Car Reviews > Ford > Ranger > New Ford Ranger Pickup Range Car Review

Ranger - An Exciting Pickup for Family or Work

The new Ford Ranger Pickup Range offers many different choices, each with its own appealing qualities. The options of body style, engines and trim packages make for a diverse assortment of selections available. Whether you are choosing a Ranger for family use or for work, there is sure to be one which will suit your purposes for a pickup.

There are 3 main body styles - the Regular Cab, the Super Cab, and the Double Cab versions. Which you choose will probably depend on how many people will be in the cab, and how often. One or two people will be fine in the Regular Cab. The Super Cab with its fold-down seats would be fine for the occasional extra rider or two, but if there will be regular passengers in the rear seat the Double Cab would be the best bet with its second full seat.

The engines for the Ford Ranger are both diesels, one a 2.5-litre common-rail injection unit and one a 3.0-litre TDCi unit. The 2.5-litre version produces 143PS at a useful 2,000rpm, with 330Nm of torque. It can get from 0 to 60mph in just 12.5 seconds - not bad for a heavy pickup. Even more amazing, the 3.0-litre engine delivers 156PS of power with 380Nm of torque. It, by the way, can reach that 60mph level in just 11.3 seconds. The extra torque helps the 3.0-litre TDCi handle a payload of up to 1235kg.

Pickup handling is different from car handling; that being said, the Ford Ranger Pickup Range has models that make the handling of many other pickups seem harsh by comparison. The ladder chassis and leaf-spring rear axle makes the Ranger more capable in hauling heavy weights. Yet, the overall ride of the pickup does not suffer from this utilitarian design, as Ford has built it to be more comfortable for the passengers at the same time.

The Ranger fares well in off-road driving as well. The two four-wheel drive options - one high ratio and one low ratio - are good choices for just such conditions. Ground clearance of up to 207mm helps the Ranger keep from scraping and dragging on uneven paths. The differential overcomes many potential off-road hazards with its torque-sensing limited slip configuration.

Safety is a priority on road or off road with Ford. The Ranger has a hydraulic braking system that includes ABS all around. A total of 6 airbags are included, as well as pretensioners on the seatbelts. It might seem a little risky for families to ride around with their possessions exposed to open view, and worse yet to leave the pickup parked with it loaded that way. Ford has come up with an optional cover that keeps the contents of the bed safe and dry.

Standard equipment levels vary depending on the models chosen. The XL version gets rugged cloth seats, while the Wildtrak model gets leather instead. Air conditioning, a superb sound system with CD and radio, parking sensors and alloy wheels increase the luxury and comfort in the more upgraded models.

The Ranger features a price tag of somewhere between £17,000 and £22,000, and it is a great value at that price. It has everything needed to make a serviceable work truck or an enjoyable family pickup. Buyers who test drive vehicles in the Ford Ranger Pickup Range will find that it has a lot to offer.

by Autoweb