2022 Ford Ranger details finally drop! "Toughest, most capable and most connected Ranger yet" reveal and on-sale timings locked in

Ford Australia has finally confirmed its 2022 Ranger will appear later this year, but you'll have to wait just a little while longer to actually get behind the wheel of one.

Along with releasing a photo of the new Ranger testing in "its natural habitat" – namely the red dirt of Australia's vast outback – Ford also confirmed the covers would come off the ute "later this year" ahead of its 2022 launch.

Now, there's not that much "later" left in 2021, which means we're weeks – or, at worst, months – away from seeing the new Ranger, and we suspect it will hit dealers in Q1 2022, so the wait is almost over.

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"Captured testing in its natural habitat, the Next-Generation Ranger has been designed and engineered in Australia for local conditions and will be the toughest, most capable and most connected Ranger yet developed by Ford," the brand promises in a statement.

"With superior off-road credentials paired with Ford’s dynamic driving DNA, the Next-Generation Ranger will be the perfect vehicle for work, family, and play. This is not just a Built Ford Tough truck; it is the smartest and most versatile Ranger yet."

That's about all they've told us so far about the new Ranger, at least officially, but there's plenty we think we know about the brand's most important new model.

Not strictly all-new, but rather a heavily updated model, the new Ranger is expected to ride on a revised version of the brand's T6 platform, this time called ‘T6.2’ – which it will share with the new VW Amarok.

It's tricky to see under all the camouflage, but the new Ranger is also expected to take its design cues from the new F-150, while inside, the tech offering will include a bigger touchscreens and Ford's newest user interface software.

The big question, though, is what will be powering it?

The brand's 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine (from the current Ranger Raptor) will likely be the only carry-over engine, and will appear in much more of the new range. It is expected to be joined by a new 130kW/420Nm single-turbo version for entry-level variants.

They're expected to be joined by a pair of flagship V6 engines – a 3.0-litre single-turbo diesel producing about 185kW/600Nm, and a 2.7-litre twin-turbo petrol developing around 230kW/540Nm – the former of which will likely appear in the new Raptor.

And even a PHEV model appears likely, with a plug-in hybrid variant recently spied testing in Europe -- though it's not expected to be available at launch.

All will be revealed soon, with the Ford Ranger now thundering towards its official reveal.