Ford Ranger Plug-In Hybrid Review: Prices, Availability, Specs

Fitness for purpose. Take a deftly aimed powerfulness instrumentality to each nan trading flim-flam, and you can’t spell acold incorrect pinch that mantra. There’s nary messing astir erstwhile it comes to a pick-up truck, a conveyance that has a clear occupation to do, and successful astir cases does it admirably.

Except that moreover this conception isn’t immune to ngo creep, and these hardy vehicles are now expected to double arsenic workhorse and acceptable all-round family transport. The Ford F-150 whitethorn typify nan breed, but extracurricular of nan US nan Ranger has been successful progressive work for much than 40 years. A world subordinate since 2011, it sells successful 180 territories worldwide, and is peculiarly ascendant successful nan European pick-up market.

But get this, 80 percent of nan Rangers sold successful nan UK past twelvemonth were successful Wildtrak spec, nan type that swaddles nan difficult plastics successful leather and ladles connected nan decals. It’s—deep breath—a genuine manner vehicle, beloved by nan benignant of buyers who really do stuff alternatively than conscionable deliberation astir it.

Now, astatine last, there’s an electrified version, though we’re talking hybrid alternatively than nan full enchilada. Ford sells nan afloat electrical Lightning successful nan US, wherever it’s locked successful conflict pinch Tesla’s Cybertruck (though neither is mounting nan income floor plan aflame), but this is nan closest Brits are going to get for nan foreseeable astatine least. Only Chinese shaper Maxus sells an electrical pick-up successful nan UK, a conveyance we wouldn’t recommend, and Toyota’s indestructible Hi-Lux makes do pinch a mild hybrid setup. This makes nan Ranger PHEV a important caller arrival.

It shares its level hardware pinch nan VW Amarok, and is manufactured successful Ford’s Silverton works successful South Africa. Until now, motor options person been constricted to a 2.0-liter petrol aliases 3.0-liter diesel. The caller car uses Ford’s fantabulous 2.3-liter “Ecoboost” turbo petrol portion (as antecedently seen successful nan Focus and Mustang), bolstered by a 75-kW (100-bhp) electrical motor, packaged wrong nan bell-housing of nan 10-speed automatic transmission.

Pick-Up Philosophy

It’s fed by an 11.8-kWh artillery (usable) that sits nether nan Ranger’s load bed. Despite its compact size, that still necessitated modifications to nan vehicle’s ladder framework chassis, resulting successful a 20-millimeter bulge. (It has a 1-metric-ton payload and tin accommodate a Euro pallet betwixt nan wheelhouses.) An electronically controlled clutch engages and disengages nan e-motor and combustion engine, switching betwixt petrol, hybrid, and electrical propulsion. Visual differences are constricted to a 2nd filler flap connected nan near-side rear wing, pinch a lightning bolt logo connected it, which hides nan charging larboard for nan battery. On a 7-kW wall charger, it takes astir 2.5 hours to charge.

Here’s really it works. EV Auto is nan default setting, blending electrical and petrol powerfulness successful a measurement champion suited to mundane use, aliases if you’re towing aliases lugging a dense load. EV Now does what it says: This is for electrical driving only, Ford claiming a scope of astir 26 miles (WLTP). EV Later allows nan driver to shop electrical energy, peculiarly useful if you’re heading into nan metropolis aliases a zero-emission zone. Finally, there’s EV Charge, which sees nan petrol motor complaint nan high-voltage battery, though it won’t apical it up by each that much. In summation to those, nan PHEV maintains nan driving modes utilized successful extant Ranger models: Normal, Eco, Slippery, Tow/Haul, Mud/Ruts, and Sand. This caller Ranger version is intelligibly messing pinch nan ineffable strictures of nan pick-up philosophy.