NOT that long ago a single cab pickup was your only choice, fond memories of Ford's P100 or the Toyota Hilux still sit comfortably in my mind…two or sometimes a cheeky third person bumbling along a lane to do some fencing or nipping between farms, coats jammed between the seats to make the middle more comfortable and vinyl floors scuffed with mud…

But how times have changed, double and extra cabs are the norm these days with families packing out the interior or big blokes pulling up to site, the idea of having yet alone seeing a single cab variant is most certainly a rare thing here in the UK.

So, when the Single Cab Ranger arrived it was rather a shock to see the length of the load bed, it really did seem like the tailgate had a different postcode to the bonnet, but whilst the initial shock subsided once sat comfortably within the cab the whole sense of being in a battleship dissipated.

The XL should have been a bit basic, it shouldn’t have been crammed full of driver aids and air con and it definitely shouldn’t have felt fairly spacious despite the rear window being a hairs breadth away from those with a mullet, but it did and it was. On the road the 2.0TDCI engine was adequate, the first to second transition on the manual box wasn’t as low as some and therefore more drivable unless towing, the 170ps gave the Ranger sufficient umph along the A roads and a trip North on ther A1 was pleasurable at motorway speeds and still easily returned 30mpg.

Having the longer load bed, steel wheels and less weight meant that the single cab had a payload of 1200kg, easily accommodating two bulk bags of logs without having to have the tailgate lowered, the standard fitting of a ladder rack and rear load bed power sockets and a vast number of hooks and rails only added to the sheer practicality of the pickup.

The driving position was great, everything to hand with drivers aids such as lane-keeping alert, lane-keeping aid and road departure all very easy to use and not at all intrusive to your driving style, complete with the usual pre-collision assist etc it’s fair to say that it would be very hard to actually make a mistake behind the wheel. The rear parking assist even applies the brake if it thinks you’ve not judged it just right.

Cost wise the vehicle as tested had a few practical extras such as underbody protection, a locking rear axle and fuel tank guard plus it had the spray liner, heated screen and steering wheel. Even with these additions it would only set you back a smidge over £30,000 plus Vat, which, when you take into account the new rule changes to pickups and benefit in kind you’d do wise to order a single cab, add a few accessories and maybe some alloys and run one though the business. My guess would be you will see more and more single cabs over the next few years so much so you’ll be having your hair flashed and digging out your 80’s CD’s.

RANGER 2.0TDCI (EcoBlue) XL S/CAB 170PS 6SP 4X4

Pros:               

  • Tax efficient                                                                      
  • High specification                                  
  • Relatively affordable                                                 
  • Won’t be relied upon for a lift

Cons:

  • Bigger engine be nice 
  • Bench Seat be great
  • Availability