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F tonne pickup market for five years before returning in
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1999 with the Ranger. CM wasted no time in getting to grips with the 2.5TD 454 Double Cab (CM 3-9 June
1999) and took a Ranger Space Cab 4x2 on long-term test (CM 3-9 Feb 2000). We found the Ranger to be a practical CV offering "quality build with a generous specification and an excellent payload".
But this week's test subject is the highly-specced "lifestyle" XLT, launched last year and aimed squarely at the leisure market, where load carrying rarely extends beyond mountain bikes and jet skis.
The Ranger series is still built in Thailand as a joint venture with Mazda. Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that 2,853 examples had been sold by the end of October, which puts the Ranger on course to match last year's total of 3,470 sales.
Product profile
The Ranger line-up consists of three cab options within eight model choices and 25litre diesel or turbo-diesel engines. The rangetopping 2.5TD Double Cab Leisure XLT has a four-pot charge-cooled turbo-diesel, mechanical fuel injection and diesel particulate catalytic converter.
Maximum power is ro7hp at 3,5oorpm with 266N m of torque at 2,000rprn. Its naturally aspirated stablernate is rated at 76hp at 4,100rprn with 168Nm of torque on tap at 2,5oorpm.
The Regular Cab comes with two seats; the Super Cab is a two-plus-two with the rear seat normally used for storage; the Double Cab offers bigger rear seats and a second set of doors.
The price of the basic model ranges frc £10,350 (ex-VAT) for the Regular Cab 4x2, fro,65o for the Space Cab 4x2, £13,550 for 1 Regular Cab 4x4 and fr5,35o for the Doul Cab 454 to £16,350 for the XLT Double C 454. An extra f5oo gets you one of 2 limited-edition World Rally Ranger Doul Cab 4x4s. An optional factory-sprayed metal paint job costs f2io, but comes as standard the XLT. The estimated on-the-road cost £632 on top of the list price.
The 454 has a two-speed transfer 1.iox a automatic freewheeling front hubs; a chror stick to the left of the gear lever selects 2H I everyday on-road use, 4H for more diffic conditions and 4L for extreme terrain.
Remember that all vehicles with a one-ton gross payload qualify for VAT recovery and ti includes the Rangers, with payloads extendi from 1,205kg for the 2.5 Diesel Stretch Cab r,o68kg for our test subject.
Productivity
The Indian summer conditions during t laden part of our test could hardy have be better. The weather even held for our ern, gency braking tests at the Chobham test Ira (which, for some reason, we now have to re: to as Qinetiq)—these tests traditionally attr heavy rain and gales at t very least.
The laden Ranger X clocked up 3 o.impg rou: our Kent route; significan better than the 25.4m scored by the Ranger 2.51 Double Cab that we test back in June '999.
It also beats the Max B2500 and the Nissan Pick 2.5TD Double Cab. The Toy( Hilux 24TD 454 still sets t class standard with a laden r at 30.9mpg, but that was single-cab model. Gross p; load for the XLT (GVW min kerbweight) is 1,o68kg,
XLT 2.5TD
the net payload is advertised as 9 93kg, allowing for a 75kg driver. Fortunately the VAT rebate does not take account of drivers.
The optional Bjerg liner cab steel loadbed lid is also bound to eat into your payload allowance, but 9 93kg eclipses the other crewcab pickups CM has tested. However, the loadspace sits over and behind the rear axle, dropping the rear clearance height significantly and making the XLT look tail-heavy when properly loaded to its legal limit. To spread the load we put some the weight across the rear seats; this being a four-seater we presume that operators won't be loading a whole 993kg in the loadspace alone. For safety's sake we returned the load to the loadspace for our braking tests.
On the road
The Ford Motor Company bills the Ranger as the vehicle ready to "go anywhere and do anything", adding: "It now has a dramatic new purpose in the form of the Ranger XLT." It certainly impressed us on the blackstuff (where we suspect the XLT will spend 99% of its time) but CM has yet to develop a formal off-road test for these vehicles.
When running unladen the rear feels pretty light, and while on weekend manoeuvres the unladen back end slid out on a greasy, muddy roundabout. We put this down to the on/offroad tyres fitted, as other motorists with more road-friendly tyres were able to negotiate the same roundabout without any problems.
Motorway handling is very good: the only problem (and a slight one at that) is in the inside lane, where the 1,75omm width seems sensitive to the grooves made by trucks. A-road driveability is fine too, although its sheer size makes it awkward to park in the urban jungle which many XLTs are destined to inhabit. This is not helped by the restricted view from the driver's seat.
Having repacked our test load in the back for the emergency braking tests we recorded some exceptional results, with the reassuring feeling of stopping on the proverbial sixpence. As you'd expect from a 4x+ re-starting was no problem on the 20% and 33% test hills, and the handbrake did its stuff equally well on the way back down.
Overall noise levels are restrained, though the drone of the tyres did get a bit tedious on the motorway (to be fair the deep tread pattern is designed to handle off-road action). In any case the CD player proved more than capable of drowning out extraneous noises in fine style.
Acceleration from a standing start is extremely lively and moving through the gears in urban traffic did not highlight any significant gaps in the ratios. The gear changes themselves are smooth enough, even if you time them poorly, as we did occasionally. True, we were unfamiliar with the driveline, but the main problem here is that the clutch doesn't bite until high in the pedal's travel, which tended to cause over-revving. We found ourselves jolting forward as the clutch engaged fully.
The only other issue worth mentioning is that in bright sunlight the chrome-finished loadbed lid reflects across the rear window, obscuring this view of following traffic.
Cab comfort
The XLT cab isn't over the top.. .but it comes close. There's everything you could want for comfort, and more. Even the pickiest farmer on the highest moorland tending his most remote sheep at the height of the worst winter storm will have trouble finding any fault with this cab. The heating controls includes air-con as standard, and the heating system quickly does its stuff first thing on a frosty morning.
The steering wheel adjusts to suit the height of the driver, and the front seats are adjustable too with plenty of legroom; things aren't so impressive for the farmhands or fellow outdoor pursuitists sitting in the rear with a fixed bench seat and limited legroom.
Loads should be pretty secure under the lockable Bjerg liner cab loadbed lid; personal items like Ordnance Survey maps, mobiles, Big Country CDs and those all-important isotonic drinks will find plenty of homes with an armrest/storage unit between the front seats, door pockets, a large compartment in front of the passenger's knees and drinks holders that slide in and out smoothly.
Also included in the "key features" list are airbags for the driver and front passenger, tinted glass, power-operated windows and mirrors, a heated rear window and anti-submarining front seats.
Summary
Ford knows its stuff when it comes to equipping range-topping vehicles, and it shows: the XLT has everything the self-indulgent ownerdriver could ask for. This is not typical fare for CM, but we thoroughly enjoyed our brief time behind the wheel.
All that luxury bumps up the price, of course, but under the fancy trappings the
XLT's payload and fuel consumption give plenty of potential to pay its way. The picin market seems buoyant and, as stated, Ford pretty confident that Ranger sales will at lea match last year's figures.
CM did not get the chance to take it to ti off-road limit, but somehow, off-road tyres not, we don't think many XLTs will be gettir their boots dirty.
ni by Kevin Swallow