Ford Ranger Reviews

Dual cab utes often double as a hard-working commercial vehicle as well as practical family transport. In his second month with Ford's Ranger XLS Bi-turbo on long-term test, CarsGuide Contributing Journalist, Mark Oastler has spent time in both worlds.

It's built to work hard, but what about family life? We're spending three months with the Ford Ranger XLS Bi-Turbo to see how it measures up in terms of comfort, practicality, driving dynamics, fuel economy, and more. First impressions for the settling in phase are encouraging.

The new Ford Ranger has launched! And with it comes a new look and cabin experience. Slightly longer than its predecessor, the new Ranger Sport seems much larger with its robustly squared shape. It's not boxy or ugly, far from it, but it's more purposeful than the previous gen. It seems like the perfect all-rounder. But does it have heart as well as size?

When the all-new T6 Ford Ranger was released in 2011, Ford made sure its big bruiser was never short of grunt. The premium engine choice at launch was a punchy 3.2-litre inline five-cylinder turbo-diesel with 147kW/470Nm, soon followed by a new Bi-Turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder which literally 'boosted' power output to 157kW/500Nm.

Say you've got about $70,000 and you want a new ute to tow a caravan. Which is best? Well, we've put two impressive offerings up against each other in this comparison review - the Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 and the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain.

There's a lot of hype about the new Ford Ranger line-up and especially on the top-shelf Wildtrak V6. New engine, market-leading driver-assist tech and more make this an appealing prospect.So, how does the new top-spec Ford ute fare against the Isuzu D-Max X-Terrain and Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior on a 4WD loop aimed at highlighting strengths and exposing weaknesses.

Think you knew what to expect from the Ford Ranger Raptor? Think again. The new-generation 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor has rewritten the rules for performance utes, and could well be the best performance vehicle under $100,000.

The then all-new T6 Ford Ranger launched in 2011 was proudly designed and developed in Australia. So, if you ignored the fact it was assembled in Thailand to minimise production costs, it was the closest thing you could get to an 'Aussie' ute and Australian buyers responded in large numbers.

A V6 engine in the Ford Ranger? Sounds like something we need to do some fun stuff with! So, in this review, we test the 2023 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 by doing the stuff you'd want to do if you owned one - off-road, towing and plenty more!

Based on the engine family first seen in the old Australian Ford Territory TDCi turbo-diesel, and more recently in the US-market Ford F-150 full-sized truck range, all eyes are on the big new 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel.Available in the XLT (from $62,290 before on-road costs), Sport (from $66,690 before ORC) and Wildtrak (from $70,190 before ORC) only for now, it has few peers with outputs of 184kW at 3250rpm and 600Nm at 1750-2250rpm.The V6 sends drive through to a new electronic on-demand four-wheel-drive system, with full-time 4WD that varies drive to the front or rear wheels as required. It includes six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul and Slippery for on-road driving, and Mud/Ruts and Sand for use off-road. Each alter engine throttle, transmission, braking, traction and stability controls.There’s also an electronic rear differential lock which can be activated via the SYNC 4A multimedia screen, for improved off-road traction.A built-in trailer wiring set-up is also included, as well as the tow bar itself for all V6 variants.By the way, Ranger 4x4s with either 2.0-litre engine stick with the standard part-time 4x4 set-up that offers 4x2 (rear-drive), 4x4 Low range and 4x4 High range.On the fuel consumption front, the V6 turbo-diesel is actually a whole half-a-litre per 100km more economical than the old 3.2-lite five-pot turbo-diesel.The official combined average consumption in the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel 4WD is 8.4L/100km, for 222g/km of CO2 emissions and an average distance range of 952km.So, what's the 3.0 V6 turbo-diesel like to drive?Reminiscent of theTerritory TDCi, it is slick and sophisticated, yet offers more punch than Australia’s only locally-built SUV ever managed.In a nutshell, the V6 amplifies the acceleration and performance of the significantly improved and rapid 2.0-litre BiTurbo, thrusting forward with determination, accompanied by a more stirring V6 soundtrack.Additionally, the 10-speed auto is even more relaxed an its smaller brother, and with greater torque levels to draw upon, it’s both more responsive to throttle inputs and less likely to hunt through the gears.Better around town, stronger out on the open road and more reassuring when you need to overtake, especially at speed or blasting up a hill.For this and other reasons, the $3000 premium paid for going the V6 is definitely worthwhile, and backed up by very reasonable combined-average fuel consumption figures of 8.4L/100km.