Motoring

with Toby Aiken

For 40 years, the Ford F150 pickup truck has been the best selling vehicle in the USA. And for 45, it’s been the same nation’s favourite truck.

We know Americans like their trucks, and the Ford Ranger (the UK version) and new Raptor look really good whenever you see them on the UK roads. But to be feasible in the current economic climate, they can’t be a second vehicle so would have to work as a car as well as a truck. Can the Americans’ best-selling vehicle pull that off? I took the Raptor on a weekend away with the family to find out.

Firstly, this is the two-litre Raptor – there’s an all-new 3.0 V6 coming out soon, so I will try and report back on that one in time as well. The two litre is no slouch – with more than 200 horsepower and 500 Nm of torque, it can handle a load and the enhanced ground clearance and wider track means it can handle terrain too. But we knew this already, so on to the family trip.

Clearly, the luggage has to go in the truck bed which, thanks to the load cover, is protected from the elements. But unlike a conventional boot, the space is lateral rather than vertical, so the first concern I had was stopping suitcases and bags from sliding around as I drove.

I have a couple of ratchet straps for my own roof rack, and with the Raptor’s ample loading bay hooks, I was able to secure cases and objects likely to move around with a single strap, holding everything towards the cab end of the load bay.

The height of the bay is sufficient for most loads and at one point over the weekend it accommodated a folded wheelchair without any issue.

So it handles off-road, looks good, and can accommodate plenty of load in the back. But here’s the surprising thing… it drives nicely as a car too!

We were going to a weekend event for kids that suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome in Somerset, so the trip down encompassed motorway, Aroads and twisty country lanes. The Raptor took them all in its stride, without any unsettling roll in the corners and with a good sense of spatial awareness, despite the massive bonnet and slightly limited rear view.

The Raptor was a hit with pretty much everyone and was even used as a shuttle service for some of the kids who were worn out after a day of activities to get them back to the centre. It took load after load of the kids and they all loved it.

I’m going to finish with a note on Tourette’s. My son was diagnosed last year, and has been amazing at helping his fellow students and anyone who will listen to understand what Tourette’s actually is. Tourette’s Action has run a campaign throughout Tourette’s Awareness Month with the hashtag #ItsNotWhatYouThink. Please take a minute to go to www.Tourettes-Action.org.uk and find out more. Thank you.