Driving Ford’s muscle-bound new Ranger

I’ve always been a fan of the Ford Ranger. That’s saying a lot, as I’m not really into pickups. But ask me which among the pickups I’d buy, and I’d always pick the Ranger. I love the way the engine makes so much torque and how it does so with uncanny (at least for a diesel truck) smoothness and quietness. It also had, for me, the best ride in its class. Plus it had the most car-like operation for the gearshifts, brakes and steering. The only thing I’d wish for the 1st-gen Ranger was a bit, no, make that a lot more style.

Enter the head-turning new trucks from Toyota and Isuzu packing more power. What’s Ford to do? Crank up the power and add more zest to the sheetmetal, that’s what. Did they succeed? Well, a resounding "yes" to the first question, and a much more subdued "yes" for the second (more on that later).

The newfound power comes from an all-new common-rail turbodiesel DOHC 16-valve powerplant generating a best-in-class 380 Nm of torque at a stunningly low 1800rpm and 156ps of power at 3200rpm. (Also impressive is the new 2.5-liter engine, which packs in a max torque of 330 Nm also at 1800 rpm and peak power of 143ps at 3500rpm.)

Needless to say, first gear is practically superfluous. You can start off with this truck in 2nd gear, even uphill, with nary a quiver from the muscle-bound engine. Heavy-duty trucking? You’ll run out of bed space much sooner than payload capacity. Happily, the low levels of NVH (noise/vibration/harshness), which was a hallmark of the 1st-gen Ranger, is still very much intact in the new model.

Inside, the already impressively high build quality and fit and finish of the original Ranger has been further raised. The backseat, a bane in most pickups, is actually livable, even for long trips. And the dashboard! If Ford decides to put it in its racy new Mustang, nobody would complain. The metallic appliqués on the center console and power window switch surrounds add a very upscale Audi-esque feel to the cockpit. Other much-appreciated and practical touches are the huge split-level glove box (with slide-out compartment) and center console. The center console is so capacious, it can accommodate a camcorder and a stash of CDs on the lower level and sunglasses and a mobile phone on the upper level. I’ve never seen a compartment this big since the days of the hulking F-150s.

As for the styling, I like the truck-like visage, which is most appreciated when the Ranger is viewed head on: the huge grille that extends to bumper level and juts out in the best in-your-face fashion, the big headlamps, and the mucho macho power dome on the hood.

It’s in the side and rear views that disappoint, though. They’re just simply too understated, particularly in light of the spectacularly styled new Mitsubishi Strada. In the very style-conscious Philippine market, it pays to have more than a pretty face and a huge, huge Ford logo stuck on your grille and tailgate. People want to see sexy curves!

Price-wise, you pay a premium for all this power; to the tune of P1.401 million if you want to go for the automatic-equipped 3.0-liter 4x4 flagship. I tested the P1.326M 3.0-liter 4x4 manual transmission variant. (The 2.5-liter models start at a much less breathtaking P785,000 for the base M/T model, goes up to P971K for the Trekker 4x2 M/T and on up to P1.026M for the Trekker 4x2 A/T.)

So is having the most powerful engine, a ruggedly handsome face, car-like controls and a stylish interior enough to command its fair share of the market? Only time will tell.

The Good

• Herculean engine

• stylish interior

• car-like controls

• high levels of fit and finish, in and out

• lots of safety features

• comfy ride, for a pickup

The Bad

• brute face aside, the new exterior is still too

understated

• killer engine is available only on the 4x4

The Verdict

• Ho-hum makeover aside, easily one of the two best pickup trucks on the market today, all other things considered.