If social distancing means getting away from home and into the middle of nowhere, then you'll never want to go home, with one of these.

At its most extreme the Ford Ranger might be all about Raptor, but how adaptable is the latest T6 bakkie platform to serious overlanding?

To answer that question, Ford commissioned Hellwig, an adventure gear specialist, with a simple brief: build the most adventurous Ranger money can buy.

The result is a Ranger that could support your sense of escapism way beyond the traditional long weekend. Using the Ranger XLT as a departure point for the project, Hellwig did not spare any cost and the outcome is self-supported bakkie adventuring of a very high calibre.

You’ll immediately notice how purposeful the stance of this Hellwig Ranger is. The standard Ranger bumpers and fenders have been removed. Their replacement parts increase the bakkie’s approach angle and make room for more wheel travel.

Most of the factory suspension was exchanged for bits from Icon Vehicle Dynamics. These include forged sway bars and beefier rear leaf springs. The total lift gain is 88 mm and rolling Falken Wildpeak high-volume off-road specific tyres, we can’t imagine many trails or technical obstacles that will present an issue to this Hellwig Ranger.

Beyond the suspension upgrade and monstrous tyres, Hellwig have added some great convenience and comfort features. The loadbox features a comprehensive racking system, with a full-frame roll bar construction, which supports the Tepui HyBox tent.

Leveraging off the loadbox racking and stowage system is a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 power station, with supplementary solar panels to charge your devices. A trail kitchen and ARB fridge keep your supplies fresh and food warm.

The best feature of this Hellwig Range is perhaps also its least sophisticated, a Krazy Beaver recovery shovel.

Ranger Hellwig Price

Pricing for the Hellwig Ranger (includingthe XLT-specification bakkie) is an estimated R1.4m ($80 000), which is significantly more than a Raptor. But if you want a Ranger double-cab which could really do the Cape-to-Cairo mission in absolute comfort, this isn’t the worst idea we’ve ever seen.

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