Five reasons why Ford Ranger's new plug in hybrid is the best pick-up truck the firm has EVER made
Three hours north to Penrith for a top-secret job with M-Sport. You'll read about that another time.
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Three-and-a-half hours west to Llangurig for another cool story.
Five hours south to West Wittering beach.
And more places besides.
Here's what I learned.
A pick-up truck has to be the most useful invention after a fork.
I came across many farmers doing farmer things on my travels.
Builders carrying building stuff.
Bikers with bikes in the back.
Some bloke towing a climbing wall.
Two more with boats.
Ranger XL pick-up is totally brilliant and my new favourite Ford - it's proper comfy, pulls like a train and best bit is the price
Coastguards patrolling the beach.
All of them using their pick-up trucks as tools.
They probably didn't realise I was testing the first Ford Ranger with a plug-in hybrid.
Because you just wouldn't know any different. Unless you spotted the two filler flaps.
The thing is, this petrol/electric combo makes Britain's No1 pick-up even more useable.
It has the same minerals as a regular Ranger in terms of carrying stuff and towing things.
But it's got more torque and an e-mode. So it can glide along silently for 20-odd miles without waking the petrol engine. Plus, you can use it to power work tools. Bosh.
Obviously, the most efficient way to charge the 11.8kWh battery is with a plug.
Speak to Ford nicely and they'll fit a home charger for a tenner.
But I recharged the battery on the go by pressing the 'EV Charge' button.
It sucked up 19 miles of electrons for use later. And I still averaged 32mpg – trumping the official 28mpg. Although admittedly I wasn't doing any heavy lifting at the time.
'Auto EV' is the default mode that uses both power sources for as long as it can to make life as smooth as possible.
By the way, the 2.3-litre engine is lifted from the Focus ST. The ten-speed auto from Mustang. So proper kit.
Other observations. The cabin. You feel safe up here, properly comfy, with acres of cabin space for four people and their kit. We easily covered 1,000 miles and I didn't get a numb bum once.
The upright touchscreen is a doddle to use. That shelf in front of the passenger seat is great for storing phones, sunglasses, sweets and receipts. Sometimes it's the little things that please.
To conclude, then. Ford hasn't just ticked boxes by adding a plug-in hybrid to the Ranger line-up.
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