You didn't really want an EV pick-up did you? This is better: Ford's Ranger PHEV. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Background

Given how nasty the tax man has been to pick-up owners in recent times, if you drive one, you might well be looking for the running cost savings of an electric model. But your choices in that regard are limited. To Chinese maker Maxus's eTerron 9, the KGM Musso EV, the Isuzu D-Max EV and the Toyota Hilux BEV. Otherwise, there's only the ineffectually-electrified mild hybrid Toyota Hilux 48V. And two Plug-in Hybrids; the powerful but pricey and payload-restricted BYD Shark. And this model, the Ford Ranger PHEV. As the name suggests, this Ranger is a Plug-in Hybrid. Ford sells an EV pick-up in the US (the F-150 Lightning) but that model wouldn't suit the European market. The Ranger PHEV definitely does. There's commuting EV range, the ability to act as an off-grid generator and more torque than any other model in the Ranger line-up. Plus tax-beating efficiency stats. Interested yet?

Driving Experience

Most Plug-in Hybrids are chosen for two reasons; length of EV drive range: and tax efficiency. Those attributes will be ownership draws for this Ranger PHEV too - but probably not the primary ones. So why might you choose one? Well for a start, this plug-able Ford has an impressive 690Nm of torque, more than any other Ranger - even the Ranger Raptor. Which makes it an even better towing tool than the standard diesel version (with which it shares its 3,500kg braked towing weight). Buyers will also be attracted by the Ford Pro Power options that will allow the 11.8kWh drive battery to power all manner of worksite devices. So that battery isn't just there for the drivetrain. Which sees those lithium-ion cells energising a 75kW electric motor paired with a 2.3-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine. Total output is 281PS and EV range is 25.5 miles (both figures well down on the 436PS and 55 mile totals you get from a rival BYD Shark PHEV). And this Ford's output figure certainly doesn't translate into startling performance; all that hardware is heavy and the 2,450kg kerb weight translates into a Gross Vehicle Weight of 3,500kg (300kg more than the diesel version). The petrol engine's smooth and responsive, working with a 10-speed auto gearbox and it all works pretty smoothly, with no real shunt between the drive sources. As you'd expect, there are various drive modes. Mostly, you'll just leave this Ranger in 'EV Auto', which manages EV or combustion power for you, defaulting to the battery whenever possible. 'EV Now' provides all-electric driving if there's battery charge for it; 'EV Later' stores battery charge for later in your trip: and 'EV Charge' (rather inefficiently) uses the engine to charge the high voltage battery. Off road, this PHEV Ranger is as good as any other variant in the line-up - and better in some ways as the powertrain's prodigious torque propels this pick-up easily up steep inclines, while extra motor braking from the regenerative charging system helps maximise the benefit of the integrated hill descent control set-up. As you'd expect, this Plug-in Hybrid variant gets the more advanced of the two all-wheel drive Ranger packages - Ford's full-time e-4WD system with its incorporated 'Terrain Management System'. This is activated by a rotary dial that lets you shift between NORMAL, ECO or SPORT for ordinary roads; TOW HAUL when towing; SLIPPERY for loose surfaces; and MUD/RUTS or SAND for more rugged off-roading. In the centre of the dial are your main drivetrain buttons - '2H' for two-wheel drive tarmac use, then the 4x4 settings - '4H', low range '4L' and the 'set-and-forget' '4A' auto 4WD setting. There's also a selectable rear differential lock for really challenging conditions.

Design and Build

From the outside, the Ranger PHEV looks exactly the same as the standard model, apart from a PHEV badge on each front wing and the fact that there are two filler flaps on the nearside rear wing. The one with the lightning bolt on it is the charge point for the drive battery. The other flap ahead of it is for the fuel filler, which you release via a dashboard button. Like 99% of all other Rangers, this one comes only in DoubleCab form and is a pretty substantial thing, 5,350mm in length, with pronounced wheel arches that house substantial 17-inch or, as in this case, 18-inch alloy wheels. Out in the wilds, if you were to stick a tent on the roof and plug yourself into the 'Pro Power Onboard' system, you'd be ready for just about anything the wilds could throw at you. Inside, it's very car-like, with soft touch materials and a fully digital 8-inch instrument cluster that adapts its display around the six available driving modes. The centre infotainment monitor is 12-inches in size. This display has a dedicated screen view for off-roading, providing information on steering angle, vehicle pitch, driveline and roll angles. The gearstick is a short-throw 'e-shifter': and there's an electronic parking brake too. In the rear seat, there's OK space for legs and knees; it's hardly palatial, but it's a little better than what you get from most obvious rivals. As usual with pick-ups, when you're not using the rear bench, you can lift up the base to access two further storage compartments.

Market and Model

Prices for this Ranger PHEV start at around £38,000 ex-VAT for the base 'XLT' version. There's also a 'Limited' version at around £44,000 (ex-VAT) and a 'Wildtrack' and 'Platinum' versions if you've over £45,000 (ex-VAT) to spend. For the 'Wildtrack' version most will want, there's a saving of just under £2,000 over the conventional 3.0 EcoBlue diesel V6 auto model. For reference, a rival BYD Shark PHEV (only offered with one top-spec trim) is around £48,000. 'Wildtrack' spec with this Ford comes with plenty of kit. There's 'Boulder Grey'-painted 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with signature graphic LED daytime running lights, LED front fog lights, power-folding mirrors, keyless entry and accent colouring for the grille, the wheel arch mouldings and the front bumper. There's also a slicker rotary dial-operated version of the driving mode 'Terrain Management System'. And at this level in the range, Ford also includes underbody protection, which gives you a front bumper skid plate and an engine and transfer case shield. Plus there's a 360-degree 4-zone exterior lighting system that allows you to illuminate all of the vehicle's lights at once - the front dipped headlights, the puddle lights, the load box light and the licence plate lights, which is ideal for avoiding trip hazards at night - or if you just need the area you've parked in to be lit up to help you put away tools or perhaps repair a tyre. Inside with 'Wildtrack' spec, the SYNC4 centre screen is 12-inches in size and there's part-leather seat trim, a powered 10-way adjustable driver seat, vinyl wrapping for the dashboard, LED ambient lighting, a leather-trimmed heated steering wheel and premium air vents with 'Precision Grey' bezels.

Practicalities and Costs

There are few practicality compromises with this PHEV model, though the load bed floor has been raised by 31mm to make room for the high voltage battery. Otherwise, a Ranger PHEV can take pretty much what an ordinary Ranger can. Which means that the cargo area will accommodate a full-sized pallet and you can load in a ply sheet flat. There are slots moulded into the bed liner which allow you to make your own load dividers. And Ford continues to offer its 'Cargo Management' system. Removable protective capping prevents excess damage to the tailgate when lifting bikes in and out. The load box length is 1,564mm and there's 1,584mm of loadbox width (narrowing to 1,224mm between the wheel arches); and 529mm of loadbox height. Plus a 1.0-tonne payload capacity very different from the 790kg total you get from the only other PHEV in the segment, the BYD Shark. On to running costs. A full charge of the Ranger PHEV using a 7.4kW AC wallbox takes 2.5 hours. The combined cycle fuel economy is quoted at 112mpg, but in reality, you'll probably get similar fuel economy to the diesel. CO2 emissions are quoted at 68-71g/km. The Ranger PHEV has a maximum AC charging speed of 3.5kW on a single-phase supply. That allows for a full charge in around 4 hours with a 15-amp outlet - or 6.5 hours with a 10-amp outlet. The big option with this PHEV model is the Ford Pro Power system, which provides the ability for this Ranger to act as an off-grid generator to power work tools. It offers a choice of two different power outputs - 2.3kW or 6.9kW. as part of that, this pick-up has three power outlets - two in the load box and one in the cabin, and with the 6.9kW version, up to 3.5kW can be drawn from a single load box socket - or the full 6.9kW across both load box sockets. Cabin socket output is a maximum of 2.3kW.

Summary

If you're concerned about the lack of EV choice in the pick-up sector, maybe there's no need to be. Perhaps what an efficient light pick-up actually requires is what this PHEV Ranger provides. Namely, everything you need from an electrified powertrain (loads of torque, EV commuting mileage, tax breaks); and nothing you don't (limited driving range, overly heavy weight, inflated asking prices). If you're a pick-up regular, you're probably questioning whether a petrol Plug-in Hybrid powertrain can really deliver in tough conditions just like a diesel. But try this Ranger PHEV and you'll find it has most of the answers you're looking for. So it turns out that the EV pick-up you might really want isn't actually an EV. But it's as much of one as you'll probably ever need it to be.