I THINK in another life I must have been a cowboy because I just love westerns.

I was in seventh heaven, therefore when Ford sent me their Ranger pickup in the Limited trim. My inward soul immediately went ‘Yeehah!'.

And while this is not Ford's biggest pickup by any means, it is probably one of the most suitable to our roads which tend to be narrower and our parking spaces smaller than in the US.

At the same time this is no midget of a motor. It stands high on big rugged 17-inch alloys so that, if you are small like me, you use the grab handle to swing yourself into the driving seat adroitly making use of the well placed running boards. (Sooo stylish).

It has a bold grille front, and in this version, a double cab with privacy glass, a flat bed at the rear with bold, chrome bars to hang onto. There is even a chrome finish steel rear step bumper.

In fact when you buy a car like this you get quite the list of equipment you would not get on a mainstream vehicle - load bay illumination, a 12-volt power socket in the rear and a C-channel tie down system.

While many people are buying this car as a fashion statement, Ford has made sure to kit it out practically as well for those who want it as a rather good workhorse.

It therefore comes with all wheel drive and a n electronic high and low range selection, the payload is up to 1,155kg with a braked trailer weight of 3,500g. For just £300 you will get a towbar.

If all this sounds rather rugged then one look at the inside of the cab will quickly dispel any notion that you will be roughing it in this car. The Ranger Limited comes with a leather seat trim and plenty of space in the double cab for front and rear passengers, although you can spec it with a single cab.

Interestingly the power heated door mirrors have puddle lights for an extra bit of lux.

The Ranger has all the tech Ford put into its cars with DAB, a CD player, Bluetooth, Ford's SYNC 3 system and voice controls too. Most of the systems are accessed via the 8-inch touchscreen on the centre console and there is even a coolbox there for America's national drink.

It is a big powerful drive, motoring along with 2.2-litres under the bonnet delivering 160ps but at the same time it is not a car you feel you are battling with all the time. The six-speed automatic gearbox makes the job really easy and the steering is neither heavy nor clumsy.