Toughest ute ever? Fresh details reveal why the 2025 Ford Ranger Super Duty might be even more brutish than Ranger Raptor

Last week, Ford dropped a bombshell by announcing the Ranger Super Duty line of tough workhorse utes.

This week, we’ve learned that it will incorporate the big North American-market F-250 Super Duty’s eight-stud, steel wheel and all-terrain tyre package.

Expected to be unveiled sometime next year, ahead of a confirmed 2026 on-sale date in Australia and New Zealand, this will be the world’s only new factory-built mid-sized ute offering the sort of numbers that will put a smile on the face of horse-float owners, big-machinery users, emergency service responders and hardcore adventure seekers alike.

Nothing on sale anywhere right now in its class can touch the Ranger Super Duty’s 4500kg towing and Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) capacities, as well as its 8000kg Gross Combined Mass (GCM) rating.

That’s considerably more than what the best of the current Ranger versions (turbo-diesel V6 4x4) can offer at 3500kg, 3280kg and 6400kg tonnes respectively.

In fact, the considerably larger and much-more-expensive F-150 long-wheelbase version only just matches the Ranger Super Duty towing capacity at 4500kg, yet delivers both lower GWM (3265kg) and GCM (7315kg).

But how does it compare with the current Ranger Raptor?

Keeping in mind that the latter uses a 292kW/583Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol and not a torque-rich turbo-diesel, this is also a Super Duty slam-dunk scenario, with the off-road performance-focused Raptor managing towing/GWM/GCM ratings of a measly 2500kg, 3130kg and 5370kg respectively.

Ford has yet to reveal the Super Duty’s powertrain details, but all that towing and carrying capacity suggests it won’t be petrol or petrol-hybrid powered, but use a large turbodiesel engine.

Whether it is based on the existing 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel unit is unknown at this stage.

But will the Super Duty overtake the Raptor in off-road capabilities?

Ford has yet to reveal any engineering details about the intriguing newcomer, except for this quote sent to us earlier this week:

“Ranger Super Duty is more much more than an upgrade of any one component,” a company spokesperson told CarsGuide.

“Ranger Super Duty is a new truck, engineered from the ground up for heavy-duty applications.

“We will provide more specific details on the development process in due course.”

But are the Super Duty’s changes and modifications substantial enough to equal the Raptor’s 4x4 prowess?

Compared to the regular Ranger, the Raptor’s tracks are 90mm wider, offers 272mm of ground clearance versus 234mm, brings 50mm more wading depth (at 850mm) and has between two and three degrees of greater approach/breakover/departure angles.

It comes with that twin-turbo V6 petrol engine, has mostly unique sheetmetal (save for the doors, tailgate and roof panels), specific body and chassis reinforcements and a larger underbody bash plate.

Raptor also boasts a unique steering tune, differences to the shock tower mounts, upper and lower control arms and a Watt’s link coil-spring rear suspension set-up, beefier shockers (Fox 2.5-inch Live Valve Internal Bypass electronic dampers), uprated brakes, revised stability and traction control systems, BF Goodrich All-Terrain KO2 tyres for the 33-inch wheels and an expanded number of grade-specific driving modes, including a Baja high-performance off-road setting.

We will have to wait a little longer to find out what the changes will be that set the Super Duty apart from the regular Ranger.

But given those F-250 eight-stud steel wheels and off-road tyres, as well as the fact that some 1500 people have worked for some time on this project, there’s much, much more to the story, so stay tuned.