Forget the rest: this is the particular version of the new Ford Ranger that most people will buy. Or is it? Because although this is Ford’s first time offering a crowd-pleasing V6 diesel, Wildtrak spec might now be less desirable.
The Ranger has been a runaway success ever since it was restyled as Americanesque lifestyle tank in 2011, with Wildtrak spec the aspirational peak for would-be owners. But times change, and the Ranger line-up has been expanded for this latest model generation.
The standard twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel (with 168- or 202bhp) isn’t so impressive now that there’s a 3.0-litre V6 diesel producing 237bhp; and Ford has created an even more ostentatious Ranger Platinum spec to fill the apparent void between the Wildtrak workhorse and newly V6-petrol-powered Ford Ranger Raptor showpony.
Still, while the Platinum will draw in plenty of customers with its brash, Ford F-150-inspired looks and Range Rover-like bonnet badge, the V6 Wildtrak sits in the heartland of the Ranger range. It’s a connoisseur’s edition, if you will, compared with the admirable 2.0-litre Wildtrak, which offers sensible fuel economy and exuberant performance for a relatively small engine.
The Wildtrak V6 may not be at the top of the pecking order, but it is the sensible route into the ever-expanding Ranger performance truck line-up, which will eventually also include a Wildtrak X fitted with Bilstein dampers. The 35bhp increase in power and £4500 jump in price from the 2.0-litre diesel are negligible, but there’s also 443 instead of 369lb ft of torque, which is where the difference begins to shine through on a commercial vehicle like this.
The 3.0-litre truck gets the same quick steering, decent cornering abilities, limited body roll and high levels of grip as the 2.0-litre one, not to mention peerless off-road performance – but as a V6, it also possesses the ability to rip the road away from beneath you and spin its wheels in many of the lower ratios of its 10-speed automatic gearbox. Such performance hasn’t been experienced in a pick-up on the UK market since the V6 version of the previous-generation Volkswagen Amarok (and indeed this Ranger shared many similarities with the new, Ford-made Amarok).
This V6 isn’t a performance truck in the same way that the Raptor is, though. Aside from a gruffer new engine note, it’s still best suited as a worker rather than a head-turner. It feels stronger and more robust than the lesser-engined Wildtrak, and while it doesn’t have the ride refinement of the expensively damped Raptor, it still manages a tranquil and pleasant drive.
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Good to see the Wildtrack now gets proper heating controls, a minus is the loss of the chilled cubby box between the front seat. This was so useful for carrying nyour lunch, and also to keep samples cool.