| Week at the Wheel | Ford Ranger Wildtrak |

Inside & Out:

There's no way the Ford Ranger Wildtrak is going to be intimidated by mere SUVs. The only 4x4s that stand as tall as the Ranger are from the serious end of the off-road spectrum - think Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Discovery. On top of this, the only way you're going to be out-blinged in the Ranger Wildtrak is if you line up next to a full-blown WAG'd Ranger Rover Sport. With 18-inch alloys, chromed side steps, grille and roof rails, the Ranger Wildtrak is not for the demure. There's also privacy glass, Wildtrak stickers and what Ford optimistically calls 'sports cladding', or what we'd refer to as plastic glued on to the lower part of the doors.

Haul yourself up and into the lofty driver's seat and you'll be in no doubt about the Wildtrak's builder's yard origins. The dashboard is nuts and bolts simple to look at and use, though the umbrella-style handbrake is unusual. It's easy to use, but again betrays the Ranger's commercial vehicle bias. Splashes of silver plastic across the dashboard, plus the dash-top digital instruments to show off-road angles, help to add some appeal, but a steering wheel that only adjusts for angle is less welcome. The driving position is upright and you certainly feel in command as you tower over mere saloon cars, but the straight leg seating position doesn't provide enough comfort on longer trips and there's no seat height adjustment. On the upside, the front seats are heated and all of the Wildtrak's chairs are trimmed in Alcantara.

For rear seat passengers, access through the small rear doors is a squeeze and there's restricted knee- and legroom, even if headroom is god. As for boot space, the Wildtrak's load bed is massive and almost indestructible. But you will need to specify the optional Armadillo lockable load cover to make the cargo bed secure.

Engine & Transmission:

Judging the Wildtrak's engine and gearbox by the standards of the best large SUVs is unfair and, to a large extent, pointless. The Ranger is first and foremost a commercial vehicle and its running gear is designed to withstand the guerrilla tactics of the average builder's lackey. Tough is a good way to describe the gearbox. It's not slick and the shift action is long, ponderous and can baulk if rushed, but driven sedately it imparts a sense that it will still be working many years from now.

The same is true of the 154bhp 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine. It's a slow revving four-cylinder motor that doesn't enjoy being revved and would far rather stick to its peak torque point at 1,800rpm. Let the torque do the work and the Ranger Wildtrak bowls along with ease, though little in the way of refinement. The engine is noisy and sends vibrations through the car, so anyone used to the likes of a Land Rover Discovery is in for a jittery shock.

However, the Wildtrak will tow up to 3,000kg on a trailer, can literally take a tonne of stuff in the load bed and broken terrain is no deterrent to its continued movement. In normal running, the Wildtrak works in rear-wheel drive, which can get the leaf-sprung rear axle hopping about when pulling out of junctions a bit lively. Put the Ranger into four-wheel drive, and especially the selectable low-ratio all-wheel drive mode, and it will go anywhere a Land Rover Defender cares to mention. A wading depth of 750mm is mighty impressive, as is ground clearance of 207mm, so the Wildtrak has definite appeal for those who like to head into the back of beyond.

Ride & Handling:

We're giving the Ranger Wildtrak two stars here on the basis that it's notably better at going over bumps and around corners than the huge majority of other pick-ups with family 4x4 pretensions. The reality, though, is that the Wildtrak cannot hold a candle to the likes of a Discovery or Nissan X-Trail or Toyota Land Cruiser. There's just too much bump and jump on uneven roads and trying to push the Ranger through a corner simply results in an enormous amount of body lean. The Wildtrak suffers more than other Rangers in this area sue to its larger wheels and lower profile tyres that demand more than the basic suspension set-up. Vague steering and average grip from off-road tyres also contribute to the general feeling that the Ranger prefers a more measured approach to cornering.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

If you're in a business where you can negate the cost of the VAT on a Ranger Wildtrak, this 4x4 looks good value. It comes with Alcantara-trimmed seats, a punchy 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine, electric windows, air conditioning and a CD stereo with MP3 connection. However, a private buyer will have to shell out the full price and, next to the Ford, there are a lot of very talented SUVs out there that are as well or better equipped and are much better to drive.

The Ranger Wildtrak comes with twin front and side airbags, but no curtain airbags, though ESP is standard. Decent combined economy of 29.7mpg helps the Ranger Wildtrak's case, but carbon dioxide emissions of 260g/km seriously undermine it against much of the cleaner competition in the SUV sector.

Overall:

Can a pick-up work as an alternative to an SUV? No, is the straightforward answer. Given the price of the Ranger Wildtrak, we'd far rather have a Ford Kuga. However, if you need to carry large stuff, tow even heavier stuff or do stuff miles from anywhere, the Ranger Wildtrak will get you there in greater comfort than most of its pick-up rivals. If we lived up a mountain, we'd rather fancy the Ford Ranger, but in one of its more affordable none-Wildtrak variations.