Despite having been driven through the most horrendous thunderstorm, the striking and aptly named blue lightening colour of the Ford Ranger gleamed like a new pin, writes Chris Johnson.

Its presence on the lane to our house was commanding as it arrived for a week of vigorous tests.

The model supplied was in limited specification which gave it a high trim level and lots of key features expected by today’s modern buyer.

The engine, a 2.0TDCI was very quiet and the six speed manual gearbox (as an auto driver I found the gear changes to be swift and effortless!) made responsive use of the 170PS on hand.

Complete with a tow bar (£480.00), roller shutter/cargo management system (£1380.00) and roll bar (which had a nifty pair of lights that you could turn on from inside the cab) this Super Cab really was a head turner.

Internally there are plenty of sensible storage areas, deep cubbyholes that can really hold your bits and bobs.

The chunky steering wheel provides confidence and an air of superiority on the highway and this remains when the pickup is taken off road. The 4x4 is simple to engage and transverses fluidly which compared to old systems is an absolute doddle to use.

The screen and dash are easy to work and even better to use with key information available at the flick of a button. Navigation of the touch screen is fast, even if you’ve got hands the size of a shovel! Coupled with Ford’s Sync3 voice activation system you’d be forgiven for thinking you were sat in one of the brands SUVs.

Dual heating and heated seats are an added bonus and there are oodles of charging points, dual USB charges (the old fashioned bulbous charges of old seem to be getting phased out by modern tech companies) and Ford have cleverly retained the power point within the rear load bed area giving this vehicle the edge on other manufacturers.

South West Farmer: The new Ford RangerThe new Ford Ranger

The ride quality is good, the seats supportive and at a push a medium sized adult can sit on the rear seat pads with sufficient leg and head room, although if longer journeys are regular then sacrificing the load area and opting for the double cab would make more sense.

The payload as tested is an impressive 1142kg (can rise to 1197kg depending on specification). Towing of 3500kg with the option of a tachograph port really brings the Ford into the true commercial class that it deserves.

Buyers can purchase through one of Fords many specialist transit centres that seem to be in every town which is more than handy at service times with the added benefit of the mechanics being used to always working on commercial vehicles unlike some that are part of a biased domestic car market.

Obviously it would be unusual for any new pickup to be without a high level of driver and passenger safety systems and the Ranger has definitely got these in abundance.

Stability control, trailer sway assist, pedestrian detection, hill decent, adaptive cruise and lane keeping system, basically, if you think you might want it then it's probably already on the vehicle.

All of this comes at a price, but it’s a fairly respectable price in line with other brands and providing you are VAT registered the cost should allow most budgets to find the right model and specification for the job in hand.

The cost as tested including the metallic paint, tow pack, roller shutter, limited premium pack totals £32,065 plus VAT but the range starts at a more modest £22,776.37 plus VAT to an eye watering £42,276.37 plus VAT for the all conquering Raptor.

For:

  • Ride quality and comfort
  • Trim level (on limited model)
  • Large commercial dealer network
  • Power point in rear load area

Against:

  • Delivery time (no different to other manufacturers)
  • Doors on Super Cab can rattle
  • Others offer longer warranties