Editor’s Pick September 2025 | I Nearly Bought An X-reg Ford Ranger

I spent the last week of August 2025 driving a brand-new Ford Ranger PHEV Stormtrak edition pick-up truck. It’s probably the best truck I’ve driven this year, blending all the comfort and technology Ford is known for with smooth electric/petrol hybrid driving. It’s about as modern as you can get, and made me think about how far the Ranger has come over the past three decades. The nostalgia bug had sunk its teeth in, so off I went to the Autotrader marketplace to goggle at Rangers old and new.

My search bogged down quickly into browsing through vehicles from the mid-2000s, but eventually I decided to go old school and stumbled upon an X-reg Ford Ranger. It hailed from the year 2000 with over 130K miles on the clock, a 2.5-litre diesel engine outputting 108PS under the bonnet, and a fully-fitted canopy over its cargo bed. It wasn’t in the greatest shape, but there was something about it. Maybe it was the little after-market orange beacon light on its roof, the gaffer tape wrapped around its mirrors, or the gloriously simple interior and CD player that spoke to me. In fact, it spoke so loudly I nearly bought it.
Those who know me will be saying that it can’t just be aesthetics that appealed to me, there has to be a geekier reason. There is, strap in. The old Ford Rangers were rebadged Mazda trucks from 1998 to 2011, but from 2011 the Ranger has been all Ford. The X-reg Ranger spoke to me because it, like the PHEV version I’ve just been driving, shows how far the Ranger has come.

It’s what I love about this job… every single van or pick-up truck has a story if you like doing a bit of digging. The Ranger of today is not the same as the Ranger of yesteryear; like me it’s grown, evolved and aged like a fine wine. Just like that X-reg Ranger. You know what? Maybe I’ll take another look.