Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger has moved beyond the uninspiring themes of the interior cabins of the yesteryear trucks from Ford and manages successfully to change the notion with its premium appeal and use of high-quality materials on the inside. The broad layout of the cabin has been shared with the Everest SUV, however, here, the cabin is finished in all black color with silver inserts.

The four-spoke steering wheel sports a cluster of buttons on both sides and feels chunky to hold. The part digital instrument console with its distinctive display theme looks too cool as well. The centre console has a wide theme and taking the centre stage of which is a large 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which has got vertical AC vents on both of its sides. Below the infotainment system, there is another trapezoidal housing that has buttons of the music system and climate control. The soft-touch upper layer of the dashboard with a thick piano black panel on the middle layer of the dashboard makes the cabin feel plush and well built.

Ford wants to give the Ranger an image of being tough-looking from the word go, and in the process, the Ford Ranger, with its boxy and angular shape, manages to appear robust and intimidating from whichever angle you look at. The Ranger comes in two versions – Standard and Wildtrak – both of which come with the same silhouette and body panels, but do differ with respect to several cosmetic features added on them. 

At the front, the Ford Ranger sports a hexagonal chrome grille with two thick slats in the middle, which gives it a macho image and aids in adding some premium appeal to the front fascia. The Wildtrak variant has this grille surrounded by thick black cladding and is finished completely in black, making it look even meaner. The boxy headlamps have curved edges and do come with projector bulbs and daytime running LEDs within them, thus gelling well with the modern personality of the Ranger.

The side profile of the Ford Ranger lacks the presence of any sharp character lines, however, the big looking bulges over the wheel arches and bold looking alloy wheels add to its muscular appeal. The rear profile of the Ford Ranger looks quite simple, though, the vertically laid large LED tail lamps add few more touches of modernity.

In addition, the Wildtrak version has separate fog lamp housings, thicker silver skid plates at both front and rear, and bigger alloy wheels making it look off road oriented.

The Ford Ranger combines its tough looks with sturdy driving dynamics, and despite the mammoth size, this pickup has very good stability and braking capabilities. However, the stiff suspension, which is a combination of double wishbone at the front and leaf springs at the rear, makes the overall ride quality a bit harsh. Though, the Terrain Management System and locking differential with the four-wheel-drive system work flawlessly over various kinds of surfaces.

For the Philippines spec Ranger, Ford has made different engine options available. The Standard variants of the Ford Ranger have a 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine, which delivers 160 PS of power and 385 Nm of torque, and is offered with both 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearboxes.

On the other hand, the Wildtrak version has a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel available in two states of tune – 180 PS of power and 420 Nm of torque in single turbo 4x2 form, as well as 213 PS of power and 500 Nm of torque in the bi-turbo 4x4 form, both of which get a 10-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

Banking on an extensive set of safety features, the Ford Ranger has got the front, side and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and parking sensors, Trail Control, Lane Keeping Assist, adaptive cruise control, BLIS with trailer coverage, pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking and a rearview camera.

For an affordable pickup, the Ford Ranger does feel premium and luxurious enough to give midsize SUVs a tough competition. The extrovert styling and rich interiors, along with an extensive list of features, as well as excellent performance and driving capabilities, do make it a complete package.