Original story published in Drive on 9 March, 2006
Take a current-model Ford Courier and toughen it up?
Sounds interesting, especially when it could be used as a pointer to a possible future production model.
Meet the 4-Trac, a Courier concept designed by Ford Asia-Pacific design chief Paul Gibson and shown for the first time at last December’s Bangkok Auto Show.
“The 4-Trac,” says Ford Australia’s marketing general manager Rebecca Martin, “is a response to the aspirations of a new generation of consumers.
“It clearly shows Ford will continue to produce trucks that make a statement for a younger, bolder generation of consumers who want a vehicle that provides more possibilities to enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle.”
Built on the four-door Courier crew-cab, the truck features a large, vertical ‘face’, its line flowing back across the bonnet to the windscreen and forming a de facto ‘power bulge’.
A high-tech headlight theme the front lights are now LEDs is carried over into side repeater lights built into the external mirror housings and emergency lighting on top of the stylised alloy roll hoop fitted behind the cab.
While 4-Trac is not likely to be a showroom regular any time soon it is possible that design elements could soon be turning up as Courier extras. Drive
Did the Ford Courier 4-Trac inspire the Ford Ranger Raptor?
While the Ford Courier 4-Trac ultimately remained a concept only, it’s fair to suggest it did pave the way for 2018’s Ford Ranger Raptor, a high-performance, high-testosterone dual-cab adventure ute that looked like nothing else that had come before.
The 4-Trac, while not as aggressively styled as the Raptor, did point to an altogether tougher demeanour than the ute-by-numbers Ford Courier it was based on.
Ford Australia’s then marketing manager, Rebecca Martin, said at the time that “Australian truck owners are passionate and highly discerning. Our consumer insight research has told us local customers need and want pick-ups that are rugged for the workplace and stylish for the family. We used that information to inspire the look for the 4-Trac concept.”
The 4-Trac was designed to look “tough” with a large vertical face and a three-bar grille emblazoned with the Blue Oval and a bonnet power dome that ran all the way through to the undercarriage.
Bulging wheel arches lent the 4-Trac an aggressive stance on the road, housing 17-inch alloy wheels clad in Bridgestone Dueller all-terrain rubber which, along with integrated rope hooks and heavy-duty winches front and rear suggested that this Courier concept was designed to tackle Australia’s tough off-road conditions.
The tub featured six storage containers, checkerplate lining and an innovative double-folding powered tailgate design which, according to Ford, “offers inner and outer sections operating together or independently: the outer body-colour section folds down to the ground, acting as a ramp; the inner aluminium section, with unashamedly large 4-Trac branding, folds 90 degrees for ease of loading and unloading. It can also be folded flat to carry longer objects.”
One area Ford remained silent regarded the 4-Trac’s mechanicals. But promising a “powerful engine” suggests that the Blue Oval’s 3.0-litre inline four turbo-diesel found its way under that power-bulging bonnet. In the regular Courier range, it made 115kW and 380Nm, mated to either a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission.
It all spoke to a lifestyle-focused dual-cab ute addressing the needs of the increasingly younger and modern buyer, a trend that was already seeing the signs of a shift from the traditional 'workhorse' ute into a more lifestyle-focussed segment.
The Ford Courier 4-Trac remained a styling exercise, a proof of concept of what Ford Australia could do with the right impetus and motivation.
It pointed to a future direction for the Blue Oval in Australia, one that finally bore fruit in 2018 with the release of the Ford Ranger Raptor, a dual-cab that has redefined the performance dual-cab segment in Australia and has even made its way to the home of the pick-up truck, the USA, where it has garnered rave reviews since launching in 2023. RM
So, what do you think? Was the Ford 4-Trac way ahead of its time?
Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.
