Ford Ranger named top pick-up in 2013 awards

THE new Ford Ranger model has landed the International Pick-Up Award 2013 making it the third international gong the brand has won this year.
It took the title following extensive testing at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire,  after which it was awarded 47 points – more than the combined number achieved by the second and third-placed Isuzu D-Max and Volkswagen Amarok.
Every member of the judging panel ranked the new Ford Ranger as their number one choice, praising its performance on and off-road, strong engine line-up, payload, towing capability and safety.
The award was presented to Ford by jury chairman Pieter Wieman at the Fleet Transport EXPO 12 event in Dublin.
The Ford Ranger, the first vehicle of its type ever to achieve a Five Star Euro NCAP rating, comes in three cab body styles – Double, Super and Regular – and a choice of two Duratorq TDCi engines with choice of 4×2 and 4×4 drivetrains.
Ford director Paul Randle said: “This prestigious award is testament to the work of our global product teams and there is plenty more to look forward to with the launch of the all-new Transit and all-new Transit Connect in 2013.”
This year, Ford has won other international awards including International Van of the Year 2013 for the all-new Transit Custom while the company’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine was named the 2012 International Engine of the Year.
Meanwhile, Ford is to introduce its Active City Stop safety system into the Fiesta supermini as part of an optional Driver Assistance Pack, which also includes rear parking sensors and powerfold mirrors and is priced from £250.
Active City Stop is a low-speed collision avoidance technology which can help prevent collisions at speeds of up to 10mph by calculating whether traffic is slowing or has stopped, and applies the brakes automatically if it determines a collision is imminent.