Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV cuts fuel and tax costs

Well, here’s a novel idea … take a look at a petrol-powered hybrid pick-up truck that can save on fuel and tax.

Ford’s Ranger Stormtrak PHEV (petrol hybrid electric vehicle) currently makes perfect sense when much cheaper petrol as a fuel is ranged against diesel, which in my neck of the woods has gone from a few pence per litre dearer, to more than 30ppl.

In fact, even with a 5p per litre gap between petrol and diesel, it still makes sense given that the 28mpg of the petrol is up against a similar figure for the 3.0-litre V6 diesel and just a couple of mpg short of the more tweaked version of the 2.0-litre diesel.

Who would have thought that you could even consider a petrol-powered pick-up? But it is increasingly making more sense, given that as well as being on a par in terms of fuel consumption, it is also ahead on performance, with the 0-61mph figure sneaking under the 10-second barrier.

Given tax changes announced last year, where most pick-ups were re-designated as ‘cars’ and if used for a mix of private and business use were hammered with tax, the PHEV pick-up still generates a benefit in kind (BIK) tax liability, but it is around half of that charged to a diesel version of a similar value. It also still qualifies for VAT relief when used for business purposes.

So far, so good. And it makes even more sense now that Ford has announced it will drop the pair of two-litre derivatives from the Ranger line-up and from this year will only have the 3.0-litre V6 diesel of 237bhp as an oil-burning option, with the four-cylinder 2.3-litre TIVCT Ecoboost petrol motor with 277bhp as the other choice. From a tax point of view, that again gives another reason to look seriously at topping up at the petrol pump – and don’t be astounded (as I was) when the garage attendant hailed me by loudspeaker that I was putting petrol into the pick-up’s tank!

So, where’s the downside? Obviously, for towing purposes the diesel’s low-down grunt is a factor in making it an exceptional towing machine and if you do a lot of trailer work, then the V6 Ranger is the beast for you. But don’t be afraid of the petrol-engined version as its torque figure sits at an energetic 697Nm.

It’s perfectly matched to a 10-speed automatic gearbox too, which should assist when towing heavy loads. And, just like the diesel, the PHEV version is legal to tow 3.5 tonnes (braked) and has a 1.1-tonne load capacity.

The dynamics of the petrol engine also make this one of the best handling pick-ups that I have tested for some time. The petrol engine is obviously lighter than the V6 diesel and this makes it light and easy to manoeuvre, while the power gets you smartly off the start line. Don’t bank on a heap of savings from the electric part of the equation as the fully topped-up battery is only good for 25 miles or so.

Inside the cabin, there’s an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat, while the passenger only gets four-way movement. Both are heated, though. The seats are shod in black leather, with micro-ribs, and there’s a vinyl-wrapped centre console for easy cleaning.

There are all the usual and now obligatory annoying ‘driving aids’ plus the bliss of Ford’s Quickclear heated windscreen.

The standard Ranger Stormtrak PHEV will set you back £49,800 on the road but with £1800-worth of extras, like the power roller shutter for the load bay plus cargo management system, this took the value of the test vehicle up to £52,941. That makes it about £2500 dearer than the soon-to-be discontinued 2.0-litre diesel, but about the same amount cheaper than the V6 diesel.

It also looks the part, with some PHEV-only trims and despite its dainty tax appeal, it still looks like the big bad boy that we’ve come to expect from Ford’s commercial range.