Sometimes wishful thinking can lead to wishes being answered.

When government weathermen began predicting fair weather, it was time to take the umbrella to work.

It never fails to happen, weathermen predict rain, and you're liable to find yourself getting wet from sweating underneath all that rain gear under bright sunlight.

And when weathermen predicted fair weather one weekend, we began wishing we had a vehicle high off the ground rolling on all weather tires. You know, just in case it floods.

And out of the blue, we get a text from people representing Ford saying they have reserved the 2009 Ford Ranger Trekker for the weekend just for us.

Now there's the perfect vehicle for floods in the metro, the Trekker. High ground clearance, a 143 horsepower Duratorq diesel engine with a massive 330 Newton meters of torque, and all the Ford-built tough cache.

You guessed it, the day we picked up the Ranger from Ford Global City, it was raining off and on. The weathermen were right, it was fair weather; equal parts torrential rain, equal parts bright sunshine.

And my route to work got me to flooded streets. Cars were detouring this way and that to avoid some of knee-high water on the streets the MMDA promised were already flood-free except in rainy weather.

But we were on the mighty Trekker, we waded on through, careful not to speed too much and cause a splash and get the owners of flood-challenged vehicles wet with envy.

Getting through floods. That is one of the few reasons we could think of for getting a tall pickup with big tires.

But there're a few more reasons to want one like the Trekker.

Ford has given the Ranger a bit more flash in the looks department. Gone is the no-nonsense facade and profile.

The Trekker has even discovered overfenders. But thankfully not the stepboard.

The Trekkers, and we're thinking all the other 2009 Ranger variants, still have the tight handling. Stiff, yes, what with the front independent double wishbones and the rear semi-elliptic leaf springs, but tight as in responsive. Stable, too.

The Trekker interior looks cool, although rather spare despite the silver instrument panel and accents. And don't go looking for leather. That's not cool in local weather conditions.

You won't miss out on the standard convenience and entertainment features of sedans and even SUVs in the market. All the power amenities. Audio systems that play CDs, MP3, WMA, keyless entry and alarm with immobilizer. Twin airbags are standard, too. So are an Anti-Lock Brake System and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution.

All these, plus of course the manual climate control system, also make the Trekker great for when weathermen predict local warming.