
With desert landscapes, mountainous terrain and two coastlines to explore, the UAE offers some of the most spectacular scenery and most challenging driving conditions the Middle East has to offer.
We have released today the second episode of the Greatest Driving Routes video series with a drive that showcases not only the jaw-dropping beauty of the UAE’s incredible mountain landscape and wide-open desert terrain, but also gives viewers a taste of life in the country.
The route takes viewers from the coast of the Arabian Gulf to the shores of the Indian Ocean, traversing the deserts of Sharjah and the mountains of Fujairah, discovering little-known driving gems along the way. You can see the video here.
The new video series has been designed to highlight the Ford Ranger’s capability as a tool for exploration. With its on-demand all-wheel-drive system, torquey petrol and turbodiesel engines, cargo tray capacity and comfortable and well-appointed interiors, the Ranger is perfectly suited to handle the most challenging off-road driving routes the region has to offer.
Hosted by Tarek El Awji – known better by his Instagram account Offroad Bug – the second episode pushed El Awji to take on driving challenges he’d never encountered before and well outside of his comfort zone.
“I spend a lot of time in the desert so I’m very comfortable driving in the sand. But what surprised me the most was the capability of the Ranger in the wadis. Slow driving over rocks, you expect something to give – but the Ranger was extremely tough and comfortable. It just went everywhere I wanted to go,” he said.
Tough and dependable, the 2.2-litre turbodiesel Ranger XLS featured during the episode was also refined on road sections, despite the fact that its primary role is as a work vehicle.
“My own truck is noisy. I can’t hear myself think – but the Ranger was extremely comfortable over the long hours we spent filming. If I was to do the route again – and I recommend everyone does because you’ll discover a lot – I’d definitely do it in the Ranger.”