Ford Ranger Diesel 2.0 Double Cab Review

A quick animation of the "Built Ford Tough" slogan plays whenever you fire up the engine of this Ford Ranger, a touch I repeatedly try to pull some assurance from as I gingerly manoeuvre all its 5,370mm-long body up a multi-storey.

Pickups including this Ranger, the Mitsubishi Triton, or the Toyota Hilux are commonplace in Malaysia and Thailand. But here in Singapore, the restrictions surrounding the ownership of a G-plate vehicle make them a far less common sight. Even then, it's not hard to see why vans like the Toyota Hiace are still more popular among business owners.

New C-shaped head lights and stamped 'Ranger' text on the tailgate give the truck added visual ruggedness

Built tough and big

Not only is the Ford Ranger a pain to park up, but at $129,888 before COE, it also isn't the most affordable thing to transport goods about with. More utilitarian options such as the Toyota Dyna, for comparison, can be had from $119,033 from parallel importers inclusive of COE (all prices as of 18 July 2023).

But none of these vans offer anything close to the visual appeal of the Ranger.

New steps now feature at the rear, allowing you to retrieve smaller items from the cargo box without opening the tailgate

The new C-shaped head lights visually link the Ranger more closely to its F-150 larger brother, while at the rear, the 'Ranger' text is now stamped onto the tailgate, both touches adding quite a bit more machismo to the new pickup.

And to add more to the appeal of the Ranger, its cabin is also a league apart from the other vans that we have driven. What immediately catches your attention here is the new 10-inch infotainment system and 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster, both of which honestly won't look out of place in an SUV. Also borrowing from the world of luxury SUVs in the Ranger is an electronic selector from which you can select the various off-road drive modes.

The 10-inch infotainment screen and 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster make the cabin of the Ford Ranger feel decidedly premium

And the amenities don't end there. The driver gets an eight-way adjustable seat (which is mighty comfortable is sit on), while those in the second row get their own air-conditioning vents as well as a nifty grab handle at the B-pillar - a touch that compensates for the fact that access to the rear seats can be difficult due to the small opening.

And mighty fine to drive

But the driver's seat is where you really want to be, for the Ranger has surprisingly SUV-like road manners.

The electronic shift-on-the-fly system can be operated by twisting a controller on the centre console, which will set up the all-wheel drive system for whatever terrain you need to drive over 

This truck is no longer available here with the 3.2-litre engine from before. Instead, a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel unit producing 168bhp now does duty. This may seem meagre for a vehicle that weighs a total of 2,284kg but with 405Nm of torque available, this truck always feels light on its feet even up to that 70km/h limit you're restricted to here in Singapore.

And you're isolated from the noise and vibrations of the engine well enough so that it never becomes grating. Our afternoon with the vehicle saw it returning an average fuel economy of 10.5km/L, which matches the 10.6km/L combined WLTP economy the truck claims to offer.

The cargo box of the Ford Ranger is 1,604mm long, and 1,529mm wide

Ford states that this Ranger also had its rear suspension dampers shifted outboard of the frame rails to deliver an improved ride quality both on and off-road. And on the go, the Ranger certainly is one comfortable thing to sit in.

Those 65 profile tyres no doubt help to isolate the cabin from the sharp edges of the road, and the damping is also well judged here so the ride never feels busy enough to irritate, in spite of the use of an older leaf spring design at the rear axle. All this leaves only the Ranger's vague steering and large turning radius as the only compromises made for all its off-road and cargo carrying ability.

The Ford Ranger is a great looking truck that will still get you to all your worksites in comfort

Those that find their clients or worksites located across the different ends of Singapore will also be able to additionally take heart in the fact that a whole host of driver assistance features are available, including Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

Ready for any situation

A single afternoon of on-road driving may not have been sufficient to assess if this Ranger truly is built Ford tough, but it certainly was more than sufficient to make the trucks versatility and wide range of capabilities very apparent.

It's great to drive on the road, comes with a sizeable 1.11m³ cargo box, and might even give your business image a fair boost if you opt to have it finished with stickers of your company logo along its strong and rugged body.

Looking for something that can carry a bit of cargo? Catch our other reviews here!

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