FORD RANGER WILDTRAK

As I wrote a few months ago, there’s a new Ford Ranger on the horizon, but sadly it won’t reach the UK until sometime in 2023. In the meantime, Ford are quite keen for everyone to remember that the current model is still very much available and relevant in today’s pickup market.

For some reason, over the years I haven’t driven that many Rangers compared to other pickups, I’m not sure why, and then within the space of a month I’ve driven what feels like a fleet of them, and I’ve really enjoyed the experience.

Delivering 210bhp and 500Nm of torque, the 2.0 litre twin turbocharged diesel lump in the Wildtrak was powerful and effiecient, the power delivery always felt like the engine wasn’t really trying and the 10-speed auto box never seemed flustered. When the opportunity arose for me to overtake slower vehicles it had plenty of umph, and with a deep growl, they were dispensed with appropriately, and safely.

Of course, agile handling isn't necessarily a priority among pickups, but what surprised me more than anything was just how well the Wildtrak handled the twists and turns of typical Welsh roads, in particular the A483 from Newtown to Crossgates. I was fortunate enough that the driving gods had bestowed upon me an almost empty road, both going and during the returning journey, and the Ranger was bloody good fun.

The steering is well weighted, but not heavy, and I appreciated its accuracy and response on the tighter corners. The suspension and handling were confidence building, as was the Ranger's resistance to body lean. Overall it was a fun 4x4 to fling around, especially considering it was unladen for the majority of the time.

Before the rain started, I had the opportunity to take the Ranger out in the snow. Despite not being particularly deep snow, local drivers, who have no idea how to drive in snow had done their best to make the roads into an ice rink by just spinning their summer tyres believing that high revs and speed would be the way forward.

Anyway, with roads awash with stranded vehicles and polished patches of ice, the Ranger soldiered on without hesitation.

I had a couple of reservations about some of the lanes that I explored, but I needn’t have worried, the Ranger walked them, especially after utilising its rear locker which is standard on the Wildtrak. More impressively, it didn’t matter if the Ranger was on four, three or two opposing wheels, it always found traction, even on the loosest of surfaces.

One thing that has always frustrated me with pickups of late is their 4wd switch. What normally happens is when I turn the dial from 2wd to 4wd and I end up staring at a flashing icon on the dash for ten minutes until it engages, but the Ranger engaged 4wd within a second - every time. There isn’t much else to say about its off-road prowess, the Ranger went where I pointed it without any fuss, even on road biased tyres.

From the chunky steering wheel to the wide and comfy seats, the Ranger Wildtrak is a very comfortable place to be.

The only irritating part for me was the figuring out the ventilation system, part of which is on the dash under the monitor, which is difficult to read, and the rest is on the monitor.

It’s all a bit awkward in my opinion.

Other than that the dash layout is clear and easy to read with good visibility all round, especially over the huge bonnet.

Jump in the back seats and again you are greeted with plenty of space, even if you’re a 6-footer who’s sat behind another 6-footer.

There was something about the Ranger that made it feel strong and dependable that I can’t quite put my finger on.

It could have been the big seats, chunky steering wheel, spacious interior or its tight steering and confident road handling - I don’t know, but after a week with it I understand why there’s so many of them knocking around.