The Ford Ranger has been voted as the Best Pickup for Towing by a jury of 12 industry professionals at the 2018 Professional Pickup & 4×4 Awards. With around three-quarters of pickup trucks fitted with tow bars at three years old, the ability to tow is a huge aspect of the buying process for many pickup truck customers.

The Professional Pickup & 4×4 Awards are unique in that, rather than being judged by a panel of journalists, they are presided over by a panel of 12 working professionals from various lines of work, including plant hire, farmers, foresters, road gritters, fencers, estate managers and a professional huntsman.

Judging took place at the Carlton Towers Estate in Yorkshire in December and the winners were presented at an awards lunch in Aylesbury in March 2018. Claire Price, product manager for the Ford Ranger at Ford UK, was the company’s representative who collected the award.

Claire Price, Ford Ranger product manager, collected the award for best pickup truck for towing 2018

At 470Nm, the 3.2-litre Ford Ranger has more torque on offer than any other pickup truck with a 3.5-tonne towing capacity. The gross combination weight is rated at 6 tonnes, so it is still able to carry up to around 400kg (on the 2.2-litre XL; up to 200kg on the Wildtrak) in the back while towing the full amount.

There are also a wide range of features to assist when towing, including the Trailer Sway Control which detects ‘snaking’ or trailer sway and reduces your vehicle’s speed to help solve the problem, making towing more controlled. The system slows the vehicle down by reducing the engine’s torque and gradually increasing the brake pressure on all wheels.

“The 2018 jury highly recommended the Ford Ranger as a towing pickup truck for many reasons; some mentioned its massive 470Nm of torque on the 3.2-litre engine and others commented on how stable it felt”, remarked Liam Campbell, editor and founder of Professional Pickup & 4×4 magazine.

Liam Campbell
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