Usually at the razzle-dazzle of a new vehicle launch, you'd be blind to the shortcomings of the said vehicle.  As they say, only when you get behind the wheel will you know if the car's really worth your buck or not.  Most of the time, this is true; sometimes though, you can immediately sniff out shortcomings, and no level of ramped up excitement, special treatment or guests could change that.  Unfortunately, one such vehicle is the all-new Ford Ranger.

As a two-time Car of the Year Philippines Pick-Up of the Year (CoTY - P) winner, the Ranger has a lot going for itself.  During a time when its rivals were scrambling to keep up with the Ranger's superlative blend of robustness and ruggedness, the Ranger simply got better and better (remember, it spawned the Everest too).  Now that it's 2006 and its rivals have already laid their cards down, the Ford Ranger undergoes its first major change since its introduction.  The end result? Something not far from what we've already known.

Before diving into the Ranger's pitfalls, let's look at the positives first.  The biggest change is under the hood.  Discarding its old powerplant, the Ranger finally gets the DuraTORQ family of engines.  There are 2 engines available depending on the drivetrain: a 2.5-liter and a 3.0-liter unit.  The 2.5-liter unit in itself is impressive with its 143 horsepower and 330 Nm of torque.  The headline though is the new 3.0-liter unit with a massive dose of 156 horsepower and 380 Nm of torque.  To put things into perspective, at 380 Nm of torque--that's in the same league as Ford's own Triton V8! With such increase in power and torque, it would only make sense to beef up the transmission as well. The 5-speed MT has been reinforced to take on the additional load while the old 4-speed AT box has been replaced with the Explorer's 5-speed AT--a first in this segment. Both DuraTORQ engines are bio-diesel ready, so if you do plan to feed your Ranger corn, by all means, it can take it. Score power and fuel efficiency for the Ford Ranger then.

The rest of the package is pretty much what we've seen in the previous Ranger (or at least in the Ranger's competitors).  Standard dual SRS airbags, anti-lock brakes with EBD and brake assist across the line plus 245/70 R 16 tires--all the usual stuff found in modern pick-ups are in the new Ranger as well.  Inside, the new Ranger has a built-in stereo/CD with MP3.  There's no iPod interface ala Focus, but the 4x4 XLT does get 6 speakers as standard.

That's where the fairy tale ends and the ugly stuff begins.  First, let's take the Ranger's styling.  Sure, the lines have been cleaned up, but as an all-new clean sheet design, it doesn't evoke any sort of emotion.  At a glance, it looks too similar to the model it replaces with the singular squared headlamp treatment, relatively long front end and short rear end design.  The proportions shout "workhorse" rather than "aspirational" too, and by today's pick-up standards, that's a no-no. There are some nifty detailing that align the Ranger with the global Ford family of pick-ups such as the large grille with horizontal bright work as well as the bulbous fender flares and rub strip-free doors.  Somehow though, the proportions of the American Ford F-150 don't exactly work on a model about 75 percent its size.  Overall, the proportions shout "workhorse" rather than "aspirational", and that won't do in the pick-up market nowadays.

Inside, the new Ford Ranger features some improved trim such as the silvery highlights such as those on the center console and the power windows surrounds.  As one person put it during the launch, the new Ranger looks less plain and much more sophisticated than before.  Touché.  New Ranger boasts good ergonomics and good overall visibility.  Again, designers were able to integrate some Ford truck cues such as the air con vents and the square-shaped dash.  Overall, it's a marked improvement over the previous model.  However, there are still some rather crude bits such as the pull/twist type mechanical brake system--something existed in pick-ups of yore.  Look down the foot wells and you'll notice some sharp pieces of plastic too.

next page >