Ford Ranger

Purchased my 25.25 brand new on 13th Jan 26 and in the couple of months ive owned it, words cant describe how happy and excited everytime i get in and go for a drive... Im not Rich, just received a Compo settlement and decided thus would be my only chance ever to buy one. Purchased from Peter Dullard Ford (Bairnsdale Vic) and my buying experience… Read more

and follow up feedback from Ford has been wonderful.

Im 58yo and my only issue is i need a Forklift to get up into it...But seriously its a beautiful car and im not the Ranger Danger driver like the You-Tube dashcam sites like to make a point of saying.....

Too much money spent to be an id*ot in it and ive always tried to be safe and with all the Safety Features and Tech in it....Just brilliant and almost drives itself.

Only Whinge....I do not like the Auto Stop/Start as its not good on wear and tare on the car.... Hopefully one day Ford will do a Software Update to give a permanent option not to have to turn it off everytime you start the car.

Absolute Beast...And in Code Orange....It Pops

Plug-in hybrid utes are in all the headlines at the moment, and I drove the one no one is talking about - the Ford Ranger Stormtrak. This is Ford’s first plug-in hybrid Ranger, and it needed to impress me in order to make a convincing case as to why someone should spend over $90,000 on one. The BYD Shark 6 owns this segment for now, with it… Read more

being one of the first plug-in hybrid trucks to market here in Australia. It’s packed with features, has excelled in its reviews and is offered at a very reasonable price.

The Ford Ranger Stormtrak offers less pure electric range, and asks a higher price in its fully optioned form than the BYD Shark. And that’s going to be where most people stop comparing these utes and simply pick the BYD Shark.

However, the Ford has some advantages over the Shark. It’s got a live rear axle. Meaning it’s just that bit more capable off road. For those buying a ute, that should matter. Otherwise you should stick to buying an SUV.

This PHEV Ranger drives and feels just like a regular Ranger. But benefits from more torque and the option to drive fully electric when you need it to.

I find the case for a fully optioned Ranger PHEV Stormtrak less and less convincing for the price. If you want a rugged 4x4 Ranger you can get less expensive flavours of the Stormtrak. And if you want all the options, you can get alternatives like the Ranger Platinum and Ranger Raptor which I’d argue are better options for the money.

I had a great time with the Ranger Stormtrak. But that was largely because it was doing all the Ranger things well. Which includes ease of use, comfort and being extremely practical.

The only reason you’d get one of these is because you want everything that makes a Ford Ranger appealing, but you want the added benefit of reduced fuel consumption and the option to drive up to 40km on pure electric power if you have a place to charge it every night.

Sadly for Ford (which is good news for buyers), there are strong alternatives from China available to buy. The $90,000 price tag casts a huge shadow over all the things the Ranger Stromtrak does so well.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/Wicwl27l694?si=Udtg3-Rf845AWbfi

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.

It combines the luxury of a SUV and practicality of a Ute into one vehicle – The F-150 Platinum has reigned supreme as the ultimate one-car solution for many families in the United States. It combines the luxury of a SUV and practicality of a truck into one vehicle. Ford Australia has now done the same treatment to the smaller Ranger. You get a nicer driver display, upgraded wheels, upholstery and features over a… Read more

standard Ranger. It's positioned between the Wildtrak and the Raptor, and is suited best for those who want to travel far in comfort.

No longer does the Ranger feel like a work truck, or look like a rugged off-roader. Instead, it feels more upmarket, and will put those Mercedes X Class drivers to shame with what's offered here.

However, you can't shake the smaller entry for the second row compared to a Ford Everest and all of these features come at a fairly significant cost too.

The turbo-diesel V6 is a delight when paired to the 10-speed automatic for a range of driving conditions. And of course, the Ranger Platinum handles loose surface driving with ease.

Ford's flexible rack system is available on the Ranger Platinum too. Which is a delightfully easy to operate system that allows you to quickly mount long items like a paddle-board on the roof of the Ranger Platinum.

If you don't need the extreme off-road ability of the Ranger Raptor, and want something a little nicer than the Ranger Wildtrak, the Ranger Platinum is the ideal middle ground.

It's also the only Ranger, outside of the Raptor, that get's the upgraded digital instrument cluster too.

And to help with daily access to the rear tray, you have a damped tailgate which will avoid making a scene by gracefully lowering itself into position, rather than slamming down on its hinges.

It's an excellent solution for families who want the comfort of their $80,000 SUV, but are seeking the practicality of a Ute with proper off-road abilities too.

*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.

The most fun you can have driving a dual-cab ute – The first Ford Ranger Raptor was a good starting point, but by rewriting the playbook with a twin-turbo petrol V6 engine, Ford has produced a Ranger worthy of being a poster truck. It’s a ute people will aspire to own and drive, unlike its competitors. Rattles and squeaks were hard to come by, even after being thrashed on some fast sections of… Read more

dirt.

There were some loose trim pieces under the bonnet, but that’s all I could really fault on Raptor.

This is a shocker for a lot of traditional ute buyers. Priced from $85,490 before on-road costs, you’re essentially buying the only mid-sized performance ute sold in Australia today.

There are no direct competitors that offer this level of off-road performance and power in the shape of a ute. That’s unless you want a bigger truck that’ll set you back closer to $200,000 in the form of a RAM TRX.

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 Raptor is a fine way to listen along to music, podcasts and even take phone calls.

You are riding in a Ranger that is in every way an off-road performance ute. This means noise from those BF Goodrich tyres will be noticeable and that that V6 isn’t there just to produce power. The sound out of those twin exit exhausts is an Australian first; we have never had a ute produce sounds like this.

In Baja mode, you get the full fat sounds of this V6 as it barks and pops and gurgles, in return eliciting unreal laughter and smiles. I’m almost in disbelief that we finally have a Ranger Raptor that makes all the right Raptor sounds like it’s bigger brother, the F-150 Raptor, does.

Hard braking in the Raptor takes a little while to get used to, honestly. You need to readjust to the fact that this is a fast ute, not a fast and low road car. It takes just a little longer to come to a complete stop quickly, due to the weight, height and suspension tune of this vehicle.

You are getting unique brakes on the Ranger Raptor, with Think Bridge twin callipers, front and rear vented discs with a new ABS and stability control system to help with off-road braking and handling.

This 3.0L twin-turbocharged petrol V6 produces 292kW (274hp) and 583Nm! It’s unreal power in such a relatively small truck and when compared to full-size utes.

This is a sibling of the same Raptor motor found in the fire breathing Bronco Raptor, which we don’t get here sadly.

It’ll only take you 5.5 seconds on the road to get the Ford Ranger Raptor to hit 100km/h - a strange thing to write about a Ranger straight from a showroom floor.

On the road, it’s addicting to have this much power and boot under your right foot. You can easily get yourself into trouble as a large and wide ute with a Baja exhaust note isn’t exactly discreet.

Off-road, those tyres manage to find grip along with the permanent four-wheel drive system to project this ute faster than most can react. You’re getting a tamed Baja ute straight out of the showroom, which is a surreal feeling to experience when you find sections of dirt you can exploit this power on.

I was a little curious to see how a 10-speed automatic like this would perform in the real world. Well, just after a few moments of driving, it was clear that this was the superior choice for this ute.

You have the option to let the gearbox do its thing and respond quickly to your inputs and driving style, or you can shift via the race-inspired paddle shifters on the wheel which provide excellent feel and engagement.

Dial this car into its sportier settings, and that gearbox kicks through gears and really adds to the performance spice this Raptor has to offer.

This isn’t your typical Ranger with a new engine and body kit. This is a girthy ute with a wide stance, meaning it is over 2 metres (2028mm) wide compared to the normal 1918mm you’d find on a standard Ranger.

On top of that there have been chassis reinforcements, new shock tower mounts, unique lower and upper control arms and a Watt’s link equipped coil-spring rear suspension system to help with handling.

And you can’t forget the iconic Raptor pairing of Fox Shocks. These shocks are a 2.5-inch Live Valve Internal Bypass shock absorber which can adjust and adapt at up to 500 times a second.

I’ve been in some pretty expensive off-road SUVs, like the Land Rover Defender. But nothing comes close to how playful, reactive and capable this ute feels at a range of speeds.

To help with off-road handling, you have a few drive modes to choose from, where you can let the vehicle choose the right settings depending on the surface. You also have front and rear locking differentials and trail control to further push this ute out of tricky situations.

I spent just over $350 fuelling the Raptor for the week. That was after some daily driving and a trip to Canberra and back for some off-roading.

The claimed fuel efficiency is 11.5L per 100km. You’re going to find it hard to achieve that, as I was seeing combined figures between 12-18L per 100km.

The vertical touchscreen is a breath of fresh air in the conservative ute market, even if some hidden functions can be fiddly to find at times. Wireless Apple CarPlay works well, but I did find it freezing on me on occasion, either due to a connection issue or the fact that your phone overheats while on the wireless charging pad.

The driver display is gorgeous to use and look at. I adored the animations for the drive modes, and it really helped the Raptor feel like it was a bonafide Ford Performance product, and not just a signed off project from Ford North America.

According to Ford, you can fit a Euro-sized wood pallet in the bed of the new Ranger. With a spray-in bed liner offered with the Raptor as standard, it’s a good looking and tough space to throw in your luggage.

Just make sure you don’t exceed the now limited payload (717kg) and towing capacity (2.5T braked) all for the sake of better handling and driving characteristics. It’s a fair trade I’d say, seeing as that’s more than enough for most enthusiasts who don’t need more than this.

This is better than your old Ranger Raptor in every which way, unless you’re dying to drive a diesel. It’s better than the competitors who offer a top-spec ute that’s meant to be ‘exciting’. And it’s a whole lot cheaper than an American import.

*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.

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.

Ranger 3.2, 6 speed Manual, 4X4. Owned since new, a bit over 200,000km. Have fitted driving lights, reversing camera, reversing proximity warning system, additional fuel filtration, HD towing system with electric brake controller, Provent 2000 Catch Can, shock absorbers OM side steps & Wildtrack alloy rims. From end of warranty serviced by me - … Read more ·  2

Engine oil change every 7500 km, All liquids changed every 50,000km. Filters as per Ranger Service Schedule Instrument cluster replaced at 150,000km - LED background light failed. All Intercooler pipes replaced when cold side pipe split about 190,000km

Used as "everyday" driver & towing extended horse float.

Pro's Great "tug" - plenty of reserve power, tows easily at legal speed limits. Comfortable & reasonably quiet (with windows closed) for long trips. Seat & steering wheel adjustments very good. Good aircon & heating. For a ute, it handles well/holds the road.

Cons Paint very poor quality Parts very expensive - Instrument cluster replacement $1,000.00 (including computer work). Old tech would have cost me $5.0 & 15 minutes of my time to replace globes. Power steering has little feel/feedback. Gear lever could have been shorter. Rear windows must be used regularly to prevent sticking closed. Visibility partially obstructed by front right roof pillar - easy to "lose" a small car/motorbike.

207,500km Follow Up- Car running well but decided to preemptively replace all 5 injectors. In process of injector replacement, discovered two preheat "Glow Plugs" defective. Big job to replace however good opportunity to remove carbon build up in EGR system. I am surprised at how much better the car now runs - very smooth and extra power. Hoping for slightly improved fuel economy

Great at towing, everything else is terrible – First thing this car is amazing at towing. The 3ltr is a great engine and you wouldn't know it's a deisel. Everything else on the car is, well meh. The suspension is super soft so if you want to carry anything you'll need to drop at least 3k on that. I was lucky enough to get the dredded tailshaft vibration that so many have been plagued with.… Read more

The tech is terrible, the screen constantly freezes and sometimes goes blank. I get so many warnings for nothing. The cameras aren't lined up and no amount of "calibrating" has fixed this. The blind spots don't work and have "no warranty" as i have a tray fitted. And the interior is poor quality I've had plastics replaced due to uv damage and at 46,000kms the steering wheel is worn and needs replacing, also "no warranty". Don't waste your money, if you want a ranger buy an amarok l.

Saggy baggy springs – Bought a ford ranger for its towing capacity 3.5 tonne and 350 kg ball weight. My caravan weighs 1.8 tonne with 180 kg ball weight. Went for 3 weeks holiday towing caravan came back after a week because it was dangerous towing the caravan( I have towed other bigger vans with different tow vehicles with no problem )Took car to ford and all they did… Read more

was measure the sitting height of the car and said it was 10 mm low on one side and 6 mm low on other side and car is well within its limit. The ford diagnosis was that I would need to up grade my suspension to tow my caravan. The car has been taken to 2 other suspension company’s and both said the suspension under load is failing. Ford never tested the ford under load just measured it. Looking buying another Ute and both of the dealers guarantee that there vehicle will be fine towing a 1.8 tonne 180 kg ball weight caravan. . If you buy a new car with that towing capacity then that car should be able to tow it

Love it – The ride, comfort and poise is simply exceptional, more like an SUV than a ute The driver assist safety equipment package is comprehensive and mostly works very well The biturbo four lacks a little compared to the V6, but it’s entirely competitive against rivals

Wrong tyre change tool kit supplied. Technically unroadworthy new car – This work car I drove was one owner, 38,000km. The tyre blew out and I tried to lower the spare tyre with the supplied tool kit. It wouldn’t fit so I called roadside assistance. The RACV guy confirmed that it wouldn’t fit and called a tow truck. He said I needed the rod that has a square taper head or spade shaped head. Mine is the T shaped head… Read more

and did not fit in the white plastic funnel that operates the spare tyres winch. 2022 is a changeover year from PX-III to Next generation Ranger, so the factory line workers in Thailand must have put the wrong kit in.

Lucky I only broke down 5 min away from a Ford dealer. Ford needs to recall these Rangers for tool kit inspection before someone breaks down in the outback. They are technically unroadworthy brand new if supplied with the wrong tyre lowering rod.

Average build quality – Picked my car up 20th December 23. Drives a dream not bad fuel consumption, v6 engine pull well.gearbox is smooth. Build quality pretty good except when I washed it for the second time one of the platinum letters fell off. I have to put a claim in to ford to fix it, the car is 2 months old. Also has a vibration sitting between 70 and 80kmh had it… Read more ·  3

looked at and it needs a new drive shift. Starting to wish I had stuck with Toyota, still got my cruiser so the ranger might go.

Lemon Ford Ranger – brought the ute in December 22 by February 23 it sat at the car yard at motorama ford Moorooka QLD for 3 months waiting for a computer chip? only to be told was the incorrect one then waited another week to get the Ute back, have taken it back 3 times in 8 months to have the computer sorted, the boot lid keeps leaking, Motorama ford had the Ute… Read more

for 3 weeks to review it due to our ongoing complaints, when I called them to fond out whats going on! they admitted they forgot that they had the Ute?????, I then had to wait until they looked at it, Ford Australia will not give us our money back or recognize the ongoing issues with the computer, we are stuck with a "LEMON "

The perfect 4x4 for around the city, long distance drives and for the beach get away – The perfect 4x4 for around the city or the open country roads and also for the weekend get away to the beach or favourite fishing destination Show details

Ranger all the way – I have 2 PX.111 and no problems at all, both have over 80k km they have not missed a beat, cheap servicing by ford no issues at all, comfortable, easy to drive, I also have a Next gen and its great to but have only put 15k kms on it, all 3 no complaints. Show details

great ute love it – I have 3 Rangers currently, I love the Next gen the most, so comfortable to drive, big side mirrors make vision easy, I also have a tesla and I still prefer the next gen ranger, the other rangers vary from 4 to 2 years old driven by my workers and they have never missed a beat. I need another 2 and I will only buy rangers for my workers, they have no complaints. Show details

First Ford in 35 years – I have recently purchased a 3.2XLT with a plus pack with low mileage. Beautiful car but nervous about some of the bad press. The ride is excellent, interior noise is very low and fuel consumption is as expected. Don’t let me down ford this is a stunning car if this is good and lasts I will upgrade brought it to tow our caravan and see Australia Show details