Ford Ranger RA Diesel Wildtrak (2022-2026)

Update, notwithstanding product review is “monitored by Ford” and they would’ve read my review, no reach out, “how can we help? at a minimum i would've thought that would happened, but no, silly me, just the same distain they have for customers that i read about in the northern hemisphere. Just appalling. Ford Australia Parts Rip Off. I'd like… Read more

to draw your attention to the attached photo's and a small square piece of trim that has detached in the last week or so through vibration or alike. I called Ford Spare Parts today and was offered / quoted this solution for a A$5.00 part that would cost no more than A$0.05c to produce. "Regarding the square plastic piece you are looking for. Unfortunately that is not a serviceable part and we are unable to get them by themselves. The only part we can get is the entire side rail of the Roller Shutter which is $1108.80 inc GST + fitment cost". As you can see the plastic part is seperate to the roller shutter and is just a clip in piece, all up this will be in excess of A$1500. If the quarantine delays of 2021 >2022 weren't enough of a slap in the face of the consumer - factually Ford Australia was told by AQIS in October 2022 not to store vehicles in paddocks due to seed and insect infestation, but they chose to so anyway with massive delays and then had the motoring press plead their case that they had nothing to answer for - Here I am again being taken for the proverbial ride.

Sensible alternative to a Ranger Raptor – This is the latest generation of Ford’s off-road focused Ranger. It’s not as extreme as the Raptor, but it costs a whole lot less and it can tow and carry a whole lot more. By the time I got my hands on this Wildtrak, it had completed over 10,000km of hard press car mileage. I was happy to see the trim on the exterior and interior was holding up… Read more

nicely, and the car returned few rattles and creaks even after being torture tested by a few publications as a new car.

The only real issue I had was how some trim pieces around the edge of the engine bay were presented. It didn’t fit flush with the car and seemed to be contrary to the ‘Built Ford Tough’ text printed on this trim. But other than that, I could see this Ranger being capable of copping some tough trails and refusing to fall apart because of it.

Our tester was priced at $67,190 before on-road costs for this engine. You’ll need to fork out $3000 more for the V6. And if you can, you should, as it’s more power and torque which is never a bad thing.

The warranty is a 5 year/unlimited kilometre offering, with Ford capping the first five services at $329 each.

You’ll need to bring the Raptor in for service every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

The speaker system inside the Ranger is decent, and can offer a bit of power behind your favourite songs and podcast. However, the diesel motor and all-terrain tyres do introduce some noise into the cabin.

Impressively, the Ranger Wildtrak has disc brakes all round; there isn’t a sneaky set of drum brakes on the rear.

This feels just a little more capable than Isuzu’s Utes at pulling up to a stop and without generating heat when doing heavy towing as a drum brake would, you should be in a better position to maintain braking ability on long descents.

Autonomous emergency braking and rear cross traffic alert is extremely helpful when navigating tight city streets or just in case you missed an object crossing your path.

You’re only getting 154kW (209hp) and 500Nm with this twin-turbo four-cylinder compared to the 184kW (250hp) and 600Nm you’ll find in the turbo-diesel V6.

It’s an older engine too, except for the fuel injectors which have apparently been fixed, seeing as these were a major pain point for many previous Ranger owners.

It’s not a rapid car, but the bi-turbo setup and healthy amount of torque makes highway acceleration effortless.

Off-road, having all 500Nm available from just 1750 rpm makes for extremely easy navigation and manoeuvring 4x4 trails without stamping at the accelerator.

The 10-speed automatic here is pretty good at recognising which gear to be in, although on occasion it lags to respond to input. This is possible because this is a diesel motor which is inherently less responsive than the twin-turbo petrol V6 I tested the previous week in the Raptor.

I especially loved the shifter, although the buttons on the side are a little awkward to use if you want to manually shift - there aren’t any paddles on the steering wheel here.

Around town, the Wildtrak feels a little agricultural when combined with rear leaf springs, a ladder-frame chassis and a diesel motor.

But for the most part, it’s a comfortable and composed ride on the paved stuff. Although, hit a bump too hard, and that leaf spring suspension in the rear will make sure you feel it.

When off-roading, the car had decent articulation, but it did feel just a little stiff.

Off-road drive modes help the permanent four-wheel drive system understand what it needs to do, and additional off-road assists via the screen further increase the capability of this truck. You can monitor pitch and roll and steering angle, and you can even view ahead of your ute via the front camera.

Ford claims this smaller motor will return just 7.6L per 100km in a combined test. I saw figures in the early 7L range, but peaking at 9-10L in the city.

The big screen in the centre is leagues above what competitors are doing in this space along with the large colour LCD display. Although, this smaller display (compared to the one in the Raptor) took away from the experience as it felt like it was already outdated.

Aside from that, the yellow stitching, branding, and leather trim are a fantastic addition to this cabin.

According to Ford, you can fit a Euro sized wood pallet in the bed of the new Ranger.

This Ranger can accept a payload of 985kg and tow up to 3.5 tonne (braked).

Our tester was fitted with a power rolling metal cover that felt exactly like what you’d expect from a truck at this price point in 2023. It’s easy to use and can be operated from the tray, key or inside the cabin. This was far superior to the manual roller covers I’ve used in the past.

There was clever packaging with the rear seats, as you could either fold the top half down or the seats up to increase interior storage. In addition, some neatly trimmed hidden storage boxes under the seat were a great way to hide muddy shoes or valuables.

As I’m writing this piece, I’m driving the new Everest Platinum with this motor, and it feels just that much better to cruise around in.

Also, that driver's display needs to go in favour of the better digital display found in the Ranger Platinum and Raptor range.

Aside from that, it’s a class leading off-road ute with features to match. Absolutely check one out and then compare other utes at this price to it. I guarantee you’ll struggle to match it for features, looks, and power. *Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.