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/off-road 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 1,750mm 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 test we recorded some exceptional results, with the reassuring feeing of stopping on the proverbial sixpence. As you’d expect from a 4x4, re-starting was no problem on the 20% and 30% 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 heavy off-road action). In any case the CF 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 light across the rear window, obscuring the 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.
