Oz premiere for Ford Ranger

The intense competition in Australia's ever-popular ladder-frame ute class is set to ramp up once more, with the locally developed and heavily revised PX MkII Ranger finally reaching Australian shores.

The new Ranger family has been unveiled to the nation's motoring press at a media launch in Victoria, the event seeing a variety of model grades sampled over a selection of sealed and unsealed roads, and culminating in a workout at the Melbourne 4x4 Training and Proving Ground at Werribee.

Ford Australia says the new model will hit showrooms from September.

The new Ranger sees its ladder-frame chassis and driveline options carried over from the previous model, but the updated offering brings with it refreshed styling, a new cabin interior, and – in the higher trim grades – a raft of new technology.

Also new is the appearance of Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS), an adjustable speed limiter, a cable-shift manual transmission, auto stop/start on manual 4x2 Hi-Rider and 4x4 models, a 230-volt inverter (Double and Super Cab models) and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

The new range spans 11 4x2 models and 26 4x4 models, with the full gamut of body styles including Single Cab, Super Cab and Double Cab in both cab/chassis and pick-up formats. The same five basic trim grades have also been retained, beginning with the entry-level XL and moving up to the XL Plus, XLS and XLT, before topping out with the flagship Wildtrak.

The two engines options also continue, the entry-level 2.2-litre TDCi five-cylinder turbo-diesel offering 118kW and 385Nm and the top-spec 3.2-litre TDCi five-cylinder turbo-diesel pushing out 147kW and 470Nm. The adoption of electric steering and a range of other tweaks has
boosted the 2.2-litre unit's output by 8kW and 10Nm. The 3.2-litre
engine's output remains unchanged but features flatter torque and power
curves, while fuel economy has improved by up to 20 per cent in some
models, says Ford.

The engines can be paired with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

With extensive input from Ford Australia's own Design Centre, the Thai-manufactured Ranger receives a styling lift with a new trapezoidal grille, repositioned headlights and new wheel designs, while models with sports bars now benefit from an integrated cargo light.

Ford says the new cabin interior has been "enhanced to deliver a car-like environment that is more innovative and functional", with new soft-touch materials and noise-suppression measures further blurring the line between LCV and passenger car.

While the new Ranger brings with it an array of new technology, the benefits are largely restricted to the highest trim grades.

XLT and Wildtrak models come fitted with Ford's latest SYNC2 multimedia unit, featuring a large 8-inch touch-screen and boasting an advanced array of user-friendly voice commands. These models also receive satellite navigation with traffic management channel, a DAB digital radio and a mobile WiFi hotspot function, along with the new tyre pressure monitoring system.

As is the case with the current Ranger line-up, a reversing camera is standard only in the Wildtrak and optional in the XLT. The latter also comes with rear parking sensors, while the Wildtrak scores front and rear sensors.

Ford says the Ranger's advanced new safety technologies rival – and even surpass – those of $60,000 luxury passenger cars, but again they're only available in the XLT and Wildtrak. Available as a 'Tech Pack', the aids include adaptive (radar) cruise control with Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keep Assist, the latter actively guiding the vehicle back into its lane should it begin to wander.

The optional Tech Pack – $1100 for the XLT, with reversing camera, and $600 for the Wildtrak, which has the camera as standard – also features a Driver Impairment Monitor, which uses a rear-facing camera, among other inputs, to warn the driver of dangerous levels of fatigue.

These come on top of standard safety features like stability control with rollover mitigation and load-adaptive control, hill start assist, emergency brake assist and Emergency Assistance. The latter works in conjunction with the SYNC2 system in the XLT and Wildtrak to alert emergency services that the vehicle has been involved in a serious accident. The systems provides a GPS location and automatically opens a line of communication with emergency services via the driver's paired smartphone.

The new Ranger retains its best-in-class braked towing capacity of 3500kg (shared with Holden's Colorado, Nissan's Navara, Isuzu's D-MAX and the soon-to-be-released new Toyota HiLux) and an 800mm wading depth, while ground clearance is also at the upper end of the scale, at 230mm.

Off-road the Ranger benefits from a dual-stage transfer case with electronic switch actuation and an electronically locking rear differential. A hill decent control provides enhanced traction at a preset speed on difficult declines.

Pricing for the new range has seen increases made across the board, save for the two XLS manual models. The new Wildtrak now costs $700 more, while 4x2 models have been slugged appreciably – the entry-level 4x2 XL is now $3650 more.

Pricing for the new Ranger family is as follows:

4x2
XL single cab chassis 2.2L manual – $27,390 (+$3650)
XL single cab chassis 2.2L Hi Rider manual – $30,890 (+$2150)
XL single cab chassis 2.2L Hi Rider auto – $33,090 (+$2350)
XL single cab pick-up 2.2L manual – $28,390 (+$3650)
XL Super Cab chassis 2.2L Hi-Rider auto – $35,590 (+$2350)
XLT Super Cab pick-up 3.2L Hi-Rider auto – $46,690 (+$2950)
XL double cab chassis 2.2L Hi-Rider auto – $37,590 (+$1600)
XL double cab pick-up 2.2L Hi-Rider manual – $36,390 (new)
XL double cab pick-up 2.2L Hi-Rider auto – $38,590 (new)
XLT double cab pick-up 3.2L Hi-Rider manual – $46,490 (+$2000)
XLT double cab pick-up 3.2L Hi-Rider auto – $48,690 (+$2200)

4x4
XL single cab chassis 2.2L manual – $38,790 (+$400)
XL single cab chassis 3.2L manual – $41,290 (+$400)
XL single cab chassis 3.2L auto – $43,490 (+$600)
XL Plus single cab chassis 3.2L auto – $46,480 (+$200)
XL Super Cab chassis 3.2L manual – $43,790 (+$400)
XL Super Cab pick-up 3.2L manual – $44,790 (+$400)
XLT Super Cab pick-up 3.2L manual – $52,390 (+$1,000)
XLT Super Cab pick-up 3.2L auto – $54,590 (+$1,200)
XL double cab chassis 2.2L manual – $43,290 (+$400)
XL double cab chassis 2.2L auto – $45,490 (+$600)
XL double cab pick-up 2.2L manual – $44,290 (+$400)
XL double cab pick-up 2.2L auto – $46,490 (+$600)
XL double cab chassis 3.2L manual – $45,790 (+$400)
XL double cab chassis 3.2L auto – $47,990 (+$600)
XL Plus double cab chassis 3.2L auto – $51,960 (+$200)
XL double cab pick-up 3.2L manual – $46,790 (+$400)
XL double cab pick-up 3.2L auto – $48,990 (+$600)
XL Plus double cab pick-up 3.2L auto – $52,960 (+$200)
XLS double cab pick-up 2.2L manual – $45,590 (no change)
XLS double cab pick-up 2.2L auto – $47,790 (+$200)
XLS double cab pick-up 3.2L manual – $48,090 (no change)
XLS double cab pick-up 3.2L auto – $50,290 (+$200)
XLT double cab pick-up 3.2L manual – $54,390 (+$1,000)
XLT double cab pick-up 3.2L auto – $56,590 (+$1,200)
Wildtrak double cab pick-up 3.2L manual – $57,890 (+$500)
Wildtrak double cab pick-up 3.2L auto – $60,090 (+$700)

Features for the five Ranger trim grades are as follows:

Ranger XL
16-inch steel wheels
Bucket seats
Four-way manual driver's seat adjustment with lumbar support
Auto headlights
Air-conditioning – manual single-zone
Floor coverings – vinyl
Power windows
Day/night inside rear-view mirror
230-volt inverter (Double and Super Cab)
Bluetooth with voice control
AM/FM stereo radio
Single MP3 compatible CD player
AUX/USB/iPod integration
4.2-inch colour multi-function display
SYNC 1 infotainment
Locking rear differential (4x2 Hi-Rider and 4x4 models)
Alarm with perimeter, interior motion and vehicle movement sensors
Cruise control with steering wheel mounted buttons
Adjustable Speed Limiter
Inner and outer tie downs (Pick-up)
Load rest (Pick-up)

Ranger XL Plus – XL features plus:
17-inch steel wheels with all-terrain tyres
Daytime running lamps
Plastic side steps
Instrumentation and controls:
Expanded wiring harness with four-switch auxiliary bezel
Second battery
3.5-inch ice blue multi-function display

Ranger XLS – XL features plus:
16-inch alloy wheels
Front fog lights
Floor coverings – carpet
Front floor mats

Ranger XLT – XLS features plus:
17-inch alloy wheels
Towbar
Chrome exterior trim
Plastic side steps with bright inserts
Sports bar with load box illumination
Privacy glass
Rear step bumper – accent steel
Power fold mirrors
Projector headlights
Rain sensing windscreen wipers
Dual colour 4.2-inch cluster screens
Dual-zone climate-control
Cooled console
Leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob
Electrochromatic rear-view mirror
SD Card Slot
8.0-inch colour touch screen
Navigation with Traffic Management Channel
SYNC 2
DAB Radio
Mobile WiFi Hotspot
Tyre pressure monitoring system
Rear park assist
Bedliner with 12-volt socket

Tech Pack Option:
Reverse camera
Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Alert
Driver Impairment Monitor
Lane Keep Assist
Lane Departure Warning

Tech Pack Option:
Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Alert
Driver Impairment Monitor
Lane Keep Assist
Lane Departure Warning

The Ranger has been steadily gaining on Toyota's dominant HiLux in recent years and this latest update will help that momentum. However, the new Ranger faces off against a fresh wave of rivals this year, and with next-gen offerings like Mitsubishi's Triton and Nissan's Navara, recent updates like Holden's Colorado and Volkswagen's Amarok, and the new Toyota HiLux just around the corner, the competition has never been hotter.

Check back soon for our full launch report and drive impression of the new Ford Ranger.