FORD RANGER 2.3 PHEV STORMTRAK

David Motton is impressed by Ford's capable pick-up, but it's chunky in both size and price

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What’s new?

While there are some electric pickups and Toyota has a mild-hybrid Hilux, the new plugin hybrid Ford Ranger is currently in a niche of its own.

What are we looking for?

Does the plugin Ranger tow as well as the diesel? What is the fuel economy like?

Towing ability

Pickup trucks are generally capable of towing heavy caravans and trailers but are often less stable at speed than a comparable SUV.

That’s true of the Ranger - it doesn’t tow as well as the very best big 4x4s. But it’s certainly better than most pickups.

The lofty kerbweight helps. Weighing 2511kg gives an 85% match figure of 2134kg, well within the 3500kg towing capacity. It’s unlikely to catch out caravanners, but the maximum towing figure drops to 3100kg when the Ranger is fully loaded.

We matched the Ford to a Bailey Unicorn Pamplona with a MiRO of 1538kg. The Ranger towed the Bailey smoothly and quietly, pulling away on electric power alone.

With the 2.3-litre engine and the 75kW electric motor working together, the big Ford proved to have plenty of punch. Peak combined power is 281bhp with 514 lb ft of torque. Those numbers made for easy towing, with the Ford and Bailey quickly reaching a 60mph cruise.

Our test started with 12 miles of electric range showing. After just under 31 miles the all-electric range had dropped to zero, with fuel economy of 34mpg. Over the rest of our day’s towing, the average dropped to 23.2mpg.

That's not as economical as the 25mpg we achieved towing a heavier caravan with the diesel Ranger a couple of years ago.