Under the Ranger’s high-riding bonnet, there’s the now well-known and well-respected 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. 147kW at 3000rpm and 470Nm between 1750-2500rpm are more than enough to get the toughest jobs done, whether you’re towing, hauling a load in the tray or beating around the bush in heavy terrain. We’ve tried every scenario with the Ranger and it excels in all of them. There’s an effortless sense to everything the Ranger does, such is the power and torque of the engine and the way in which it is delivered.
You can pick a dust up between any of the dual cab heavy hitters, but there’s one area that is hard to argue against, and that’s the Ranger’s exceptional engine and gearbox combination. That said, the new throttle mapping for this Mk II Ranger has brought with it a strange hesitation or jerkiness around town at low speed. We couldn’t work out exactly what it was, but the Mazda BT-50 didn’t exhibit the same tendency.
So, the Ranger is not perfect then, but you do get used to this minor gripe and simply drive around without even noticing it after a while. Still, it is there and it is worth mentioning. Despite that, the Ranger is effortless around town at any speed, more refined and quieter than you’d ever expect, yet delivers plenty of punch when you require it. Most dual cab ute owners cover plenty of kilometres each year, and you can do that in comfort behind the wheel of a Ranger.
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