Ford Ranger (2011-2022) review

Rather obviously, it depends what you’re going to be using it for. A basic one is a good value workhorse, and is available from £24,876 before VAT. However, let’s assume you’ve come to Top Gear rather than What Builders Truck Monthly because you want this to be your family all-rounder. Work truck during the week, football practice Saturday mornings, holidays in the summer etc. 

In which case, we’d be investing more. Because you want your Ranger in something other than flat white paint and steel wheels. Ideally some wipe clean leather for little accidents, and Double Cab is an essential, plus USB sockets, touchscreen etc. In which case the sweet spot of the range is the one everyone is buying already – the Wildtrak. The trouble is it’s £35,875 before VAT – and that’s if you’re happy changing gear yourself. The auto is almost £2k more and the one you really want. 

Want your Ranger to be an all-rounder? You’re going to have to accept it’s a £40k car. The limited edition MS-RT looks great with its fancy bodykit, OZ Racing wheels and 210bhp, but prices start at a whopping £49,775 before tax. Ouch. You can read our full review of that by clicking here.

What does this all mean for finance? 

It doesn’t look too bad actually. Ford usually have some pretty tempting discounts available on Rangers and putting £5,000 down you’re looking at a little over £400 a month over three years. Not bad for a beefy all-rounder. 

What if I want to stand out from the crowd?

Ah, you're talking about the Raptor once again? Yeah, it's pretty compelling to drive something that just feels unstoppable no matter the terrain. If you're buying for work you might be disappointed, though. The new suspension means a payload of just 620kg, which means you can't register one as a commercial vehicle and can't claim the tax back. Prices start at just over £52,000, with the inventively-named Raptor Special Edition a smidge over £54,000 without options. 

What about running costs?

228g/km of CO2 isn’t pretty and means first year private car tax of £1,850. Using it for business? Watch for the VBC – Van Benefit Charge. Use it for work and depending on whether you’re a lower or higher rate taxpayer, you’ll be shelling out £698 or £1,396 a year for your Ranger. 

Get those big bills out the way and it should be plain sailing. Insurance is affordable, and plodding around at 28mpg means a 10,000 mile annual fuel bill of a little over £2,000.