How to Use the Autolamp Feature in the Ford Ranger

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Are you on the hunt for a highly capable midsize pickup truck? The Ford Ranger is an outstanding choice. It boasts plenty of power to get the job done. It can haul a heavy load and more than hold its own on the towing front. The Ranger can also head off the beaten path with ease. Additionally, the Ranger comes equipped with driving assistance features for a safer and more convenient ride. This includes the autolamp feature, or automatic headlamps. To learn how to use automatic headlamps, read more.

Ford Ranger autolamp instructions

Ford Ranger | Ford

To activate the autolamp feature, look for the headlamp control dial and locate the “A” icon with a circle around it. Move the dial to ensure that the “A” icon is selected. When the icon is selected, the automatic headlamps will automatically turn on when natural light from the outside decreases or if ambient light levels are low. Also, if the Ranger has windshield wiper-activated headlamps, the headlamps will turn on automatically anytime that the wipers are in use. 

In addition to turning on when the need arises, the headlamps will stay on for a brief time after you switch off the ignition of the Ranger. With the automatic headlamp delay function, you can modify the time they stay off after turning off the truck. To do this, locate the five-way control buttons on the steering wheel. First, press the left arrow button. From there, a list will appear on a screen. Select Settings, then Lighting, then Vehicle, then Autolamp Delay. You can then select Off or various time intervals, including 10, 20, or 120 seconds. 

How to modify the interior brightness level of the Ford Ranger 

Red 2021 Ford Ranger driving on a muddy road
2021 Ford Ranger | Ford

The Ford Ranger enables you to modify the brightness levels of the dome light and the instrument lights. To increase the brightness level, press the plus button next to the headlamp dial control dial. To decrease the brightness level, press the minus button. 

What are some of the other driving assistance features in the Ford Ranger?

RELATED: Hundreds of Ford Ranger Trucks Left Under Taliban Control as U.S. Military Leaves Afghanistan

In addition to autolamp, the Ford Ranger offers many other driving assistance features. With the auto high-beam headlamps, you don’t have to worry about driving on a dark road at night and keep turning on and off your high-beam headlights every time you see an oncoming car. Stay safely in your lane with the lane-keeping system. Changing lanes is easy with the blind spot information system, which also provides coverage when towing a trailer. Also, you can safely and confidently back up the Ranger with its rearview camera. 

When you go on long drives, it’s more comfortable not to always have your foot on the gas pedal. This is a convenient and safe endeavor with the adaptive cruise control in the Ford Ranger. It enables you to select a cruising distance and speed behind other vehicles. If the car ahead of you slows down, the Ranger will automatically slow down as needed. For additional safety, the adaptive cruise control works in conjunction with the forward collision warning with brake support features. These features are activated when an imminent collision is detected.

RELATED: The 2022 Ford Maverick FX4 Package Is Surprisingly Expensive

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Why the Tesla Cybertruck Still Has a Major Advantage Despite Release Delay

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Tesla Cybertruck is still ahead of the competition, thanks to one key advantage. The Cybertruck is now delayed, but the electric truck can still come out on top. Tesla’s first pickup truck can still steamroll the competition thanks to the shortcomings of other automakers.

The Tesla Cybertruck has a major advantage over the competition

The Tesla Cybertruck is a one-of-a-kind electric pickup truck destined to be an anomaly in the automotive industry. Its design set the truck up for scrutiny long before any major details were released. The Cybertruck may be exciting thanks to its novel design, but competition is stiff.

Automakers such as Ford and Rivian are releasing electric trucks as well. The Ford F-150 Lightning quickly received over 100,000 pre-orders in a matter of a few weeks. The Rivian R1T is making headlines for its unique features. Producing America’s new favorite electric truck is going to be a challenge for all parties involved, but Tesla has one major advantage over its main competition, the F-150 Lightning.

RELATED: 4 Reasons Why the Ford F-150 Lightning Is Worth the Wait

The global semiconductor shortage has crippled most of the automotive industry. The lack of semiconductor chips is causing production and supply issues. In other words, vehicles are extremely limited, and consumers are waiting longer for vehicles that they pre-ordered. According to CNBC, American Ford sales dropped by 33% in August. Why? The semiconductor chip shortage has devastated the company’s production.

The Ford F-150 Lightning was announced for Spring 2022 but considering Ford’s production issues, this date could be pushed further back. The Tesla Cybertruck has also been delayed into late 2022 and 2023, but Tesla has yet to deal with serious semiconductor chip shortage issues. Tesla and the Cybertruck’s huge advantage is a supply of semiconductor chips that will propel the Cybertruck past the competition thanks to its lack of shortage-related complications.

The global semiconductor chip shortage is devastating Ford

Semiconductors in Germany | Jens Schlueter via Getty Images

Ford makes the most popular truck in America, the F-150. The chip shortage, the global pandemic, and other factors have caused Ford billions of dollars, and F-150 sales are down. Tesla’s popularity has only increased during the pandemic with the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y. The electric sedan and compact SUV are currently dominating electric vehicle sales.

Ford is Tesla’s main competition in the electric truck vehicle class, and the company cannot catch a break. More Ford F-150 Lightning pre-order delays and general production issues could cause consumers to resent the blue oval brand. Tesla, on the other hand, has been consistently erratic in its production, releases, and marketing of vehicle features.

RELATED: Elon Musk Struggles to Keep the Tesla Cybertruck on Schedule

Ford has been struggling to survive the semiconductor chip shortage. Tesla looks like it can come out of the shortage relatively unscathed, in contrast. Tesla’s advantage has nothing to do with the Cybertruck being the superior truck. The battle will come down to which truck is more accessible sooner and in a larger quantity. Tesla also has the advantage of more pre-order units for the Cybertruck, so more Cybertrucks will be on the road.

Tesla’s Cybertruck still has the most shock value

A silver Tesla Cybertruck electric truck is driving on the road.
The Tesla Cybertruck | Tesla

The Tesla Cybertruck is still unlike any other truck despite the recent reveals by both Ford and Rivian. Times are changing, and there is an emerging market for electric trucks. Tesla does not hold a monopoly on this market, but it had the foresight to create a model that could easily be differentiated from any other electric truck.

Tesla Cybertrucks have cold-rolled stainless-steel exoskeletons and narrow windshields (with questionable visibility). Once you see or drive a Tesla Cybertruck for the first time, you will never confuse it with anything else on the market. The biggest Tesla Cybertruck advantage is the truck’s unique aesthetic.

RELATED: Tesla Has Over 1.25 Million Cybertruck Pre-Orders

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Roland Sands’ BMW R 18 Dragster Gave the Cruiser a Nitrous Injection

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Mirroring its Harley-Davidson counterparts, the BMW R 18 is becoming a popular base for modifications and custom builds. But while some focus on making the BMW cruiser ever more stylish, others go a little bit further. Or, in the case of Roland Sands Design, quite a bit further. Roland Sands’ wide motorcycle build portfolio includes a number of classy yet purposeful BMWs. And the purpose of the BMW R 18 Dragster is pure straight-line speed.

Roland Sands turned the BMW R 18 from a heritage cruiser to a race-ready dragster bike

Roland Sands BMW R 18 Dragster | BMW Motorrad

While the 2021 BMW R 18 has the retro-vintage look down, its cruiser-formula adherence limits its performance credentials. The 3.5” rear-suspension travel isn’t a problem, Cycle World says, but the bike’s “long, low chassis” and suspension geometry lead to footpeg-scraping rather quickly. Plus, the R 18 weighs 790 pounds fully fueled.

However, unconventional racing machines are exactly what drew Roland Sands Design and several other teams to King of the Baggers. And as anyone who’s been to a dragstrip knows, not all racing involves carving corners. Sands is intimately familiar with that fact, as he used to be a professional motorcycle drag racer, just like his father. So, when BMW approached him about making a custom R 18, he knew exactly what he wanted to build. And three months later, the Roland Sands Design BMW R 18 Dragster was ready.

That name is more than a stylistic moniker: the BMW R 18 Dragster is a true racing bike. So much so that it doesn’t have any rear suspension. Roland Sands’ team removed it and tweaked the frame and swingarm to save weight and improve rigidity. Ditching the rear suspension saved about 50 pounds by itself. But all told, RSD “’probably stripped 200 pounds off the bike,’” Cycle World reports.

And that was just the start. While the BMW R 18 Dragster has stock front-end geometry, it has inverted forks from the R nineT. The new forks required new clip-on bars and a steering damper, though the stock heated grips are still there. Together with the new rear-set foot controls, they put the rider in the requisite stretched-out racing position. Hence why Roland Sands also added a tank-mounted pad and a custom Saddlemen seat. And to help with aerodynamics, the Dragster has a custom aluminum belly pan.

The Roland Sands BMW R 18 Dragster has more than style—it’s got nitrous speed

A side view of the front half of the blue Roland Sands BMW R 18 Dragster, showing the engine, exhaust, forks, and nitrous oxide bottle
Roland Sands BMW R 18 Dragster front half side view | BMW Motorrad

RELATED: The BMW R 18 Cruiser Goes Transcontinental Touring for 2022

In addition to those modifications, Roland Sands Design also installed various parts from its official BMW collection. Those parts include the wheels, clutch and brake levers, master cylinders, gauge mounts, and headlight bezels, Cycle World notes. And speaking of brakes, the BMW R 18 Dragster uses the S 1000 RR’s Brembos.

The custom bike needs those upgraded brakes, though, because of the other major modification Roland Sands Design performed. Sands called the R 18’s 1802cc air/oil-cooled boxer-twin “the center piece,” which is partially why he built a dragster to show it off. And with a claimed 91 hp and 116 lb-ft of torque, it’s BMW’s most powerful boxer so far. However, Sands was also inspired by muscle cars. So, the RSD Dragster is a little more extreme.

Admittedly, Roland Sands didn’t change the boxer’s internal components or the stock shaft drive. But the team did remove the stock airbox, put velocity stacks on the throttle bodies, and install a freer-flowing stainless-steel exhaust with RSD x BMW tips. It also re-tuned the engine. Oh, and the team fitted the BMW R 18 Dragster with a nitrous oxide bottle.

Rolands Sands doesn’t know how much horsepower the BMW R 18 Dragster makes. But it’s enough to light up the rear Dunlop racing radial tire even on a prepped dragstrip. Though if that’s too much speed, the nitrous injection can be disabled, Bike Exif reports. Regardless, this is one seriously fast drag bike.

Can you get your own RSD Dragster?

RELATED: Kingston Custom Takes the 2021 BMW R 18 Art Deco

Unfortunately for potential drag racers, the Roland Sands BMW R 18 Dragster is a one-off, non-street-legal build. And it’s unlikely a production version will ever come out of the BMW factory.

However, at least some of the Dragster’s parts are available from RSD, so you can replicate its look somewhat. And over in Germany, WalzWerk’s kits can turn a stock R 18 into pseudo bobbers that somewhat resemble RSD’s creation. The kits cost roughly $3000, depending on the spec.

That being said, other custom BMW builders have made copies and/or kits of their builds to outside customers. So, maybe if you ask nicely, RSD can make another R 18 Dragster. But if you want to ride it on the road, maybe keep the rear suspension in place.

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RELATED: Roland Sands Just Built a Gloriously Game-Changing KTM 790 Adventure Bike

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Bronco $1000 “Satisfaction Fund” for Unsatisfied Buyers

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Ford is becoming the poster child for botched new-car rollouts and the Bronco launch is getting worse. Some of the delays were COVID-related and that’s understandable. But the issues with every Bronco ordered with a hardtop combined with microchip delays are frustrating buyers on waiting lists. Now, Ford has initiated a “satisfaction fund” to help dealers keep buyers at bay. 

Ford’s Bronco satisfaction fund give dealers several options to perk up mad customers

2021 Ford Bronco Riptide Concept | Ford

The fund allows for up to $1,000 payments “in an attempt to assist dealerships while helping manage the wait for Bronco customers with confirmed orders.” Reservations started cramming Ford’s Bronco site when it was debuted a year ago. But it now is looking like it may be souring current and potentially new customers to the Ford brand.

From the Explorer to the F-150, new model launches at Ford have turned into a circus. And don’t forget; the all-new 2023 Mustang is scheduled to be launched in a year. By July of this year, Ford had 125,000 official Bronco orders. On that news, Ford warned that some orders couldn’t be filled until next year as 2023 models. 

The Detroit Free Press first wrote about the hardtop issues also in July. Last month Ford announced it would replace all hardtops. That was soon followed by a stop in online reservations. This satisfaction offer came on the heels of that news.

The Bronco fund lasts until next June

The 2022 Ford Bronco in Cyber Orange shown on a trail
If only we got donut doors | Ford

Ford will keep the program open from now until the end of June 2022. That would indicate it doesn’t see the pipeline filling up until mid-2022 or maybe even later, which isn’t a good sign. Ford is offering its dealers friendly suggestions on how to use the $1,000.

  • Provide payment assistance to an interim vehicle purchase/lease
  • Help with rental vehicle coverage
  • Cover their vehicle’s next scheduled maintenance
  • Offer a discount toward a Ford Protect Extended Warranty or Maintenance Plan
  • Buy a bottle of their favorite bourbon or spirit to thank them for their loyalty and patience.

We especially like the last one. Buy ‘em a bottle of booze, that will make things all better. Uh, we don’t think so. 

Should Ford even be doing this?

2022 Ford Bronco in new Eruption Green Metallic
2022 Ford Bronco | Ford

It’s commendable that Ford senses the frustrations mounting for waiting customers. Enthusiasm is as high as it has ever been for the new Bronco. Ford has a solid winner. And production numbers for not just the Bronco but for most of its models are ramping up nicely. 

So that’s the good news. Obviously, Ford has a big problem when it comes to pulling the trigger for new-model launches. The botched introductions are costly, and they cast a pall over how Ford does or doesn’t handle the business of selling vehicles. Which, in this case, is terrible.

RELATED: 2021 Ford Bronco Production Came to a Screeching Halt

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