By offering the Ranger Wildtrak, a true lifestyle pick-up, Ford is fast catching up rivals offering a full range of models.
With its orange paintwork, orange seatbelts and chrome trim, the Wildtrak isn’t for the shy and retiring. And at £20,150 it’s at the upper end of the cost spectrum, but for that money you get a host of goodies including heated seats, aircon, door mirror lights (similar to those on a Range Rover), roof rails and alloy wheels.
We’ve driven the Ranger with the new 3.0-litre diesel linked to an auto gearbox, though the Wildtrak also comes with a manual shift that gives far greater driver control for little extra effort.
The only thing missing is anti-skid control or traction control, which is not an option. In rear-drive (rather than 4×4) mode in the wet the power can overwhelm things, which is at best entertaining, but could get a less experienced driver into trouble.
Verdict: Wildtrak is our pick of the Ranger range.
