Last Gen Ford Ranger Owners?

Bradmax57

Bradmax57

Bradmax57

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Joined
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Newcastle upon Tyne
Just wondering if theres any of the Last Gen Ford Ranger owners here? I recently test drove a 20 plate which was a 2.0D wildtrack, it was pretty strong money but guess thats main dealers for you but gave me a chance to drive one and I liked it in the 10 mins or so I was in it before we had to head back as it had no fuel in! Just wondering if theres anyone who's currently got one or has had one (2litre diesel to be specific) who could share any genuine day to day living with one, never really considered a pickup till recently just fancy something a bit different. Initially i saw a DV8 Works one which I think looked great but then found out they will for a cost of course convert used ones too
 
Can't speak specifically to the last gen Ford Ranger (I have a little experience but not lived with one and own a Navara personally) but in terms of living with a pickup I do actually miss a proper boot - on my Navara there are 2 small bins under the rear seats but one is taken up with the sub-woofer and space behind the bench seat is limited. Unlike the pickup I had in the US where you could get 2 medium size backpacks in the storage area under the rear seat. Even with a tonneau cover the load bed isn't a perfect substitute for a proper boot.

Personally I'd say the last gen Ranger was 3rd behind the Amarok and Navara for general road use as well, though it has some refinements which are much better than the Navara it falls down in other areas so I'd consider the Navara more balanced and has lighter steering, though vaguer, than the Amarok, while the Ford is somewhere in between for steering.

You may or may not be restricted to van speed limits depending on the classification of the pickup and/or the weight and will usually have to pay light commercial vehicle tax, which isn't too bad, can actually be cheaper for some larger engines, but generally more expensive than the average car.
 
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Rroff said:
Can't speak specifically to the last gen Ford Ranger but in terms of living with a pickup I do actually miss a proper boot - on my Navara there are 2 small bins under the rear seats but one is taken up with the sub-woofer and space behind the bench seat is limited. Unlike the pickup I had in the US where you could get 2 medium size backpacks in the storage area under the rear seat. Even with a tonneau cover the load bed isn't a perfect substitute for a proper boot.

Personally I'd say the last gen Ranger was 3rd behind the Amarok and Navara for general road use as well, though it has some refinements which are much better than the Navara it falls down in other areas so I'd consider the Navara more balanced and has lighter steering, though vaguer, than the Amarok, while the Ford is somewhere in between for steering.

You may or may not be restricted to van speed limits depending on the classification of the pickup and/or the weight and will usually have to pay light commercial vehicle tax, which isn't too bad, can actually be cheaper for some larger engines, but generally more expensive than the average car.
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I did think about the Amarok theres something about the ford I like the look of and seems to be so many "subtle" modifications that can make them a bit more interesting, coming from a e46 coupe it will be big enough :)
 
Bradmax57 said:
I did think about the Amarok theres something about the ford I like the look of and seems to be so many "subtle" modifications that can make them a bit more interesting, coming from a e46 coupe it will be big enough :)
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The squared off wheel arches on the Amarok don't do it for me - the Ranger and Navara look more "proper" in that respect - was actually one of the reasons I switched away from interest in the Amarok.
 
This was the one that I liked the look of originally but when I enquired it had already gone, i'd probably skip the light bar on the roof however

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Bradmax57 said:
i'd probably skip the light bar on the roof however
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Good for wind noise and taking 0.3MPG off your fuel economy :( I have magnetic detachable ones... which I've never actually used yet...

Also I wouldn't run tyres like that for daily use :s
 
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Bradmax57 said:
Yeah I can't really see when I would use it tbh, one question that you may know is can you easily fit a couple of mountain bikes in the back?
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It is doable but to be honest a dual-cab pickup isn't the ideal platform for that - I've had a couple of bikes strapped upside on my tonneau cover (which is a solid one) but the load beds are only ~1.5m long on a dual-cab (a proper mountain bike around 1.6-1.7m) so you can't just chuck bikes in easily.
 
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Rroff said:
It is doable but to be honest a dual-cab pickup isn't the ideal platform for that - I've had a couple of bikes strapped upside on my tonneau cover (which is a solid one) but the load beds are only ~1.5m long on a dual-cab (a proper mountain bike around 1.6-1.7m) so you can't just chuck bikes in easily.
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Thanks for your input
 
Also something worth noting if using daily - unlike a car most recycling centres don't allow you to just turn up with a pickup (N1 classification) and off-load, you have to register first which is usually free.
 
Rroff said:
Also something worth noting if using daily - unlike a car most recycling centres don't allow you to just turn up with a pickup (N1 classification) and off-load, you have to register first which is usually free.
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our local one is ok I think providing there is no sign writing on it, i can take my plain white vw caddy work van in but not the sign written one
 
I've had two, my father has had two, still has his Wildtrack X.

Generally okay, I lunched my torque convertor and had various niggles under warranty. Most of them are abused and smoked in. The nicer models are lots of money and only really bolt on tat. Better to buy a good condition wildtrack and add bits yourself. The 2ltr I was not really impressed with I had the 3ltrs, seemed to be doing a lot of hard work to keep up.

I'd only be looking for a pickup with a larger engine
 
Thanks for that, i drove the 2ltr and thought it was ok, although the 10 speed gearbox seemed to constantly be changing gears. On paper the 2.0 looks better than the 3.2 with more power and torque and better mpg? I know figures don't always show the real thing, maybe I should try one. Had I chosen the Amarok it would have definately been the 3.0 V6
 
Bradmax57 said:
Just wondering if theres any of the Last Gen Ford Ranger owners here? I recently test drove a 20 plate which was a 2.0D wildtrack, it was pretty strong money but guess thats main dealers for you but gave me a chance to drive one and I liked it in the 10 mins or so I was in it before we had to head back as it had no fuel in! Just wondering if theres anyone who's currently got one or has had one (2litre diesel to be specific) who could share any genuine day to day living with one, never really considered a pickup till recently just fancy something a bit different. Initially i saw a DV8 Works one which I think looked great but then found out they will for a cost of course convert used ones too
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Our Ops director is between cars at the moment, and had the chance to buy a 2020 Wildtrack off his brother for a very good price and he loves it, in fact he's had it for 6 months now which is when he said he'd move it on but is keeping it for a while as he really suits him.

The only complaints he's had are the spare wheel retaining mechanism rusted and the bed is too long so accessing things in the back that have slid to the rear is a nightmare.. so he's looking at pull out platforms etc..

He likes the 10speed auto, and says he's more than happy despite having had about 4 BMW 8/9 speed ZF auto's prior to the Wildtrack.. I did mention Mustang owners had complaints of too many changes in the 10sp when talking about those the other day and he said he's not really noticed it at all, it skips gears when needed and is no worse than his BMWs..

If you've driven one and like it, go for it, the interiors are pretty OK, good amount of kit..

Just be aware that knobbly tyres can increase noise and introduce vagueness to the steering/handling, they look good, but too extreme and it can be quite irksome.
 
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Maccapacca said:
The 2ltr I was not really impressed with I had the 3ltrs, seemed to be doing a lot of hard work to keep up.
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Why I've kept my D40 Navara - the 3L V6 is just another level to the 2.xL 4 pots that far too many pickups come with now :( some of the 2 and 2.3L engines used in them to be fair are decent for what they are but they ain't no 3L V6.
 
Something I would say - if you are daily driving it on the road, all-terrain let alone off-road tyres are not ideal - reduced fuel economy, increase braking distance, increases wear on the transmission, etc. some of them are actually hilariously poor on properly wet tarmac. On the flip side though XL summer/touring/UHP tyres are really meant more for SUVs and can have too soft sidewalls for a pickup impacting on how they feel on the road - one of the better tyres in my experience is the Conti Cross Contact LX as they combine good road performance with some capability to deal with snow or light off-road, but the fuel economy could be better.

Reversing camera is an absolute must unless you are far more skilled than I am :s and all-around view/360 cameras are handy - though mostly for the spot over the front left which is the one spot you can't really see much - generally for driving I really like the visibility and the big wing mirrors are a huge benefit over the tiny ones on the average passenger car these days.
 
Rroff said:
Something I would say - if you are daily driving it on the road, all-terrain let alone off-road tyres are not ideal - reduced fuel economy, increase braking distance, increases wear on the transmission, etc. some of them are actually hilariously poor on properly wet tarmac. On the flip side though XL summer/touring/UHP tyres are really meant more for SUVs and can have too soft sidewalls for a pickup impacting on how they feel on the road - one of the better tyres in my experience is the Conti Cross Contact LX as they combine good road performance with some capability to deal with snow or light off-road, but the fuel economy could be better.

Reversing camera is an absolute must unless you are far more skilled than I am :s and all-around view/360 cameras are handy - though mostly for the spot over the front left which is the one spot you can't really see much - generally for driving I really like the visibility and the big wing mirrors are a huge benefit over the tiny ones on the average passenger car these days.
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Well I bought it and due to get it in a week or so, thanks for the info on the tyres and year although the big knobly tyres may look great I will more thank likely just be keeping it on the stock tyres, it has Conti's on at the minute not sure if they are still original at 33k (doubt it) but will bare that in mind when I have to change, in all honesty its more of a third car so wont be getting a huge amount of use

mZmk5oW.jpg
 
I have a 2020 Wildtrak which did 60,000 on the original tyres and there was plenty tread on them when I got them changed....... absolutely no grip but plenty of tread.
 
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