Ford updates Ranger work utes

It’s starting to look like a ute-fest! Shortly after Isuzu announced its all-new D-MAX and the facelifted Toyota HiLux went on sale, Ford has gulped its share of oxygen by announcing updates to the ‘working’ models in the popular Ford Ranger line-up.

In other words, for now, Ford is focussing on the 4×4 XL, XLS and XLT rather than the top-shelf Wildtrak and Raptor models.

The Ford Ranger is the biggest seller in the highly-competitive 4×4 pick-up and cab-chassis segment, narrowly ahead of the HiLux. The Toyota ute is the higher seller overall because of its dominance of the 4×2 segment.

Other upgrades include a new all-terrain tyre option for Ranger XL, a new heavy-duty pack for some XL models, a spray-in bedliner option and a new 17-inch black alloy wheel option for XLS.

The FordPass Connect embedded modem is also rolling out at this time across the Ranger range.

“Ranger has been designed and engineered in Australia, and our harsh continent is an ideal place to develop, test and test again to ensure Ranger meets the Tough Done Smarter mantra,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand.

“We’re working hard to ensure that tradies and their teams across the country, and businesses pushing to get back on their feet, have the right equipment and support to get on with what matters to them most.”

The Ford Ranger XL Special Edition is officially on-sale in September and includes a Ford factory bullbar with verified safety system compatibility and a five-year unlimited km warranty, an LED light bar and fixed-head snorkel.

The Ford Ranger XLT Fully Loaded also officially arrives in showrooms in September and wraps a bunch of options into a single pack including semi-auto parking, adaptive cruise control, 18-inch black alloy wheels and leather-accented seating.

The 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel auto costs $60,990 and the bi-turbo 2.0-litre 10-speed auto is $62,440. Both are $1500 more than the standard XLT dual-cab, which is the most popular individual model in the Ranger lineup.

The new offers come without any increase to recommended retail prices, which last headed upwards in May.

Ford is also offering drive-away discounts to ABN holders on some models and up to three years of free servicing can be accessed on some models.

The $500 all-terrain tyre option for XL is a Continental CrossContact fitted to larger 17 x 7.5-inch steel wheels in place of the standard 16-inch wheels. The new Ranger XLS wheels will set you back $750.

The Heavy Duty pack is priced at $1600 for the XL single-cab and double-cab pick-up. It is priced at $2000 for the super-cab and double-cab chassis.

The pack includes heavy-duty suspension, 17×7.5-inch black-painted steel wheels, the 17-inch Contis, solid wheel nuts, black side steps (excluding single-cab/chassis) and a reversing camera for cab-chassis models only, as it’s already standard for pick-ups.

The bedliner is factory applied and has a two-part coating. It costs $300 with the Sport and XLT double-cab pick-ups and $800 for the XLS and XLT. The price difference is because the higher-spec models already come with a drop-in bedliner.