Our favourite heavyweight contenders
AS TOWING VEHICLES, pick-ups have some clear pros and cons. On the one hand, they’re heavy and usually have very high legal towing limits. Go for a double-cab and you have two rows of seats, making your truck a viable alternative to a family car.
On the other, however, pick-ups typically have tough but fairly crude rear suspension, which can’t provide the firm control and stability that you will find in the best SUVs, for towing or solo driving.
You have fewer pick-ups to choose from than there were a few years back, with Fiat, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Volkswagen having recently left the market in the UK. But there are still several new pick-ups available, and a broad choice if you are shopping for a used truck.
FORD RANGER 2.0 TD ECOBLUE 205PS WILDTRAK
Approx price £39,350 (ex VAT) Kerbweight 2436kg 85% match 2071kg Legal towing limit 3500kg
As we write this, a new Ford Ranger is about to arrive in showrooms. Given that the old Ranger was our favourite pick-up for towing, even towards the end of its life, we’re excited to see what the new one is capable of.
It certainly looks striking, and the very high kerbweight of almost 2.5 tonnes means it will make a sensible match for just about any caravan.
Buyers with deep pockets might like to take a look at the high-performance Raptor, but with a thirsty V6 petrol engine and a price tag of £47,000 (ex VAT), it will be pricey to buy and run. The regular Ranger is more expensive than most rivals, but even so, £39,350 for the Wildtrak is more palatable than the Raptor’s cost.
With 205hp and 369lb ft of torque, the Wildtrak should easily tow a large van. It will make a capable workhorse, too, with a large load bed and a payload of over one tonne.
Official combined economy of 32.1mpg is competitive for its size, weight and performance. And this is a big vehicle, larger than the model it replaces.
You won’t be shortchanged if you go for the old model. We’ve seen 20,000-mile two-year-old double-cabs priced at around the £24,000 mark.
SSANGYONG MUSSO 2.2D SARACEN
Approx price £31,010 (ex VAT) Kerbweight 2155kg 85% match 1832kg Legal towing limit 3500kg
It’s hard to argue against the Musso as Britain’s best-value pick-up. Even the high-spec Saracen model is just a little over £31,000 (before VAT), while the entry-level vehicle costs £23,610 excluding VAT.
The Musso Saracen’s 2.2-litre diesel engine has 202hp and 325lb ft of torque. While those numbers don’t quite match the muscle of the Ford Ranger, the engine is strong enough to cope with any sensibly ma
