1971 Ford F250 Reviews

The influx of full-size utes from the USA has been a controversial development, with WWII American GI-style sentiment along the lines of ‘over-sized, over-priced and over-here’ summing up the negative commentary.

The BYD Shark is now mere days away from being officially unveiled, and probably the most interesting thing about its unmasking will be just how the Chinese ute’s plug-in hybrid system competes with the diesels that dominate Australia’s dual-cab market.

Ford is losing billions of dollars as it tries to get its electric vehicle plans off the ground, so how can it compete with thye likes of BYD and MG?

Ford Australia has been forced to halt deliveries of its big F-150 pick-up due to a compliance issue.A company spokesperson said it has placed a temporary hold on the sale and delivery of all F-150s in Australia as “certain lighting features do not conform to Australian regulatory requirements.”“Affected vehicles cannot be delivered to customers until appropriate rectification work is complete,” said the spokesperson.Ford has recognised the inconvenience to customers and is giving a complimentary five year/75,000km service program to all F-150 customers whose vehicle had either been delivered or contracted by the sixth of May.Australian delivered F-150s are imported from America and then converted to right-hand drive in a Melbourne factory by RMA Automotive on behalf of Ford Australia.The conversion is a big operation and isn’t as simple as shifting the steering wheel from left to right but involves hundreds of parts and man hours to complete.It’s easy to understand how small issues can slip through the cracks, but this isn’t the first time Ford has been forced to pause deliveries of the F-150 since it went on sale late in 2023.Earlier this year another stop sale order was applied to the F-150 because of a potential fault with the turbocharger.The F-150 has also been hit with three recall notices in the short time it has been on sale.One was for non compliant indicator lights and another was for a parking brake fault that could result in it activating while driving.The third recall was due to a faulty electrical connection between the steering wheel airbag, horn and electrical systems due to improper welding. If this fails there could be a loss of steering wheel illumination, non-functioning steering wheel control switches, an inoperative horn, and the airbag warning light will illuminate which may result in the driver’s airbag becoming inoperative.Ford has found some success with the F-150 with sales of about 800 through the first four months of this year, which makes it the second most popular American pick-up behind the Ram 1500.It’s no coincidence the rise of the F-150 has seen Ram’s sales decrease by about 800 through to April this year compared to the first four months of 2023, which is before the F-150 went on sale.

Two of Australia’s 10 most popular cars in April 2024 were ute-based off roaders, with both the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X continuing to soar in popularity. As orders catch up to demand, Ford and Isuzu are delivering plenty of their ute-based SUVs, with the Ranger-related Everest finding a record 2400 homes (up 254.5 per cent) and the D-Max-underpinned MU-X 1876 buyers (up 71.3 per cent). These two were not outliers, either, with the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport (up 130.7 per cent) and Toyota Fortuner (up 43.8 per cent) also selling significantly more than the same month last year. The new GWM Tank 500 hybrid found 179 homes. A Ford Australia spokesperson attributed the Everest's current success to a combination of increased marketing activity, improved supply and continued customer demand.This style of vehicle is proving popular with Australians because they use sturdy ladder frames, offer seating for up to seven, stellar off-road capability and sturdy towing ability. Like a LandCruiser, a ute-based SUV is a perfect vehicle to get away from the beaten track.It helps they are closely aligned in price with family trucks like the Hyundai Palisade and Toyota Kluger. The Ford Everest Sport V6, for example, is $72,490 where a Toyota Kluger Grande Auto is $75,650, both before on-road costs.They both get leather upholstery, the same seating capacity yet the Ford has 1500kg more braked towing capacity, more ground clearance and a proven track record off road. The downside is that the ute-based SUVs are typically less advanced to drive with poorer passive safety. Their ladder frame construction increases the centre of gravity and dirt-biased tyres often fitted drastically increase braking distances.There may be an element of ‘get in while you can’ as New Vehicle Emissions Standards (NVES) threaten to make this style of vehicle less attainable, too. These regulations are expected to come in force by mid-2025. The government has made the decision to reclassify ute-based SUVs (and standalone 4x4s such as the LandCruiser 300 Series and Nissan Patrol) as commercial vehicles for emissions standards which will buy them more time. Little low emissions tech is available in this segment yet. Utes, still being the bigger sellers, are leading the way for hybrids and EVs, following the launch of GWM’s Cannon Alpha hybrid – and related Tank 500 – as well as the forthcoming Ford Ranger PHEV. Expect this tech to trickle into related SUVs eventually. The new-gen Toyota Prado hybrid might be accelerated to meet the new rules, too. Incidentally, it was the only mainstream large frame-based SUV to suffer, down 77 per cent compared to April 2023, but that’s due to the highly anticipated new model arriving very soon. Large off-road wagon sales in April 2024 

People who enjoy the taste and sensation of dust in their teeth no doubt get a lot of joy out of tearing over wild terrain in their ATV or UTV, but nothing quite beats the combination of convenience, capability and toughness that you get from a full-sized off-road 4x4. So far, however, if you want a vehicle like this but are determined to save the planet at the same time by choosing an electric powertrain, your options are somewhat limited, at least in Australia. But that will change.There are certain four-wheel-drive (4WD) snobs who’d liken driving an electric 4WD to piloting a battery-operated, remote-controlled Traxxas car, but the prejudice is uncalled for: Electric Vehicles (EVs) have the grunt and torque to match any internal-combustion-engine (ICE) vehicle, and the technology in them is only getting better. All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) is similar to 4WD in that power can be used for both the front and rear wheels for maximum traction, but 4WD is the only one of the two options that has serious off-road capabilities - in this article, we’ll be focusing solely on the latter. Currently if you want an electric 4WD in Australia, your options are quite limited. First, it’s important to know that currently there are two main contenders when it comes to the 4WD electric car: conversions, which are petrol or diesel vehicles that have been modified to EVs thanks to a conversion kit, and ground-up electric 4WD vehicles that are designed as EVs from the get-go. At the moment conversions are only available for commercial use on large private grounds, and not the consumer market. Ground-up 4WD EVs are only for sale from specialist start-ups rather than established car manufacturers at this stage, but this will likely change in the not-too-distant future. With the popularity of EVs set to increase drastically over the coming years, it will only be a matter of time before mainstream car brands are mass-producing electric 4WD vehicles. And indeed, one of the most famous in this field, Hummer, is not far off doing so.Until that time comes, here’s what’s available, globally, and what’s eventually coming to a showroom near you. GMC are throwing down the gauntlet and giving petrol and diesel-powered V8 4x4s a serious run for their money with a Hummer EV pick-up truck with a driving range of more than 560km from a 200kWh battery and an engine that delivers a whopping 2033Nm of torque. Read that again - two Newton kilometres of torque - it should be able to tow any reasonably sized planet. Excellently, the Hummer EV has a ‘crab mode’ that allows it to drive diagonally, and an off-road 'extract mode' can raise the air suspension approximately 15cm, giving the armoured undercarriage extra clearance. It went on sale in the US in 2022 and is currently offered in both pick up and SUV forms - but currently no plans have been announced to release either model in Australia. ​Yep, we know the BYD ute will launch before the end of 2024 with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain the brand dubs DM-i (for dual-motor intelligence), sporting electric motors on both axles supported by a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine. A similar system employed in BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao 5 SUV delivers a whopping 500kW/750Nm.However, this will just be the beginning for the BYD ute, with a fully electric version said to be roughly 12 months behind the plug-in. It has yet to be seen, even overseas, but if it can deliver on the same value and performance which other BYD models have been able to, expect it to be a hit.Toyota might be slow to the EV game, but expect it to make a statement when it finally arrives. While it may be a while off before we see a fully electric equivalent to the best-selling diesel HiLux, the EPU concept is perhaps a first look at what we can expect.To be clear, the EPU is about half a size down from the HiLux, measuring 5070mm long, and rather than a ladder chassis, it will ride on a battery electric platform more akin to a standard car platform. A production version isn’t expected until 2026, and it is unclear whether the EPU will be only for left-hand drive markets, where smaller pick-ups like the Hyundai Santa Cruz and Ford Maverick sell in higher volumes.It may look like something out of a science fiction film, but the Tesla Cybertruck has serious power and off-road capability: 547km range, 4990kg towing capacity, a tray of nearly two metres and over 400mm ground clearance. It may or may not make it to Australian shores, but expect it to turn some serious heads if it ever does arrive.We were one of the first Aussie outlets to get a chance to review it overseas, check our story out here.US American electric car start-up Rivian has stepped up to the plate to take on Tesla with two off-road EVs with 4WD capability: the R1T ute and the R1S wagon. Both Ford and Amazon have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the company, which eventually has plans to sell the R1T and the R1S in Australia. The most notable thing is that the R1T will feature Individual Wheel Drive (IWD), essentially assigning a motor to each wheel, which could make it the most capable off-roader to ever hit the market. Canoo is a US-based start up which specialises in light commercial-style vehicles, and plans to launch a ‘lifestyle vehicle’, delivery van, and of course a pick-up truck.While Canoo has been beset with production delays and issues since its inception in 2017 its range of funky but rugged looking vehicles lean fully into the idea of building a van or a ute around a skateboard chassis underneath, making for a particularly cool design formula, which is also very modular.The brand is taking pre-orders in the US at the moment, promising the choice of AWD or RWD, over 370kW of power, at least 320km of driving range and is targeting over 800kg of payload. Time will tell if it can escape its troubled start-up phase, but the brand is already looking to produce right-hand drive versions of its vehicles for use by the USPS.If Bob Dylan going electric back in the ’60s caused controversy, wait till you see what happens now that Ford has created an all-electric version of its iconic F-150 model. Although unlikely to make it to Australia, at least for the time being, the F-150 Lightning arrived in the US in 2022 with two battery options, Standard and Extended Range, with the latter offering 483km of range and the former 370km.In a glimmer of hope for those who would accept nothing else as an electric truck, the F150 Lightning has been spotted in Australia having been converted to right-hand drive by a third-party outfit AusEV.The Silverado EV is an entirely new proposition when compared to the combustion version currently converted to right-hand drive here in Australia.Instead it sits on GM’s new Ultium EV platform which underpins other new fully electric vehicles in its range. Big batteries are matched by long driving ranges (644km+) and powerful electric motors, which combined can produce up to 495kW/1058Nm. It also sports a payload of 505kg and can tow over 3500kg.Unfortunately it seems, despite a renewed push back into Australia with its Cadillac premium arm, General Motors is as yet uninterested in bringing the Silverado EV to Australia as a factory-backed option.With laws making the sale of ICE vehicles illegal in the near-future in some countries as well as Australia’s government finally making moves on emissions, expect everyone from Mitsubishi to Land Rover to have electric 4x4s on the market in the coming years.

Ford has announced pricing and specification for the more capable 2024 Transit van range. Big boosts to braked towing capacity and gross combination mass (GCM) are the highlights, though enhanced cabin technology, powertrain tweaks and more safety features are present.

Some of the mostly hotly anticipated new vehicles due in the next 12 months are utes, but have they already missed the boat?

With brands like Toyota, Jeep, RAM, Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover preparing to replace their remaining V8s with smaller-capacity electrified engines or even pure electric powertrains, choices are shrinking in Australia.

A right-hand drive version of the Ford F-150 Lightning has been spotted in Australia by CarsGuide, but the Blue Oval has no plans to launch the car locally.