Every member of the judging panel ranked the new Ranger as their number one choice; praising its performance on- and off-road, strong engine line-up, payload and towing capability, and safety.

The new Ford Ranger won the “International Pick-Up Award 2013” award following extensive testing at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, England, after which it was awarded 47 points – more than the combined number of points garnered by the second- and third-placed Isuzu D-Max and Volkswagen Amarok. The award was presented to Ford by jury chairman Pieter Wieman at the Fleet Transport EXPO 12 event, in Dublin.    

‘The Ford Ranger is a great all-rounder, combining the perfect blend of on-road comfort and stability with off-road capability,’ said Jarlath Sweeney, the Irish judge on the panel of CV journalists that also serves on the “International Van of the Year” jury.

The new Ford Ranger is offered in three versatile cab bodystyles – Double, Super and Regular – that are among the roomiest in its class; comes with a choice of two powerful and economical Duratorq TDCi engines, and with a choice of 4×2 and 4×4 drivetrains.

‘The Ranger is great for work and great for leisure, and customers will appreciate the difference as soon as they get behind the wheel,’ said Paul Randle, vehicle line director, Global Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe. ‘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,’ he added.

Totally new from the ground up; the new Ranger now delivers more payload and class-leading towing capability; along with innovative new comfort and driver assistance features; and is the first such vehicle ever to achieve a Five Star Euro NCAP rating.

This year, Ford has won other international awards including the “International Van of the Year 2013” for the all-new Transit Custom; and the company’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine was named the 2012 “International Engine of the Year”.