An all-new version of Ford’s popular Ranger, Britain’s most-bought pick-up model, has been revealed ahead of it going on sale late next year.
Over 15,000 drivers and businesses have bought Rangers in 2021 – more than any other pick-up – which has been on sale since 2011.
The new model has been inspired by the America brand’s latest 4X4s sold across the pond, with styling cues from the just-revealed Bronco and hulking electric F-150 Lightning. Here’s everything you need to know about it…
Britain’s new favourite pick-up? This is the all-new 2022 Ford Ranger, which can be ordered in the UK late in 2022 with first deliveries expected in early 2023
A refreshed Ranger has been in the waiting for over a decade, and as such has been reinvented for its fourth-generation with a selection of new engines, a more aggressive design and completely revised cabin.
This will be music to the ears of small business owners, contractors and handymen and women up and down the country, who have made the Ranger the number one pick-up in Britain.
It was the nation’s fifth best-selling commercial vehicle in 2020 with 13,097 sales. This year, it has already eclipsed that with 15,302 bought by the end of October, cementing its record as the most popular pick-up in the UK.
In fact, since Volkswagen pulled the availability of the Amarok in the UK in June last year and Mitsubishi’s decision to leave the European market – taking with it the L200 – the Ranger now represents two in five pick-ups sold in Britain.
Order books for this new model for the new version will be opened in late 2022 and first deliveries arriving early the following year, with pricing to be confirmed closer to that time.
Buyers should expect to see a slight increase in price from the current Ranger’s starting point of £24,840, with entry models predicted to ring in at around £26,000 – that’s not including VAT.
In terms of rivals, that would still undercut Toyota’s latest Hilux (from £28,645).
The biggest talking point about the new model is undoubtedly its styling, with Ford creating what looks like a ‘baby’ version of its new electric F-150 Lightning truck, which was unveiled in the US earlier this year – with President Joe Biden being one of the first to try the zero-emission pick-up.
The Ford Ranger is the best-selling pick-up truck in the UK, with over 15,000 registered so far in 2020. It accounts for 40% of all new models in its segment
The rear now has the ‘RANGER’ name stamped into the metal of the tailgate and also gets a refreshed LED light cluster
The new Ranger (left) looks like a ‘baby’ version of Ford’s latest F-150 Lightning electric truck (right), which was also unveiled earlier this year – sharing the same C-clamp light design
Ranger is the baby version of Ford’s F-Series truck – America’s best-selling car every year since 1977
The Ford F-Series – also known as the ‘Bonus Built’ trucks – was introduced in January 1948 and was the first of Ford Motor Company’s all-new postwar line of vehicles
Ford introduced the F-Series in 1948 and up to this year the venerable truck has been America’s best-selling vehicle for an astonishing 43 years in a row.
Many believe its true history dates back over a century to the 1917 Ford Model TT, but it was the post-war F-1 that officially started the F-Series range that has evolved across no fewer than 14 generations.
Over 40 million examples of the F-Series have found a home with US buyers, with the vehicle offered in dozens of configurations ranging from back-to-basic workhorses to high-performance versions, like the SVT and Raptor.
In May, Ford took the wraps off its first all-electric F-150, which will carry the legendary ‘Lightning’ name.
Priced from just under $40,000, it is priced almost on par with a similarly spec F-150 with a petrol motor.
Earlier this month Ford confirmed that reservations for the all-electric F-150 Lightning had surpassed 160,000 in less than six months since it was unveiled – and around 75 per cent are customers who are new to the brand.
Such is the F-Series truck’s dominance that it has become part of the furniture in the US, whether it is being used as a go-anywhere farm truck, school-run daily driver or construction site companion.
It has appeared in over 1,100 films and TV series in its time, easily placing it among the top 10 vehicles that have most commonly on our screens. A recent study claims it is the vehicle that has most often been used in horror films.
While the F-Series has been America’s best-selling motor for almost half a century, the F-150 is sold only in a few places outside of its home market, historically because it is too big – especially for European roads – and has traditionally used gas-guzzling engines.
Some 73 years since the F-Series was introduced, Ford this year took the covers off the first all-electric version, called the F-150 Lightning
The new Ranger shares the ‘C-clamp’ headlight design – which includes LED daytime running lights – used for the F-150 as well as a similarly large radiator grille.
And, like the F-150 and Bronco 4X4, there is a horizontal bar across the grille that incorporates the famous blue-oval badge.
Round the back, it now has the ‘RANGER’ name stamped into the metal of the tailgate and also gets a refreshed LED light cluster.
More prominent wheel arches and the incorporation of a step on the side combine with the truck’s wider dimensions – some 50mm wider than before, taking its width to around 2,123mm – gives the Ranger a more domineering look.
Buyers should expect to see a slight increase in price from the current Ranger’s starting point of £24,840, with entry models predicted to ring in at around £26,000 (excluding VAT)
Ford has given its volume-selling truck wider dimensions – some 5cm wider than before – that add to its refreshed domineering look
The new Ford Ranger is expected to undercut the rivals that remain on sale in the UK, such as the Toyota Hilux, which starts from £28,645
As for what’s under the bonnet, Ford has confirmed that an electrified powertrain will be made available, but not from launch next year.
The auto maker has already committed to make its European commercial vehicle line-up zero-emissions-capable by 2024, so a plug-in hybrid is the most likely format for the Ranger than a fully-electric pick-up, like the F-150 Lightning in the US.
However, it will get a new 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine – which has been co-developed with Volkswagen and will be used in its new Amarok model – that will provide the most power, up to 210bhp.
It will be available alongside the existing 2.0-litre turbodiesel engines in the current Ranger, though slightly updated.
For those not wanting a diesel powertrain, a four-cylinder 2.3-litre petrol EcoBoost is also likely to be sold.
Full performance specifications, plus other details regarding emissions, fuel economy, load capacity and dimensions have yet to be revealed and likely won’t be confirmed until closer to the time order books open.
With UK-spec models likely to retain an 80-litre fuel tank, the cost to fill up with diesel (at an average of 150.79p at the time of publishing) can expect a trip to the fuel station to cost over £120. Ouch!
Engines for entry models will be linked to a selectable four-wheel-drive set-up and get a new generation of its six-speed manual gearbox.
However, the range-topping V6 diesel will get a 10-speed automatic transmission and a brand new permanent four-wheel-drive system.
Varying specifications and body types – like the Ranger Raptor and Ranger Wildtrak – will be available along with a choice of 600 official additional accessories.
All examples will get the latest SYNC4 infotainment system via either a 10 or 12-inch portrait touchscreen, which users will also need to use to change many of the off-roading controls
The twin-cab layout provides plenty of room in the front and back and higher-spec models get soft-touch materials throughout
The larger touchscreen gets a dedicate display view for off-roading that includes live information about the driveline, steering angle, vehicle pitch and roll angles
All examples will get the latest SYNC4 infotainment system via either a 10 or 12-inch portrait touchscreen, which users will also need to use to change many of the off-roading controls.
It also get a dedicated display view for off-roading that includes live information about the driveline, steering angle, vehicle pitch and roll angles alongside other useful data to ensure drivers navigate across the most difficult terrains.
As for practicalities for a workforce using the pick-up, the whole of the exterior of the vehicle can be illuminated with external zone lighting and the bed has attached clamps to setup a workbench in the back as well as an onboard inverter to provide up to 400W of power for tools.
A new feature includes Zone Lighting, which illuminated all around the outside of the vehicle – including the bed – for owners who will be working in the early hours and late nights
Ford has tried to make the Ranger more practical with extra rubber sections in the flat bed to prevent damage when loading and unloading heavy items
Ford has even fitted these clamp attachments to the top of the tailgate to allow users to setup a workbench in the back
There is a 400W inverter socket in the bed for workers to connect their powertools or other electrical features
Speaking at its unveiling, Jim Farley, president and chief executive officer at Ford Motor Company, said: ‘This truck has always been a trusted partner to small business owners, farmers, families, adventurers, commercial fleets and so many more in more than 180 markets around the world.
‘And with the new Ranger, this is our moment to deliver.
‘Not just a product our customers will love, but an always-on experience that will help us build strong and lasting relationships with them. This is the midsize truck people will want to own and experience.’
A petrol and choice of diesels – one of the latter being a VW-developed V6 – will be available from launch
Ford has committed to make its European commercial vehicle line-up zero-emissions-capable by 2024, so a plug-in hybrid is the most likely format for the Ranger than a fully-electric pick-up, like the F-150 Lightning in the US
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