Ford has released details of its new Ranger pickup, the highlight of which is a slick-sounding 10-speed automatic gearbox taken from the high-powered Mustang.

The models are due to arrive in Europe by the middle of 2019 and come with Ford’s 2-litre EcoBlue diesel engine fitted with an SCR kit to meet the latest emissions regs. Apparently the new engine and transmission combination delivers up to 9% better fuel consumption.

Naturally, the downgrade in engine size (from the current 3.2-litre TDCi diesel in the top-spec Wildtrak models) to the bi-turbo 2-litre will be greeted with a degree of cynicism from farming buyers, but Ford claims it delivers an impressive-sounding 213hp and 500Nm torque.

That’s a 13hp and 30Nm improvement on its predecessor.

See also: Pickup test: Ford Ranger Limited

Body styles includes regular, super and double-cab, and it comes with a pre-collision assist system that can detect rogue pedestrians. There’s a stack of other techy bits that can help with parking, adhering to speed limits and generally making life less stressful.

Elsewhere, wading depth is 800mm and ground clearance is 230mm, while approach and departure angles are 29deg and 21deg, respectively.

Ford, which sold 16,000 Rangers in the UK last year, has also managed to maintain the pickup’s highly-prized 3,500kg towing capacity and 1,252kg payload.