The most popular engine with buyers, reckons Ford, is the 140bhp 2.5-litre turbodiesel coupled to the five-speed manual gearbox. There is an auto available, but it blunts the already mediocre performance so is best avoided. A 3.0-litre turbodiesel with 153bhp is also on the price list but we could spot little discernible advantage in oomph and the larger engine is less refined than the already borderline 2.5-litre unit. As a commercial vehicle that will appeal to some private buyers, the Ranger doesn’t have the get up and go or transmission finesse to compete with the likes of the Land Rover Freelander. However, the Ford has bags of low-down pull (243lb ft at 1800rpm) to haul the Ranger up any slope, carry one tonne in the load bed and tow up to three tonnes, so it certainly cuts it as a workhorse.

Ride & Handling
Compared to other pick-ups available to private buyers who might want to use the Ranger as a family car, the Ford acquits itself reasonably well. The soft-ish suspension wallows and lurches its way along the road, soaking up most bumps but with little in the way of sophistication or astute control. Similarly, the steering feels remote and needs a fair few turns even with power assistance as standard. As for corners, these are best approached in a leisurely manner to avoid excessive body lean. Stack up the Ranger against the likes of the Nissan X-Trail or Land Rover Freelander, however, and the Ford loses out badly. On the upside, the Ranger is superb when it comes to off-roading. There’s a choice of high-ration two- and four-wheel drive, plus low-ratio four-wheel drive for serious dirt defying acts. With good ground clearance and front and rear overhangs that don’t catch too readily in tight gullies, the Ford Ranger is more than up to its intended task.

Build Quality & Reliability
Most Rangers are likely to spend their time as working vehicles, so the load bed needs to be a tough cookie. It looks well made and sturdy and Ford offers a load liner plus an armadillo-style concertina-ing cover to keep loads dry and secure. Inside the cabin, the plastics are functional and rugged, so the Ranger should still be in one piece after a few years’ of hard graft. The leather seats of the Thunder model are better suited to family use than a million builders’ bums, but Ford has incorporated all of its commercial vehicle know-how into the Ranger to make it a solid proposition. The engine, gearbox and rest of the mechanical parts all have a proven track record so should not give any concerns.

Safety & Security
In double cab form, the Ranger is best viewed as a four-seater as the rear bench only comes with two three-point seat belts – the middle passenger has to make do with only a lap belt. The XLT, Thunder and Wildtrack models come with six airbags, and anti-lock brakes are fitted to every Ranger. In the load bed, there are securing hooks to tether goods. All Rangers come with remote central locking, immobiliser, visible vehicle identification number and a fuel filler flap that can only be opened by a lever in the cabin.

Space & Practicality
This is what the Ford Ranger is all about and when it comes to hauling loads, it’s a great buy. The load bed can carry up to one tonne and you can choose from three different load bed lengths, depending on which body style you choose. The longest load bay is with the two-door single cab version, while the double cab model has the shortest cargo bed, though even this is more than 1.5-metres long. Inside, the driver has a comfortable pew, though there’s not as much adjustment in the driving position as in some, and the view out is typically commanding for this type of vehicle. Plenty of cubbies, boxes and bins provide ample cabin storage, but space for rear seat passengers is adequate at best. Those in the rear will also find their knees forced up towards their chin due to the high floor and rear bench being set low to the floor.

Ownership & Value
The fashion for buying %link1% as family transport has waned now, largely as a result of there no longer being any Benefit in Kind tax advantages. Accordingly, the Ranger makes most sense for business users who can claim back the VAT, which makes the Ford Ranger one of the best value pick-ups on the market. In Thunder Double Cab guise at £22,540 (or £19,600 excluding VAT), it comes with leather seat, air conditioning, decent CD stereo alloy wheels, reverse parking sensors and enough chrome brightwork to look snazzy. Combined fuel economy of 30.4mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 255g/km for the 2.5-litre turbodiesel engine are hardly impressive but they’re on a par with the Ranger’s rivals’.

Ford introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines. Henry Ford‘s methods came to be known around the world as Fordism by 1914.

Ford is currently the fourth-largest automaker in the world, directly behind Volkswagen. In 2007, Ford fell from second to third ranked automaker in US sales for the first time in 56 years, behind only General Motors and Toyota. However, Ford occasionally outsells Toyota on monthly periods (most recently, during the summer months of 2009). As of 2008, Ford has become the second largest automaker in Europe (only behind Volkswagen), with sales that occasionally exceed those in the United States and large markets in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.Ford is the seventh-ranked overall American-based company in the 2008 Fortune 500 list, based on global revenues in 2008 of $146.3 billion. In 2008 Ford produced 5.532 million automobiles and employed about 213,000 employees at around 90 plants and facilities worldwide. Starting in 2007, Ford received more initial quality survey awards from J. D. Power and Associates than any other automaker. Five of Ford’s vehicles ranked at the top of their categories and fourteen vehicles ranked in the top three

When it comes to automobile security, the world is raving about car radio security codes. Most people who use vehicles will often find a car radio security code which is already in use. They may not, however, know about it because different car manufacturers term them differently. They are popularly referred to as radio code, theft-lock, unlock code, security code, anti-thief code, or decoding.

www.fordradiocode.info

The purpose of the radio code is not to protect your vehicle itself, but as the name suggests, safeguarding your radio/stereo. The car radio security code is not needed for any other vehicle functions. The basic purpose of having such a system in place is to minimize theft by discouraging potential thieves from stealing your car stereo. At any given time, if the factory car stereo is removed from the vehicle, the miscreant can’t use the stereo. This is because the radio in question is rendered unusable in the absence of the specified radio code. The functioning of the stereo system is entirely dependent upon the car radio security code which is solely known by the owner. As such, the stolen stereo is of no use to anyone apart from the owner.

If you are the proud owner of a vehicle, quite obviously its security is top priority to you. As a safety measure, most people prefer to have their car audio system embedded with a radio code or an anti-theft feature. Once the feature is operational, you will be required to enter a unique security code in order to unlock the radio.

Apart from instances when your stereo is stolen, the car radio security code may be required by car owners themselves, in case of certain possible snags. You will be required to provide your radio code when your battery dies. If the battery conks out completely, the code is required to get the stereo started again. You will also need the radio code if the factory radio harness is disconnected or if the battery is removed or tampered with excessively.

Of course, there are instances when, you may not be able to recall the radio code. In such circumstances, it is advisable to call your car manufacturer to help you get started. Though your radio will only lose its code in the event of a flat or disconnected battery, don’t assume that such events don’t take place. It is always wise to remember your car radio security code at all times. You never know when you need it.

You should not attempt to use a master reset option to set your code straight because that feature is not offered, in case of a car radio security code-loss. This is a restriction set for security reasons. There may be times when you purchase a used car and its radio security code provided doesn’t work. This may happen because the stereo in use may not be the one that was originally provided by the manufacturer. In other instances, the code could have been reset during an earlier lost key code situation. In such an event, your easiest way out is to have the car radio security code decoded.

www.fordradiocode.info

The ECOnetic part of the Mondeo’s nameplate comes from the car’s 2.0 Liter TDCi power plant that produces a maximum output of 115 HP that with the help of an optimal gear indicator helps the turbo diesel Mondeo to get an estimated average of 54.3 MPG. These numbers alone would be impressive for any vehicle, but when you consider that the new Mondeo ECOnetic is available with a set of stylish lightweight 16 or 17 inch rims, a lowered suspension as well as an optimized aero package complete with air deflectors and a rear spoiler all aimed at reducing fuel mileage robbing parasitic loss from heavy spinning items and aerodynamic drag that acts like a parachute pulling the car back from its intended direction of travel. In addition to all the items that make the ECOnetic Mondeo so great, the price trumps tem all; starting at only 23,295 for the space saving five door model and 24,545 for the estate.

Ford is introducing a new high series addition to its Mondeo line-up powered by ECOnetic technologies – the Mondeo Titanium 2.0 115PS TDCi with 139g/km CO2 emissions.

Targeting company car users increasingly conscious of company car tax costs while not compromising vehicle specification, the model is offered in five-door hatchback or estate form. Both deliver CO2 emissions of 139g/km and a combined fuel economy of figure of 54.3mpg.

While benefitting from Ford ECOnetic environmental features, this new model is otherwise identical to the standard Titanium series. The following features are added to help reduce CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy:

16in Y-Spoke lightweight alloy wheels (standard) 17in Y-spoke alloys (option) An optimum gear change indicator Aerodynamically optimised sports suspension and air deflectors Rear spoiler (five-door only)

ONLINE FORD STEREO DECODE AND UNLOCKING SERVICE

LOST YOUR RADIO CODE?
Even if your radio isnt asking for a code now, you will need it eventually. All is well while the radio works but at some point the power to the radio will be disconnected, whether it is through a flat battery or your mechanic needing to disconnect your battery to carry out routine engine work. When the power supply to the radio is diconnected, as a security feature, it wont work again until its factory radio code is entered to unlock it. This is good as a theft deterrant, but a pain if your the genuine owner who has misplaced your code. Its better to get your code now, and have it to hand when it is needed.

WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU
We can recover your code quickly and easily, at a fraction of the cost most Ford dealers charge. To do this, all you’ll need to do is send us the serial number of your radio.

Once we have recevied your serial number, your code will be processed and returned to you via email

CODES WE SUPPLY

We supply the Ford Factory radio code for All units that have a:

serial number prefixed with letter A for example : A123456

serial number prefixed with letter C for example : C123456

serial number prefixed with letter L for example : L123456

serial number prefixed with letter M for example : M123456

www.fordradiocode.info