Mini-diggers. Dirt bike transporters. Livestock trailers. And — like me — caravans and boats.
The list of tools and toys our customers attach to the towbars of their Rangers is as long as it varied. 1
I know first-hand how demanding towing can be — whether on the narrow country lanes and busy urban streets near Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre, UK, where I worked for five years, or on rough-roads in the wilds of Australia where I’m now based as chief programme engineer for our Ranger PHEV. 2
This award-winning electrified pickup gave us the opportunity to really build a towing beast.
My Ranger PHEV gets put to the test regularly, towing — among other things — a more than 3-tonne caravan and a 2-tonne boat.
“This award-winning electrified pickup gave us the opportunity to really build a towing beast.”Philip Millar, chief programme engineer for Ranger PHEV
I feel like I’m living the Australian dream, and I love the freedom of being able to hitch-up and go where the mood takes me, knowing my towing vehicle can handle whatever comes its way.
Almost 90 per cent of Ranger drivers in Europe use their pickup to tow. More than half of Ranger drivers tow up to 3.5 tonnes. That is some serious weight.
A vehicle you can have faith in takes so much of the stress out of towing. Our newest generation of Ranger was developed from the ground up to give drivers that confidence.
Ranger PHEV’s special ingredient is the electric capability of the powertrain.
Anyone who’s driven an electric vehicle knows that you get an immediate surge of power and torque from the motor. Ranger PHEV can drive using just battery power, but it can also use that immediate response from the 75 kW electric motor together with the power of the 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engine.
When it comes to pulling a heavy load, torque is everything, and this combination provides more of it than any Ranger before — 697 Nm delivered through our special 10-speed Modular Hybrid Transmission. 3 Ranger PHEV’s e-4WD system can automatically send petrol, electric or hybrid torque to all four wheels. 4
“You would not want to take on this pickup in a tug of war.”Philip Millar, chief programme engineer for Ranger PHEV
What that means is — up or downhill, on or offroad — the pickup can effortlessly pull the maximum permissible trailer-weight while the cabin and load bed is fully laden with passengers and kit. 5
You would not want to take on this pickup in a tug of war.
And it gets better. The PHEV powertrain meant we could get maximum value out of Ranger’s clever Tow/Haul Drive Mode. 4
For Ranger PHEV, we calibrated this Mode to ensure that you always get the best combination of energy from the entire powertrain when towing, so as long as you don’t start with a depleted battery, e-motor assistance is always available.
That’s made towing a dream, and on the open road I’m getting fuel efficiency much better than I could have hoped for. If you do forget to charge, the just use EV Charge mode to gain a little bit of battery charge and switch back to Tow/Haul Mode.
If you fully charge the battery before heading out on a long towing journey, another upside to Tow/Haul Mode is your battery will be at 90 per cent when you arrive at your worksite or campsite. You can then run your bench saw or electric barbecue, or indeed an entire campsite using the optional Pro Power Onboard system. 6
.jpg)
We’ve also loaded Ranger PHEV with other features to take the stress out of pulling a trailer.
One of my favourites is the optional Pro Trailer Backup Assist system. 4 Once you’ve told the vehicle which of up to 10 storable trailer profiles you have attached, this clever tech lets you reverse the trailer using a dedicated controller. Trailer Reverse Guidance 4 on the 12-inch centre screen gives a clear view of what’s happening behind you.
It can make life simpler even for experience drivers. As does Ranger’s Trailer Light Check, which turns on the trailer lights in sequence so you can be sure they’re properly connected. It can even be activated using the Ford app 7 — making the important safety check a one-person job.
And talking of safety, Ranger PHEV offers our Blindspot Information System (BLIS) system with Trailer Coverage 4 to warn drivers when another vehicle is in their blind spot alongside the pickup or trailer.
Our development team put a huge amount of energy and expertise into developing a pickup that can make such light work of towing heavy loads.
Like almost 90 per cent of Europe’s Ranger drivers, I’m putting it to the test, and I’m very proud of what we’ve built.
Philip Millar is chief programme engineer for Ranger PHEV
1 When properly equipped. Max towing varies based on cargo, vehicle configuration, accessories and number of passengers.
2 Ford Ranger Plug-In Hybrid homologated CO2 emissions 143-145 g/km WLTP Euro 6e-bis (UK: 70-72 g/km Euro 6e), homologated fuel efficiency 6.2-6.4 l/100 km WLTP Euro 6e-bis (UK: 3.1-3.2 l/100 km Euro 6e) and pure electric driving range up to 43 km WLTP. The declared WLTP fuel/energy consumptions, CO2 emissions and electric range are determined according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EU) 2017/1151 as last amended. The applied standard test procedures enable comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers. A range of up to 43 km can be achieved with a fully charged battery - depending on the existing series and battery configuration. The actual range may vary due to various factors (e.g. weather conditions, driving style, route profile, vehicle condition, age and condition of the lithium-ion battery).
3 Torque and towing are independent attributes and may not be achieved simultaneously.
4 Driver-assist features are supplemental and do not replace the driver’s attention, judgment and need to control the vehicle. It does not replace safe driving. See Owner’s Manual for details and limitations.
5 Max payload varies and is based on accessories and vehicle configuration. See label on doorjamb for carrying capacity of a specific vehicle. Always properly secure cargo.
6 See Owner’s Manual for important operating instructions.
7 Ford app, compatible with select smartphone platforms, is available via a download. Message and data rates may apply.
