With almost 50% more diesel wallop than before, Ford's all-new Ranger - on sale this September - promises to be a workhorse on steroids. It's got Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota's doublecab gang in its sights, but can it make the journey from the builder's yard and into suburbia?
The doublecab is on a high. Mitsubishi's L200, the (just about) market leader, is a curvaceous mothership capable of commuting in plausible comfort; Toyota's 2007 Hilux, boosted by a 171hp three-litre turbodiesel, promises to move the game further on still and Nissan's hairychested Navara - number two in this league - scrubs up perfectly for a family weekend. In the last year, Mitsubishi and Nissan alone sold 9,781 models.
Economics boost this demand: doublecabs might be vast but they drive neatly through a tax loophole. At the moment, ALL pick-ups are classed as commercial vehicles, so you can claim the business VAT back, even if yours is also usable as a family car.
All of which is pointless if the quality of the ownership is just one notch up from a JCB, so how does the Ranger perform?
Looks-wise, it's not quite a flying start. The Ranger retains a resolute boxiness which renders it immediately slightly dated - no attempts here to blend the body with the load bed and while those protective rails above the bulkhead do a sensible job protecting occupants from cargo in a shunt, they only add to the mildly agrarian look.
However, larger rear lights and smoother integral front units, together with natty spots set beneath, do set a handsome tone and the larger, more confident grille, along with that dramatically oversized Ford badge, ensures the looks are anything but weedy.
Inside, the old decor has been ditched in favour of quality, design and detailing on a level that would be perfectly acceptable in a �20,000 family saloon (bear in mind this is the high-spec XLT Thunder, priced at �17,450, with extras including reverse sensors and leather seats). The CD/MP3/radio system has a tendency to emit annoying electronic bleeps, but elsewhere, this is top-notch stuff: chic, green needles on the main instrument dials, three dead-simple dials to control the air con and ventilation and a stereo that belts out bass like Barry White on viagra.
To literally top it all off, there's a trio of LED dials to indicate incline, compass direction and tilt - all wonderfully superfluous, but a touch which instantly renders the Ranger a Cool School-Runner.
Speaking of which, you'll be buying one of these because, presumably, you really need that back seat. This model, albeit a credible four-seater, offers cabin space that is somewhere mid way between a true doublecab and a king-cab (which effectively offers just jump seats). If you have pre-teenage kids and no one too lanky jumping in for the ride, it works, but with a six-footer in the front, anyone wedged behind of equal length will detect notable pressure on the patellas.
With everyone reasonably comfy though, this is the point at which the Ranger wallops you between the eyes. Bear in mind that this new 2.5-litre Duratorq TDCi common-rail design socks the previous model's 109PS to 143PS (or 107bhp to 141bhp in old money)- and that at 1,845 kilos at the kerb, it bears no sizeable weight difference to before. Most crucially though, the previous maximum torque of 226Nm at 2000rpm now rises to 330Nm at 1,800 rpm, a figure which gives you some measure of the extra muscle now on tap, even if you flunked maths.
Ford doesn't quote 0-60mph for its 'commercial' vehicles, so I performed a Tiscali test... Even with a cold-ish engine and a slight incline against it, the Ranger clocked the job in a breathless ten seconds dead. In short, the Ranger's a ripsnorter.
Underpinning this, stiffer engine mounts and a tighter chassis ensures vibration and noise levels are more than acceptable. Out the M1, the Ranger is A1, while off-road (and with four-wheel drive engaged via the ancillary gearstick), it's equally convincing.
Back in town, you'll appreciate the visibility when it comes to berthing this beast's huge bottom. The turning circle is a little maritime, but parking is a more confidence-inspiring affair than you'll experience in an L200.
Finally, of course, there's one bullet left in the Ranger's barrel - being a pick up, how well does it actually pick up? This is where Ford scores highly again, the load area on this model roughly equating to a decent 50% more than the area offered by Mitsubishi's L200 doublecab.
The compromise between passenger space and load capacity usually ends up with a four-seater that lives in dread of a heavy day's shopping at B&Q. Ford's Ranger has no such fears - it delivers in every sense.
Tiscali verdict: 8/10 City or country? Ranger's got it covered
