The American pickup truck has long held on to its usual simplicity, but now it has also taken the path of civility, offering the handling and comfort of a family car. It’s all the more pleasant that, despite the desire to dress up, it still retains a strong safety margin, an impenetrable spring suspension, a frame structure, and tractable diesel engines.
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Pickup trucks are no longer the trucks we knew twenty years ago. With each new generation, they are getting closer to off-road city cars. The predecessor of our Ranger has been on the market for more than 10 years with minor updates. This veteran has collected a lot of trophies and has long been considered a leader in Europe. It’s time to send it to rest and release a fresh contender for the award harvest. It’s hard to make something new out of something that has worked for decades and been reliable, so Ford found a way out: leaving the mechanical part almost unchanged, they carefully integrated the technology into a fresh design. And all this thanks to the cooperation with Volkswagen.
Collaborations with other manufacturers gained popularity in the 1980s, allowing them to reduce development costs. We all remember the short life of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, which was developed on the basis of the Nissan Navara, and the Mazda BT-50 — the mechanical twin of the Isuzu D-Max Ute — is still in production
The fifth generation Ranger can be called almost a twin of the VW Amarok. Each brand worked separately to bring the final characteristics to the level of its values, and most importantly, the designers of the brands did not overlap at all. Volkswagen clearly put a lot of effort into making their new Amarok stand out. They used unique sheet metal for every panel except the roof, and completely revamped the interior, where, among other changes, the Volkswagen steering wheel and digital displays can be seen.
As we know, Ford doesn’t care much about beauty and is more concerned with functionality and practicality. Our Ranger may not win any design awards, but in all respects it keeps up with the Germans, costs less and offers many more versions to suit every need and budget. It has already received the International Pick-up Award 2024 status in the European market. So let’s take a look at what the pickup has to offer.
The fifth «Forester» has become the most expressive in design, technically robust, powerful and intelligent in the history of the family. Not only has it grown in size, but it looks almost like its prototype F-150. In a couple more generations, it will definitely grow up to it. Just look at this cubic muzzle, it is unlikely that the aerodynamics have been improved, but it scares the surrounding cars no worse than the Toyota Land Cruiser. And the comparison here is not accidental, because the latter now looks like a chopped-up Transformer. We have not yet seen the new Mitsubishi L200 in person. It seems that these are the design trends now, or maybe the appearance doesn’t really matter — the main thing is to stand out.
The pickup grew in length (+8 mm), height (+66 mm), and width (+89 mm). Another 50 mm was added to the wheelbase (it was 3220 mm — it became 3270 mm). Thus, the luggage space has also increased: 1564 mm in body length (1549 mm), 1584 mm in width (1560 mm), 529 mm in depth (511 mm).
As always, the American manufacturer went its own way and offered consumers a very wide range of equipment for the Ranger. Here you can find the simplest Ranger XL with a manual transmission and a single cab to choose from, which allows the pickup to be an exclusively workhorse and have only what you need: airbags all around, four-wheel drive systems with differential lock, simple fabric upholstery, a minimum of automation and 16-inch steel wheels. The second XLT trim will offer a choice between an automatic and a six-speed manual transmission. And here only a double cab will be available. The most sophisticated will be the Limited, which features chrome trim, a roller shutter on the luggage compartment by default, and many nice features in the cabin and richness of technology.
Our test vehicle in the Tremor configuration offers maximum off-road capabilities combined with comfort. It is a work tool that will allow you to go straight from the office to the sawmill or on a family trip. It is based on the hard-working Ranger XLT, but in terms of functionality it is closer to the elegant Limited. Compared to the latter, the Ford Ranger Tremor has redesigned suspension and chassis components, a 30 mm wider track, increased ground clearance (+26 mm) and high-performance Bilstein shock absorbers.
Of course, the savings will be felt in the design elements. So you will not see LED lighting here, only halogen, even in the parking lights and taillights. The Tremor has enlarged wheel arches, cast aluminum sills, a powerful protective metal panel under the front bumper, as in the Raptor, as well as black arches on the luggage compartment. The wheels will be cast, but not 18-inch, but 17-inch with AT General Grabber off-road tires and 265/70 R17 size.
Class B1 pickups (with a payload of up to 1 ton) were designed for utility. To drive around the city and get off the road. They are designed according to similar patterns: a powerful spar frame, a one-piece rear axle on multi-link leaf springs, all-wheel drive with a locking differential, and a low gear. So, everything in the Ford Ranger remains as it is, only a more powerful underbody protection made of 2.3 mm thick steel was installed, the arches were widened, the track was increased and some off-road auxiliary functions were added. It has an improved power steering system and new off-road technologies: Rock Crawl mode, Trail Turn Assist and Trail Control.
The Ranger Tremor also has a more powerful engine than the Limited: the proven 2.0-liter Ford EcoBlue biturbo diesel engine with 205 hp and 500 Nm of torque, available from 1750 rpm, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. In the first two configurations of the Ranger XL and Ranger XLT, this engine has reduced power and only one turbine, so it produces only 170 hp and 405 Nm of torque, which can be handled by a 6-speed automatic or manual.
The most interesting feature of Trail Control is the very specific low-speed cruise control. At speeds below 32 km/h, the Ranger will maintain speed on its own, control acceleration and braking while the driver focuses on steering and choosing the path. An interesting thing that can and will make driving easier if you are tired and the road allows you to move at a steady speed. For example, when you are driving on a winding mountain road that has been washed away by rains, and you need to choose only the right track.
All-wheel drive auxiliary systems, including the Rock Crawl mode, also come to the rescue in difficult conditions. It was previously available only for the Ranger Raptor, but now it is also available on off-road versions of the Tremor. The Rock Crawl system calibrates throttle response, traction control, and shift timing for optimal slow, controlled traversal of uneven and rocky terrain.
We should also mention the Trail Turn Assist mode, which uses braking-based torque vectoring to reduce the turning radius by 25 percent when cornering tightly. Given the modified suspension geometry and dimensions, it’s possible that this system could help out in a pinch, but I didn’t get a chance to test it.
We also thoughtfully provided easy access to the double towing hooks at the front and rear, which make it easy to reach them when needed. By the way, the pickup is capable of overcoming fords up to 862 mm deep, and as always, it can tow up to 3500 kg. According to the manufacturer, 942 kg can be easily loaded into the body, which allows the pickup to fit into the title of light commercial vehicle.
Unfortunately, my off-road experience with the Ranger was rather limited, but when you drive off the asphalt, you quickly realize that the pickup’s habitat is not really a road at all. The worse the conditions got, the better it felt. The two-liter «four» slowly but surely pulls the pickup out of the clay and sand captivity. It’s important to get to know all the off-road dowry before the pickup buries itself. After all, all 500 Nm of torque can either pull you out or bury you so deeply that you’ll have to go far to get the tractor. If you set the settings correctly, the Ranger starts driving confidently and inevitably. The sensations of overcoming mud «knee-deep» in a comfortable cabin with good music cannot be compared with anything. And best of all, you can throw a couple of hundred kilograms into the luggage compartment and load the one-piece rear axle in time. Good ballast is as vital to a pickup truck as water is to a shark.
Behind the gearbox lever is a washer for switching between transmission settings: 2WD, 4WD and low 4L. The central 10-inch monitor, which has a driving mode setting, also helps you navigate off-road. It will tell you and show you exactly how to drive. A separate button allows you to select the driving mode: sand, gravel, and so on.
At first glance, a pickup truck seems like an immovable monster. Climbing into it is quite a challenge. Although the doors are wide, they don’t open to the full 90 degrees, so it’s best to stand on the footrest and use the handle on the front pillar to jump into the cabin. Once you get behind the wheel, the fun begins. No innovations — a key and an ordinary ignition lock. You turn it over and the pleasant sounds of the diesel engine grumbling and light vibration remind you of the good old days when electric cars were unheard of.
The two-liter diesel engine offered in our region has two levels of boost: 170 hp in the first three configurations, and 205 hp in the Limited and Tremor configurations.
It takes a lot of effort to move a nearly six-meter-long, 3.2-ton vehicle, so the accelerator is of a size that you can’t miss even with khaki boots. And the reaction to it should not be gentle, either. In general, you can easily forget about politeness in a pickup truck. The Ranger drives «weightily, roughly, confidently», deliberately losing in image, but taking its price and versatility. Hence, the inattention to purely urban needs — it’s not about that, the cargo won’t deliver itself. The Ranger must be strong enough to cope with the transportation of more than 1000 kg on the loading dock. As a result, it swallows small bumps like a whale, given «speed bumps», but the rear end will throw well over them if you slow down. The rear wheels come off with a rather definite thud when the cargo area is empty, but this is just a feature of the strong and reliable leaf spring suspension. And you can easily forgive such a flaw.
The main thing is that for the most part, the pickup feels and drives like a passenger crossover. Making an all-wheel drive vehicle ride and handle well is almost like driving an ordinary nail into concrete. It is all the more surprising to see such improvements from generation to generation. And it looks like Ford has outdone itself this time around, with the Ranger managing to offer a smooth ride similar to a family SUV. It’s perfectly balanced and keeps its unbridled thirst for bouncing or swaying in the corners under control. So the directional stability is surprisingly stable, and the steering is balanced. And although the steering wheel itself is huge, it is light and informative enough to understand where the wheels are pointing.
Please remember that the pickup — is not about speed. It reacts to everything with the slowness of a slow-moving Shrek. You need to treat it accordingly — make it clear what you are going to do. The diesel sounds silky at any speed and provides decent acceleration even after 120 km/h. There is a significant hang-up in revs after releasing the throttle, and a noticeable delay in acceleration when you try to squeeze the promised 10.5 seconds to 100 from zero. I suspect that the latter is caused by the 10-speed automatic, which hesitates a bit during a sharp start, as if it is considering how much power to provide and whether it is worth starting sharply at all.
By warming up the transmission with the accelerator before a sharp overtake, you can achieve the best push.
I noticed that the Ford Ranger Tremor does not have the best efficiency. During city driving, fuel consumption was around 11 liters, and outside the city it was possible to drop to 8.6 liters. But the manufacturer does not lie here either — indicating fuel consumption at 10.3 liters. Our off-road wheels play an important role in this.
The Ranger performs well on the highway, where the 2.0-liter diesel is quiet and road noise is mostly contained. At speeds above 130 km/h, there is noticeable wind noise, but that’s to be expected with a cubic front end like the Ranger’s. But the comfort of driving such a large vehicle with a lot of weight is felt at any speed. And the fifth generation finally offers many active assistants. For example, adaptive cruise turns on after 60 km/h and keeps the distance well, unobtrusively keeps you in the lane, but let me remind you that the system will not stop the car, as in Volvo, so you need to be careful. Such a transition to comfort suggests that the pickup can be used as a full-fledged car for family and work.
It feels like they did an impressive job organizing the space in the interior. It’s a big step up from the previous version of the Ranger in terms of space, fit, and finish. While the Limited version will have a refined interior, upholstered in leather, soft materials, and equipped with power seats and heated steering wheels and other nice little things, our off-road Tremor — has a kind of economy version of the business class interior.
You won’t notice it at first glance, but touching it will prove where practicality has played out in favor of quality. Of course, pickup trucks have a coating on the outside that prevents it from being scratched so easily, and the plastic in the cabin is quite durable, even to scratches. But here «linoleum» instead of normal mats, hard plastic even on the armrest, and the seat upholstery is made of rubber vinyl. The only advantage is that you can carry any animal in the cabin, jump in after a walk in the mud, and wash the floor with a hose. What’s not to like about a car for a family with small children? There will be no worries about spilled cola and spilled chips.
The Tremor is perfectly prepared for a trip through the mud. Not only does it have a mud floor, but there are fewer leather parts in the cabin. It’s a workhorse, but it still has the charm that makes the Ranger feel like a true all-rounder.
Looking at the instrumentation of the new dashboard, it’s not hard to forget that you’re not driving a smart city crossover, but a 5-meter-long behemoth with a gross vehicle weight of 3.2 tons. As I sit in the soft leather seats, I begin to doubt the Ranger’s off-road orientation. Springs instead of torsion bars, passenger «rail» instead of a gearbox with a ball screw.
The pickup now has an 8-inch digital instrument panel. There is no shortage of information on the clear, colorful digital instrument panel, from fuel economy to 4×4 status. The display also changes depending on which driving mode you select, but you won’t see a full navigation map here, just turn-by-turn instructions.
The 10.5-inch portrait center display is quite responsive and functional, with a separate climate control that doesn’t require you to go far into the menu. It can be adjusted both with the touchscreen and with physical knobs and buttons below the display. For this, special thanks to the designers. And in general, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are unsurpassed in this class. You connect your smartphone to Bluetooth, and it will work constantly, turning on automatically. Additionally, it is better to order wireless charging, which will be available by default in the larger Limited configuration.
The main display features the Ford SYNC 4 infotainment system. Here you can configure the car’s systems, security systems, control off-road functions, and turn on the rearview camera. Yes, there is no 360-degree view, which is a disadvantage for such a large SUV. It’s hard to feel it, but you get used to the dimensions quickly.
You sit high — you see far. The visibility in the Ranger is simply impressive. Large side-view mirrors with electric and heated mirrors, a narrow front pillar, the ability to adjust the seat in height, length, and steering wheel in terms of reach and height — all this allows you to sit comfortably. The comfort of the seats has long been beyond reproach, and Ford is taking care of it more and more with each generation. So the ergonomics are as good as ever.
The presence of an electronic «handbrake» made it possible to lighten the center console and leave more space for small things. There is a convenient place for the phone next to the USB and TypeC connectors, narrow niches for cards or small items, and large cupholders. And the front passenger now has a niche for small items. There is also a lot of space in the armrest, where there is also a 12V socket. But the pockets in the door cards are too narrow, where it is difficult to put even a bottle of water.
The increase in size has not only added space to the luggage compartment, but there is plenty of room for passengers. However, it’s still not as comfortable as an SUV — the vertical partition behind the rear seats limits the angle of inclination. It also makes it difficult to install child seats if you want to use the work truck as a family vehicle on weekends. There are ventilation holes and a USB connector for charging devices in the back, and a 220V socket with a built-in inverter is installed, which allows you to charge not only your appliances but also your laptop on the road. Isn’t this a family car for traveling?
If you’re wondering what those keys are under the roof, it’s a clever thing. These six auxiliary switches are ideal for installing a winch, additional lighting, or air compressors and other equipment that needs power. Each switch can be wired to serve a separate system.
The main advantage of the pickup truck is its luggage space. The Ford Ranger offers some of the best performance in its class, and that’s why it’s so popular. In our configuration, the luggage compartment is treated with a special protective coating and a plastic lining, which allows you to move the transported cargo without fear of damaging the body. This also allows you to wash the interior without fear of stagnant water turning into a center of corrosion. There are six lashing loops with a load capacity of 1.4 tons each for securing luggage, as well as space lighting and a 12V and 220V socket for connecting power tools. And the hinged lid has special fasteners for installing clamps. So the trunk turns into a workplace.
The new Ranger has additional steps on the sides of the hinged lid for easier access to the luggage compartment because until now, owners were constantly standing on the wheel to get to the far side of the platform.
In short, Ford has taken a great pickup truck and made it even better. If we’re being picky, it’s a bit of a shame that the Ranger now looks so much like the Amarok. The American still has more advantages by its roots. The difference largely comes down to the payload offered in the highest trims and the price/quality category. We would also like to see something other than ubiquitous diesel engines, but why break a format that works.
Electrification is now a kind of game in the automotive industry. It seems like every model in Europe is either going electric or being equipped with some kind of hybrid system. Even Ford has launched an all-electric F-150 Lightning in North America. Our Ranger has remained with the good old diesel engine, only offering a plug-in hybrid version in certain markets. But we can only regret that we will not get a Ranger with a three-liter V6. It would have been a more interesting version, but also pricier.
Currently, the starting price for the Ford Ranger XL with a manual is UAH 1,944,435, and our test Ranger Tremor will cost UAH 2,187,596. The price for the new VW Amarok is much less: from UAH 1,741,973 to UAH 1,846,127. But there are only two trim levels to choose from.
Another rival is lagging the most — it’s the Toyota Hilux. It has a wider selection of versions and the price starts at UAH 1,566,373 and goes up to UAH 2,083,180 for the Legend version. However, the Japanese vehicle is already outdated and has only less powerful engines and loses in terms of equipment, comfort, and functionality.
We will not consider Mitsubishi L200, Peugeot Landtrack and other representatives now. This requires a separate material, and I will offer you such a review a little later.
To summarize, the most important thing is that the consumer gets a modern and competitive vehicle that demonstrates the characteristics that correspond to the badge on its hood. The Ford Ranger offers the opposite of where the automotive industry is headed, but it’s a vehicle that you will enjoy every time you drive it.
PROS: controllability, high level of technology and safety, good off-road capabilities.
CONS: high fuel consumption, hard plastic in the cabin.
| Body, type | DublCab pickup truck |
| Dimensions (LxWxH), mm | 5362/1 949/1 914 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 3270 |
| Declared ground clearance, mm | 261 |
| Engine | TDCI Panther (Bi-Turbo) |
| Power, hp (kW) | 205 (151) |
| Torque, Nm | 500 (1720-2000 rpm) |
| Turbocharger | 2 turbines (high-pressure with changed geometry, low-pressure with fixed geometry) |
| CHECKPOINT | Automatic, 10 gears |
| Type of drive | 2H, 4H, 4L, 4A (4WD Auto) with automatic axle torque distribution |
| Front suspension | independent, multi-link, coiled springs, stabilizer bar, Bilstein shock absorbers |
| Rear suspension | Dependent, multi-link springs, Bilstein shock absorbers |
| Curb weight, kg | 2 378 |
| Maximum load, kg | 942 |
| Permissible gross weight, kg | 3320 |
| Maximum trailer weight | 3500 |
| Cargo compartment length, mm | 1564 |
| Cargo compartment width, mm | 1584 |
| Depth of load bounce, mm | 529 |
| Dynamics 0-100, s | 10,5 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 180 |
| Fuel consumption, l (mixed) | 10,3 |
| Cost, UAH | 1 944 435 |
| The cost of the test car, UAH | 2 187 596 |
| Competitors | VW Amarok |
| Toyota Hilux | |
| Mitsubishi L200 | |
| Peugeot Landtrack |