Used Ford Ranger 2011 - present review

Many may have mocked the early pick-up trucks that were sold in the UK as being a mere pastiche of those sold in America. But as time has gone on, the market for these part family car, part work truck crossbreeds has increased to the extent that they’ve quickly become a part of the motoring landscape. None more so than the Ford Ranger, the best selling vehicle of its type in the UK and one of the most readily available pick-ups on the second-hand market.

Unlike rivals such as the Toyota Hilux, the Ranger can be had with a choice of two diesel engines: a 2.2-litre four-cylinder in 123bhp, 148bhp or 158bhp forms, or a 3.2-litre five-cylinder engine with 197bhp.

As with most rivals, the Ranger can be had in three different body styles (regular, super and double cab), with or without four-wheel drive. Also in the interests of luxury, you can get a six-speed automatic in place of the six-speed manual.

Despite being quite a tall and heavy vehicle, you can hustle the Ranger down the road with a lot more confidence than you can with some rivals. The suspension resists body roll rather well and the accurate steering allows you to place the vehicle in corners with ease.

Some potential pick-up buyers will actually be more interested in the Rangers off road abilities, so it’s worth noting that it has one of the best wading depths in the class at 800mm, can clear obstacles of up to 229mm and tackle some pretty steep gradients thanks to approach and departure angles of 28deg and a breakover angle of 25deg.

The bed is a decent size, even with a bed liner fitted. Total length is 1460mm and the width is 1420mm at its widest point. At 510mm in depth, it’s deep enough to load up plenty of stuff, but it might not be quite as easy to grab equipment out of the back of the Ranger as it is in a Hilux. Towing capacity is up there with the best at 3500kg, but you have to make sure you’ve got the 3.55 ratio rear axle, because the 3.15 ratio axle can only pull 2500kg.

Base model XL Rangers are a bit spartan, but XLT models add heated door mirrors, cruise control, air conditioning and Bluetooth audio. Limited is nicer still; rear parking sensors come as standard along with heated front seats and dual-zone climate control. Top of the range Wildtrak cars have a colour-reversing camera and sat nav.

An early example with over 100,000 miles on it will set you back about £8000 but, if you increase the budget to £11,000, you’ll begin to find base model XL Rangers with 75,000 miles or less. £17,000 or more will find you plenty of facelifted Rangers with the improved interior while Euro 6 capable examples from 2017 onwards are more like £19,000. If you fancy something with less than 5000 miles on it, be prepared to spend roughly £23,000.

Check the value of a used Ford Ranger with What Car? Valuations

No Ranger will be particularly cheap to run. Fuel economy varies quite a lot depending upon which cab style you go for. The highest NEDC economy figure is 43.5mpg for a 158bhp 2.2-litre diesel with a manual gearbox, but drops to as low as 28.2mpg for a 197bhp 3.2-litre diesel auto.

Road tax can also be quite costly. The most polluting 3.2-litre auto sits in the highest tax band of £555 per year, but even the cleanest 2.2-litre manual is no eco-warrior at £230. Any Ranger registered after 1 April 2017 will be charged under the current road tax system; that means a flat rate fee of £140.

Minor servicing costs are similar to those of the Toyota Hilux, but major services can cost considerably more. However, if your Ranger is over four years old and has the smaller 2.2-litre engine, you can take advantage of Ford Motorcraft fixed price servicing for older vehicles. It includes an oil and filter change, pollen filter change and a wash and vac for £149.

If you regularly carry heavy loads you might want to avoid the larger engine 3.2-litre Ranger and go for the 2.2-litre engine. The bigger power plant is much heavier and therefore reduces the payload rating. By the same token, you might not want an automatic either because this lops 19kg off of the maximum rating, too. That being said, if payload isn't your major concern, the additional performance of the 3.2-litre might come in handy.

A single cab range will get you the biggest bed and highest payload capacity, but limits you to only two seats. That might not make it ideal if it’s your only vehicle. We’d suggest going for the full double cab for the extra practicality it affords for adults in the back, and because it has individual doors that don’t require you to open the front ones first.

Limited trim gets you all the equipment you’ll need in a ranger and there are plenty of them available on the used market.

Our favourite Ford Ranger: 2.2-litre TDCI 160 Double Cab Limited

The Toyota Hilux has long been a staple of the pick-up truck market because it suits the needs of its users perfectly while providing impeccable reliability. It’s even better off road thanks to better approach and departure angles than the Ford, and it has a suite of safety tech as standard from Invincible spec onward. The Ranger, on the other hand, only offers these items bundled up in an optional pack.

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