A FEW weeks back I got behind the wheel of Europe's favourite pick-up in one of its less expensive forms and found it to be a great package thanks to its good looks and ability to tackle any job.

The Ford Ranger XL Double Cab may not have had the flash of some other models in the range but it was still a family friendly tough customer.

Now you can buy an off-road focused version called the Tremor which comes with long-travel suspension, Bilstein dampers, added rugged body features and a new load system that allows longer items to be carried more easily.

Ford says its Flexible Rack System makes it easier to carry items such as ladders, planks and kayaks and the set up is also available as anoption for the regular Ranger Wildtrak.

The Tremor is based on the XL derivative of the Ranger and the version I sampled cost £35,865 and listed an additional £450 for Power Pack 3.

As well as some extra grunt, the ride height is increased by 26mm and 30mm has been added to the track width for sure-footedness on rugged terrain.

The Tremor alsofeatures Bilstein dampers and is fitted with a heavy-duty power steering system and a protective steel bash plate for added off-road protection.

Standard off-road technologies include Trail Turn Assist,which uses brake-based torque vectoring to reduce turning radius by up to 25 per cent when tight turns are needed and Trail Controlwhichoperates in a similar way to cruise control allowing the driver to select a speed below 20mph and the vehicle will automatically manage acceleration and braking to maintain the selected speed.

Powered by Ford's 2.0-litre EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel engine the Tremor delivers 500 Nm of torque and 205ps and is mated to a verygood 10 speed automatic gearbox.

It is ideal for tackling very rough terrain but it still offers decent handling and ride on less challenging surfaces. It cruises comfortably at motorway speeds and has lots of kit.

The stylish new front and grille makes the Tremor more muscular and it comes with smart alloys and special tyres, large wheelarchflares,metal underbody protection, splashguards, roll bar and heavy duty side steps.

The roomy cabin offers lots of creature comforts and room for a family of five or four adult workers and boasts equipment to satisfy leisure owners.

You get lots of kit including a rear view camera, new large central touchscreen with Ford Sync 3 technology, a DAB radio, heated windscreen, and a large number of power sockets as well as a leather sport steering wheel with multimedia controls as well as dual power mirrors and windows.

There is manual air conditioning and rotary selectable drive modes. You can also select between a choice of two or four-wheel-drives and low and high ratios.

Safety featuresinclude a lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, a collision mitigation system, intelligent speed assistance and cruise control.

The Tremor has a claimed combined WLTP figure of 27.4 mpg but that will depend on how hard you drive it and how heavy it is loaded.