Right at home in the new Ford Ranger

Pick-up’s tough exterior hides a family-friendly side, writes Matt Allan

The pick-up truck market is big business these days.

Eve r y yea r m o re th a n 50,000 are sold in the UK and, while, once they would all have been basic workhorses destined for a hard life on a building site or farm, a growing number of sales are now highend lifestyle models that aim to be a work vehicle and family SUV in one.

If you want a back-to-basics pick-up Ford will sell you a single-cab Ranger XL with 128bhp for £19,545 before VAT.

And if you want a pricey toy that screams midlife crisis and wimps out on the payload it’ll sell you the hilarious Ranger Raptor for a hefty £41,145 plus VAT.

Somewhere in between those sits the Wildtrak. Closer to the Raptor in price and spec but with the payload and towing capacity of the most heavyduty workhorse, it’s meant to be a company and family car in one. On the business front, this 2.0-litre diesel with a 10-speed automatic comes with high a n d l ow- ra n ge fou r -wh e e l drive, can tow a 3,500kg trailer and has a gross train weight of 6,000kg - perfect for most utilitarian tasks.

But as one of the higherspec versions it wraps this tough utility in a more stylish package. As standard, the Wildtrak gets side steps with a brushed metal finish, a roll hoop, 18-inch alloys and Boulder Grey grille, mirror caps and handles in place of the chrome finish on other variants.

The interior is a largely successful blend of practical design and high-spec elements. The focus remains on longevity and ease of use, with chunky controls and plenty of storage spaces. But there’s leather upholstery Wildtrak badging and plenty of 12V and USB charging points, plus a 230V socket.

There are also a lot of gadgets you won’t get on your £20k XL. An eight-inch touchscreen houses the media and navigation system with smartphone mirroring, there’s a reversing camera plus auto lights and wipers, ambient lighting and keyless entry and start.

On the road, the Ranger also manages to disguise a lot of its utilitarian roots. It is surprisingly quiet, with well controlled wind and tyre noise. It’s barely any louder than many

SUVs, even on the motorway.

The engine is also remarkably quiet. The 2.2-litre has been replaced with the 210bhp 2.0-litre used in the Raptor, albeit without the multiple drive modes The 10-speed transmission shifts easily most of the time but at times it feels like it’s searching through too many ratios.

Despite being tall, wide and nose-heavy when unladen, it behaves far better on road than pick-ups once did, with far less body shudder and lean than even fairly recent alternatives.

At £40,000+ including VAT the Wildtrak isn’t for everyone. If all you need is a basic truck for work, it’s over-endowed with gadgets and is expensive because of that. But if you want an all-in-one vehicle for work and weekends then it has refinement and technology that was once only a pipedream in the pick-up market.