World-first Ford Ranger Super Duty shocks with beefy fresh look and bold can-do attitude, but can this Australian-developed pick-up scare the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado?

World firsts don’t come along every day, but today is just such a day… and an Aussie ute world first at that – with the unveiling of the Ford Ranger Super Duty.

Breaking cover for the first time as the key reveal at Ford Australia’s centenary celebrations in Melbourne, the upsized and upscaled Ranger derivative pushes medium ute class boundaries into a fresh direction, combining big-ute payload and towing capacities with serious off-road prowess.

According to Ford, deliveries are not scheduled before sometime next year, and first with the fleet-focused Super Duty Cab Chassis, before the retail-favourite Style Side pick-up ute version launches later on in 2026 or during 2027.

As only the second time the Super Duty name has been deployed on a Ford since the F-Series introduced it in North America during the 1990s, the Ranger Super Duty backs those claims up with function-driven sheetmetal changes, additional driver/user-support technologies and a promise of elevated aftersales service and customer care.

For details on pricing, specification, performance and driveability, we may have to wait until the second half of this year, as the Australian team continues to work on the series.

As announced in November last year, no mid-size ute anywhere can match the Super Duty’s maximum braked towing capacity, which jumps from 3500kg to 4500kg compared to the regular Ranger, as does Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM, and up from 3280kg in XLT V6 diesel), while Gross Combined Mass (GCM) leaps to 8000kg from 6400kg.

DESIGN

For now, however, the biggest news centres around the extent of the Super Duty’s design alteration, with Ford’s Melbourne-based design centre implementing far-deeper styling changes over the Ranger XLT grade on which this is based upon.

While final numbers are yet to be divulged, the newcomer stands significantly taller, a little wider and slightly longer, with the bonnet, guards, grille and bumper unique to the Super Duty. This is necessary to accommodate Raptor levels of track width.

Seen front-on, only the headlights are shared with the rest of the range.

The guards and bonnet, especially, have significantly more offset, for a squarer look. The latter has ‘SUPER DUTY’ embossed within it, to emphasise the differences.

“This is no sticker pack special,” according to one senior Ford executive.

Meanwhile the grille features larger spaces and gaps between the brick-effect insert, to facilitate air flow and aid engine cooling, given the extra hard work that the powertrain is expected to endure. No aerodynamic or weight figures are yet available.

This is also the first Ranger to be sold in Australia with steel bumpers (the previous US-made model had them), and include specific mounts for accessories like light bars. Among scores of other items, a unique bull bar from partner ARB is under development.

Moving to the side, the Super Duty adopts larger exterior mirrors. The wheel arches, now with mandatory side lighting, boast boxier mouldings and have more clearance for the wider wheels. Made of steel initially and taken from the F-250 Super Duty series, they adopt an eight-stud pattern and are shod with 33-inch General off-road tyres. An alloy option will come later. A composite side step has been incorporated.

The tub’s interior dimensions and hardpoints mirror the regular Ranger’s, partly to appease the accessories and aftermarket industry, while the tail-lights and tailgate also remain the same.

ENGINEERING

Ford did reveal some details about under the Super Duty’s skin modifications, though there’ still plenty we don’t know.

As we reported back in November, engineering development commenced back in 2019, and has involved around 1500 people.

It is aimed at emergency services, mining, military, forestry, law enforcement, agricultural and scores of other applications, for those who need a proper off-road-capable vehicle with superior towing and payload capacities compared to regular mid-size utes.

To that end, the reinforced underbody is, in Ford’s own words, “essentially all-new”.

The aforementioned payload and capacities are upwards of 20 per cent better than what the best of the regular Rangers can wrangle. In other words, with the 4.5-tonne braked towing capacity, the Super Duty can easily haul a four-horse float or tipping trailer.

It also stands taller than a Raptor. How much taller? Well, at the full, 4500kg GVM, it sits as high as an unladen Raptor.

To help cope with the extra payload, the frame has been beefed up, there’s extra underbody protection and the rear tray consists of heavy-duty steel and the suspension has been reinforced.

And not only does the Super Duty adopt the Raptor’s wider tracks, it will likely also match or even exceed the latter’s 272mm ground clearance and 850mm wading depth, while expanding on approach, breakover and departure angles in the bargain. We’ll need to wait for a few more months for confirmation on that.

Ford did reveal that upgrades have been made to the engine mounts, brakes, axles and driveshafts, and the cooling system has been improved, including with the adoption of a larger radiator fan. Stronger, larger and easier-access recovery points are fitted front and rear, while the tow-bar is now obviously higher-rated than in regular Rangers.

Also present are so-called “jumbo” locking differentials front and rear from the F-Series truck, a 130-litre long-range fuel-tank (offering up to 1000km of range) that almost extends from under the engine to the rear axle, a 400W inverter for fast equipment charging, and the introduction of what Ford calls Smart Hitch, that informs the driver if their trailer exceeds the towing capacity. Similarly, the new Onboard Scales function does the same with payload.

Four body styles will be available: a two-door/two-seat Single Cab Chassis, four-door/four-seat Super Cab Chassis, four-door/five-seat Double Cab Chassis and the four-door/five-seat Double Cab Pick-up you see here.

All of the regular Ranger’s available advanced driver-assist safety tech also migrates across, including – for the first time – to Cab Chassis models, due to the addition of a special back bar that mounts the necessary sensors and cameras required for those to work.

Ford says it has involved many suppliers, years out in advance from launch, to help ensure that the Super Duty’s platform versatility allows for easier, higher-quality, more durable accessory up-fit, as well as removal once the vehicle is sold. The optional integrated Safari snorkel and steel front bumper’s frame mount are good examples of this.

Now, there’s a lot we still don’t yet know about the Super Duty, including exact timing, pricing and what the power and torque outputs of its modified 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine will be.

So, stay tuned, and we’ll report them and more as soon as we find out.