New pick-ups don’t come around very often, but 2023 sees the launch of the latest Ford Ranger, a model that’s been winning hearts & minds in the sector since 1982. On the eve of the CV Show, Company Car & Van was invited to The Belfry, to drive it & here’s how we got on.
Model range
Ford are covering all bases with the latest Ranger. Entry level XL is available as a single or double cab. Next up is XLT a double cab with both aimed predominantly at the agricultural, utility & building construction sectors. Then the new Tremor, followed by the perennial favourite & the model we drove the Wildtrak, which has been joined by some new premium models; Platinum & Wildtrak X. The mad as hell Raptor tops the range off.
Exterior
C-shaped daytime running lights are the Ranger’s new signature at the front. At the sides, you get wheel arch cladding & an all-new step built into the bodywork behind the rear wheel. At the rear there’s a new tailgate with RANGER stamped in it & a choice of halogen or LED taillights. The tailgate edge features measurements along it & holes for clamps have been added to make it into a work bench. You also get a built in mobile device holder, cupholder & a pencil holder. The load space is larger & the truck is also wider than before, so you can easily fit in a loaded pallet.
Interior
We were testing the Wildtrak which is now a mid-range model. The highlight inside is the 12″ portrait touchscreen display. Centrally located it runs Ford’s latest SYNC 4 connected infotainment & dominates the dashboard. In front of the driver sits a configurable 8″ digital instrument cluster. Underneath the touchscreen you get stand alone climate controls, with steering wheel controls for the media & cruise control.
Between the front seats you’ll find the gear lever, electric handbrake, off-road settings & twin cup holders. And a wireless phone charger large enough for a large smartphone. The leather upholstery is very nice as are the finishes to the dash front & top, door panels, centre binnacle & switchgear. The quality shines through.
Drivetrains
A choice of fuel-efficient 202 bhp 2.0-litre twin turbo diesels with a choice of six-speed manual or auto, or ten-speed automatic transmission. Ford is also offering a 237bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel. The Wildtrak comes with Ford’s 10-speed auto & features a four-wheel drive transmission that can automatically shift from 2WD to 4WD on the fly. You also get a rotary controller on the centre console that allows you to select 4WD & low-range gears.
Equipment & technology
Wildtrak includes leather upholstery, an electrically adjustable drivers seat, dual zone climate control, keyless entry & start, heated front seats & steering wheel, LED lights, privacy glass & you can even add zone lighting that allows you to control the vehicles exterior lights through Sync 4 or via the FordPass app on your smartphone. Over-the-air updates will help ensure your truck stays at the forefront of technology, get preventative maintenance, or improve performance.
Safety
It’s a case of what’s not included with the latest Wildtrak, ‘cos it has it all. . ABS with Stability Control, ABS, ETC, ESC, Electronic Brake Booster, Integrated Electric Trailer Brake Controller, Roll Stability Control (RSC) & Traction Control System (TCS) are all included. Plus you get front driver & passenger air bags, seat mounted air bags & one interaction airbag between the front passengers. Then there’s a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Selectable Drive Modes 2 that includes Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud/Ruts & Sand options.
Ford also offers its suite of Driver Assist Technologies 2 with Active Park Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Blind Spot Information System with Trailer Coverage, Collision Mitigation System, front &rear parking sensors, Hill Descent Control, Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Lane Centring, Intelligent Speed Limiter, Lane-Keeping System with Road Edge Detection, LED headlamps, Post-Impact Braking, Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, Reverse Brake Assist, Terrain Management System & a 360-degree camera
Practicality
An onboard inverter offers power to the box, with 400 W of available power & an AC outlet in the tray. New clamp pockets are built into the tailgate of every Ranger so you can hold materials down for clean cuts & precision work. Spring-loaded caps cover the pockets when not in use.
Durable plastic caps protect the load box edges & tailgate upper edge from damage from gear & cargo. Need to fit a canopy or crossbars ? Simply remove the access caps to reveal Ranger’s structural attachment points.
The bed liner features moulded slots which allow you to fit dividers to customise the load box, allowing you to store gear & stop it from sliding around. The rear seats fold-flat to give you more functional space, plus there’s under-seat storage & storage space behind the rear seats.
Dimensions & payload
For practical purposes, the Wildtrak Double Cab offers a 1,575mm load length, a load width of 1,560mm & a 541mm load depth. Payload is 1,041kg & you can tow a braked trailer of up to 3,500kg.
Fuel economy & performance
We were testing the 2.0 litre diesel. This offers 205PS, emits 230g/km of CO2 with economy of 32mpg. Top speed is 112 mph with a 0-62mph time of 10.5 seconds.
Accessories
The list is enormous. Suffice to say from roll tops manual or powered, to sports bars to tonneau covers to hard tops. It’s all available for your Ranger.
Driving
Our test was on-road only & the latest Wildtrak did not disappoint. First & foremost this is a big vehicle. At 5,370mm long & 2,208mm with mirrors wide, you know you’ve arrived. It’s high too, measuring 1,884mm. The 3.270 wheelbase plants you firmly on the road & it handles our current malaise of poor UK road surfaces with aplomb. At 30mph it’s quiet & calm inside.
If you do venture off road. Ground clearance is 219mm & if required, you can wade at 800mm moving at 5mph. With an approach angle of 30 degrees & departure of 21, the Wildtrak will also get you pretty much anywhere you want to go.
Driving through Staffordshire on small A & B roads the latest Wildtrak offers steady progress, with the 10-speed auto box hanging onto gears as the revs rise, before things settle down. Accelerate hard as we did onto the motorway & the 2.0litre diesel engine roars into life & is audible in the cabin, that’s for sure. The changes between gear ratios is done smoothly & once up to motorway speed the noise dies down & you’re piloting a very quiet vehicle with little or no wind noise entering the cab. The large tyres do account for a bit of vibration through the pick-up floor & some road noise especially in the wet. Luckily, the Sync 4 connected to my iPhone quickly & with my podcast turned up this was barely noticeable.
All pick-up’s come with compromised ride. If you offer a 1 tonne payload & you’re driving with an empty load bed, then some bouncing will occur. I have to say that our unladen drive was very impressive with only the largest road bumps noticeable.
Despite its size, the steering is light & you get a good feel for the vehicle in & out of corners. It’s actually very easy to drive & you can clearly see that the latest Ranger is an evolution up from the previous model.
Whilst the seats are deep & comfortable, the switches & buttons easy to reach & all round visibility is excellent, we did have a couple of gripes.
The tablet touchscreen features impressive graphics & fast responses to your inputs & in effect is lifted from the Mustang Mach E. Because you sit higher in a Ranger than a Mustang & it’s not angled towards the driver, it’s not quite as user-friendly, we’re guessing because it has to work for both right & left hand drive markets.
And secondly, the auto gear leaver features some ergonomic buttons which have to be pressed by your left hand fingers in order to engage the vehicle & change gear. We found it a bit fiddly to use. A simple one finger push in would have sufficed.
Pros
Great to drive on-road & massively capable off. The level of quality inside the cab is highly impressive. And the thinking outside the box, for example the inclusion of a rear wheel side step, shows how thorough Ford have been with the design.
Cons
The gear lever takes a bit of getting used to & the touchscreen could be better positioned, but we are being very picky.
Conclusion
The Ranger Wildtrak is a triumph. It’s a bit pricey at £42,701, but with monthly BIK from £66 – £132, you’ll lease one & get a remarkably capable vehicle for your money. Furthermore, factor in the massive amount of active safety & spec you get on your Wildtrak & it’s very hard to fault.
Wildtrak makes our heart sing 4.5/5
