The What Van? Road Test: Ford Ranger Stormtrak (2021)

Date: Monday, August 1, 2022

Cabin

Interior and equipment

Be in no doubt that you are sitting in a Stormtrak. The Stormtrak logos tell you so, and are accompanied by copious amounts of red stitching.

The seats are partially trimmed in leather while the steering wheel is fully-trimmed.

In-cab storage facilities include bins in all doors and a lidded, but not a lockable glovebox. The fascia boasts a couple of USB ports plus two 12V sockets.

Stormtrak comes with air conditioning (and a cool box for your chocolates!) plus satellite navigation and a DAB radio, both controlled by an 8in touchscreen.

The package includes SYNC 3 which allows you to manage your phone, music, apps and sat nav with voice commands, and have your text messages read to you out loud. It will additionally help summon assistance in an emergency.

Electric windows are installed in all four doors.

The large, electrically-adjustable, heated exterior rear-view mirrors can be folded inwards automatically, and both feature separate wide-angle sections. They also feature puddle lamps so you don’t end up with water lapping over your ankles if you climb out of the cab in the dark.

The height, reach and rake of the driver’s seat are all adjusted electrically, both front seats are heated, and their occupants are protected by airbags.

The back of the console between the front seats is graced by 12V and 230V sockets which
can be used by the rear passengers. All three seats are provided with lap-and-diagonal belts and headrests, and while legroom for the two outermost passengers is reasonable, anybody who occupies the centre seat will find it is restricted.

The centre seat’s back can be pulled down and turned into an armrest, complete with a couple of cup holders, if only two rear passengers are present. You’ll find a brace of cup holders between the front seats too.

On-board safety devices include ABS, Electronic Stability Control with Rollover Mitigation and Load Adaptive Control, Emergency Brake Assist, Hill Start Assist, Lane-Keeping System, Trailer Sway Control and Traffic Sign Recognition.

Installed too is Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pre-Collision Assist and Pedestrian Detection. It warns you if you are getting too close to the vehicle in front, or the proverbial little old lady totters out in front of you, and applies the brakes if you do not respond.

Also present are Cruise Control with Adjustable Speed Limiter Device, and ISA. The initials stand for Intelligent Speed Assistance and you can deploy it to ensure Stormtrak sticks to the prevailing speed limit.

Stormtrak’s bulk means that it is difficult to squeeze it into a typical urban parking space, but the front and rear sensors and the rear view camera make the task easier. As it happens our truck was fitted with an optional pack that among other things includes Active Park Assist, which helps you wriggle into a tight slot, and a facility that dips your headlights automatically to avoid dazzling other drivers.

Traction Control System and Hill Descent Control are fitted, and can be switched on and off as required.

The wipers start operating the minute raindrops spatter across the heated windscreen. LED front fog lights supplement the LED headlights and LEDs illuminate the truck’s interior. They should all last for ages.

Ventilated brake discs are found at the front while drum brakes are deployed at the rear. The front suspension employs coil springs and double wishbones, with leaf springs and an anti-roll bar doing duty at the back.

Our Stormtrak’s 18in black alloy wheels were shod with 265/60 R18 Continental Cross Contact tyres, and pressure sensors are fitted which will warn you if they start to deflate. Electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion steering delivers a 12.7m kerb-to-kerb turning circle.

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