Total overhaul for Ford Ranger

UK’s favourite pick-up gets fresh look, new mechanicals and improved practicality

- GEORGE BARROW

The Ford Ranger, the bestselling pick-up truck in the UK, has been reinvented for its fourth generation with new powertrains, a bold redesign and a revamped cabin.

The Ranger has been on sale in its current form since 2011 yet remains hugely popular. With 13,097 units sold in 2020, it was the fifth most popular light commercial vehicle in the UK and the only pick-up in the top 10. Order books for the new version will be opened in late 2022, with pricing to be confirmed closer to that time.

The new-look Ranger has been styled with nods to Ford’s American-market F-150 large pick-up and new Bronco SUV.

It’s 50mm wider, giving it a broader stance, which is enhanced by a larger radiator grille with a horizontal bar that incorporates the Ford badge and extends across the front to the new ‘C-clamp’ daytime-running lights.

The new tailgate design features the Ranger name stamped into the metal, while the sides now have slightly more pronounced wheel arches and feature an integrated step on either side of the rear bumper to improve access into the load bed.

LED lights are available for the first time at both ends.

The current 2.0-litre diesel engine is retained and remains architecturally the same, with only slight modifications for cooling. There will be two single-turbocharged variants and a twin-turbocharged one, the power ratings for which have still to be confirmed.

A new 3.0-litre diesel V6 has been added to the ranks, too, and while it has yet to be officially detailed, it will no doubt tout performance statistics to trump the 210bhp and 367lb ft currently available in today’s most powerful Ranger.

A turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine will also be sold in some markets.