford Courier XLT 4x4 Crew Cab diesel.

The short story is that it works brilliantly as a work vehicle and its intended purpose. The long story is that it has brought more compromises than I had anticipated.

The turning circle is huge compared to the Skyline and it really does limit your ability to swing into a parking spot or do a U-turn unless you have the time and traffic gap to have several shots at it. In the suburbs, I find myself planning round the block trips so I end up on the required side of the road. It's just like when I drove a truck for a living.

The floor height and narrow door openings require you to be fit enough to lift yourself in on one leg which few older people can do. The only other way is to sit on the seat cushion first and swivel both legs in but it is too high for most people.

This has forced me to hang onto a passenger car to transport elderly family members and friends. The standard height four-cylinder petrol Courier 4x2 does not have this problem but its ride is even worse than mine.

The absence of decent interior lighting is an annoying omission as is the absence of cruise control. Factory options once equaled factory standards but the Courier cured me of this thinking. The factory bull bar was poor quality and left the wider XLT wheels exposed. Although I had it removed after purchase, it had stopped me from ordering the airbag/ABS combination. These vehicles support a huge aftermarket industry which can often supply an accessory more specific to your needs than the factory.

I now have a much better aftermarket airbag-compatible bullbar but no airbags and ABS which is a real shortfall when these vehicles lock up their rear wheels so easily in the wet. I would think twice about buying any of these vehicles without ABS if they are not fully loaded most of the time.

The 2.5lt turbo diesel has proved a mixed blessing. It not only brings extra weight as a 4x4, but there is a significant loss of performance over the latest V6 petrol model. My 4x4 magazine colleagues warned me that its old technology wasn't the most efficient. On the upside it will survive poor fuel and there were no electronics to fail.

Most of my driving involves cruising at around 80km/h lightly loaded. In such conditions, the Courier delivers similar economy to a medium four-cylinder passenger car. At around 100km/h, it works too hard and uses more fuel than the new V6 Courier 4x2. Servicing costs have increased as my combination of short and long runs generate more frequent oil and filter changes that cost more than the petrol engine. Diesels do not like short runs and the oil quickly fills with black soot. New diesels due next year will change all this.

The car's Thai origins have generated gremlins unheard-of in the Japanese-build Couriers. The front shockers were too soft when new and lost most of their damping effect by 5000km. Ford struggled to find a replacement that wouldn't do the same again. The suspension improvements in today's V6 models are beyond belief.

I dismissed a slight shudder at take-off as soft engine mounts but by 13,000kms it had developed into full blown clutch shudder and had to be replaced. I am not pleased about the tape holding the wiring together already unwrapping itself after one year.

That aside, the build quality is otherwise excellent. I ordered the two-tone paint to get the extra colour-coding around the wheel arches but the side strips were deleted which left too much unprotected body work. I replicated the chrome strips seen on the old F100 XLT models to separate the paint colours and it looks really sharp. For a $40,000 plus top-shelf twin cab ute, I couldn't think of a more downmarket name than Courier, so I imported the US-heritage Ranger badges worn by this model everywhere else!

Even the most ardent Ford fan will take some time to accept that my ute is a Courier. And that is ultimately why I am as happy as a pig in mud. As a companion to my old 1951 Ford Custom twin spinner, I can't think of a better modern vehicle. The feel good component is a bigger factor in a twin cab purchase than most manufacturers realize.