For many here in the UK, the pickup truck can still feel like a bit of an Americanism,
a slightly curious Yankee import like the the stuffed hot dog crust pizza,
and the phrase “Can I get a…?”.
But that hasn’t stopped the segment from gaining rapid popularity here in Britain,
with pick-up sales up year on year and a whole host of new models joining the market.
There’s the Mitsubishi L200 as an example, the Toyota Hilux, Nissan's Navara, Volkswagen
Amarok, the upcoming Renault Alaskan and the Fiat Fullback, and now even Mercedes-Benz
and Tesla have announced they’re making pick-ups.
Sheesh!
So, if you thought that was hard to keep up with, imagine how Ford must feel.
Its Ranger has been a stalwart of the segment since introduced in 2011, and now faced so much new competition,
it must rapidly evolve to stay afloat in a market that could quickly swallow it.
In a bid to keep those rivals at bay, Ford facelifted the Ranger earlier this year with fresh styling
both inside and out, some new kit, and improvements
to the driving experience.
So, if you’ve never been in a pick-up truck before you might be surprised
at just how much space is inside it.
There’s lots of room in the cabin up here and visibility out the front and sides is excellent, thanks to
its large windows and tall ride height.
Given that pickups are built primarily as workhorses and then retrofitted with mod cons
to appeal to everyday drivers, they can tend to lack the attractive qualities of SUVs, instead
focusing on hardiness.
Still, the Ranger is better than many in its class, but it does slightly lag behind the VW Amarok
in terms of interior prettiness.
That facelift we mentioned earlier brought with it things like Ford’s SYNC 2 infotainment
system however, and the Limited trim also gets stuff like rear parking sensors
and a reversing camera – which are particularly handy
given the size of the car – and cruise control, which pushes its specification
even closer to that of a car or SUV.
A word to the wise, though; generally, with pick-ups, the really neat stuff are reserved
only for the top-spec models.
Our model gets all the gizmos, but the entry level XL and XLT models lacks much of the plushness
to cut costs and better stand up to the tough use their owners subject it to.
Now, let’s get on to the real important stuff.
3 versions are available - Regular cab, Super and Double Cab
Ours is the double cab as evidenced by the doors and these 3 full sized seats.
And it is spacious and comfortable but there's still not maybe not
quite as much room as you’d get with the likes of a Nissan X-Trail.
There is absolutely loads of storage space though. With huge door bins an
electric socket here and even a centre console coolbox that can store up to six drinks cans.
In terms of cargo space, the Regular Cab model has a massive 2.3-metre long load bed
with a maximum carrying capacity of 1,309kg.
By contrast, the Double Cab model drops that to 1.5 metres and a max payload of 1,179kg.
Of course, that is more than enough than what most family drivers will use it for, but beware
the tailgate, which folds flat but is high off the ground, and could make loading heavier
items a bit more of a challenge.
Despite its hefty size, the Ranger is actually fairly easy to drive, with light steering and
an agile demeanour for a car of its class, which makes it feel more like a car
than some of its more utilitarian-feeling rivals.
The hard rear springs, which allow heavy payloads to be carried, do mean that it feels a little bit
bouncy if you’ve got nothing in the back, but all in all it makes for one of the best
handling and one of the best driving pickups around.
You will need those optional parking sensors and reversing camera though, as the imposing
size of the Ranger does make it a bit of a pain when in urban areas or trying to park it.
The Ranger is available with two different diesel engines here in the UK, a 158bhp 2.2-litre and a more powerful
3.2-litre with 197bhp.
Of those, we’ve got the former, along with an automatic gearbox.
Its not the fastest thing in the world and refinement definitely is an issue, but it is
smooth and it suits the car very well.
It also has a 3.72 final drive ratio, which means it can tow weights of up to three and
a half tonnes, while selectable four-wheel drive modes means that it eats up anything
from a bit of gravel to full off-roading, and it’s even got a maximum wading depth of 800mm.
Less impressive however is its running costs; even though Ford says the new model is 17%
more efficient than the outgoing model, it’s still returned only 30mpg for us during
the week that we’ve had it.
CO2 emissions of 209g/km will also leave the tax-man rubbing his hands.
It is priced fair well against the competition though.
As standard the basic Regular Cab starts from £17,095, while the Double
Cab starts from £20,395.
As tested, our car which comes with a couple of extra goodies starts from £32,021 on the road.
The original Ford Ranger was a fairly coarse machine designed more as a working tool than
anything else, but it has softened considerably since then with a more car-like interior
and arguably the best driving dynamics in its class.
Compared against some rivals like the VW Amarok, it’s perhaps not as well-rounded, but as a
working vehicle it’s an excellent option and for families makes a much more capable,
if slightly more heavy-duty, alternative to the SUV.
But what do you think of the Ford Ranger?
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