In the back

The rear load area of the Thunder features a heavy flip-down tailgate, plastic loadbed protector and a grid to stop loads from breaking through the rear screen and killing the occupants.

The problem, as I found when I tried to load up a three-seater sofa to take to the local tip, is that there are no load lashing eyes.

I finished up tying the settee awkwardly on to the cab railings. Owners might like to consider one of the many truck tops to cover the rear end.

On the road

I wondered how Ford chose the name Thunder – that is until I started this truck up from cold one frosty morning.

There was a loud ker-chunk ker-chunk as the starter motor turned over, a massive cough, then a shake and roar loud enough to wake a pride of lions.

And that’s not to mention the huge cloud of black smoke that probably would have choked the poor creatures to death, had they been sleeping nearby.

But whereas this would normally have been marked down as a minus point in most vehicles, it somehow seemed befitting for this behemoth and I found a smile creeping over my face at the thought of getting out there on the road and frightening a few old ladies.

That’s the way the Thunder gets you, I’m afraid.

Gearchanging is clunky, the whole vehicle vibrates gently on idle and you certainly won’t win any prizes at the traffic light grand prix.

But the Thunder just wouldn’t seem right any other way.

And once out on the road at motorway speeds, the vehicle lopes along nicely and the engine settles down to a meaty thrum.

If you do happen to hit something, the Ranger features two energy-absorbing ‘crash cans’ between the front bumper and the frame of the vehicle.

They are designed to absorb the energy of the impact before it reaches the passenger compartment.

Even without knowing about this hidden asset, the Ranger Thunder feels enormously beefy.

The biggest problem driving this vehicle is its turning circle, which is akin to the new Queen Mary 2.

Parking at Sainsbury’s on a Friday evening can be an interesting affair, believe me.

Verdict

You either love these vehicles or hate them – there doesn’t seem to be a middle path.

Few fleets would buy the Thunder model for its off-road ability or its load-lugging capacity.

It’s a posing machine and that’s that.

But if your company needs to be noticed and admired, the Ford Ranger Thunder will do very nicely indeed.