Ford Ranger vs Ford Everest

What's the difference?

The Ford Ranger Super Duty is an impressive ute. It has almost everything you could want in a ute straight out of the showroom - seamless driver-assist tech, reliably effective mechanicals, top-level comfort, confidence-inspiring off-road capability and an ability to tow real heavy loads.

Positives, including its equipment and comfort levels, as well as its capability and all-round driveability, far outweigh anything negative about it, which is mainly limited to its hefty price-tag.

If you’re cross-shopping the Super Duty against the 79 Series, its closest rival overall, then the Ford comes out on top in pretty much every way. And you do get a lot more for your money with the Super Duty.

The standard Ford Everest – powered by a 2.0-litre twin-turbo or a V6 – is a nicely refined, comfortable and capable 4WD with plenty of potential as a touring vehicle.

The Tremor treatment doesn’t turn the Everest into a Raptor-esque Everest but it does offer low-key substantial off-road improvements to what was already an impressive 4WD wagon.

This sensible package of upgrades – more ground clearance, off-road-suited suspension, and decent all-terrain tyres – gives this Everest a mild 4WD boost.

The Super Duty is a regular Ranger but bulked up to the maximum.

At 5470mm long (with a 3270mm wheelbase), 2197mm wide (with mirrors), 1985mm high and a listed kerb weight of 2675kg (that’s without a tray), the Super Duty is a bigger-than-usual ute, if you’re used to seeing mainstream utes, rather than US-style pick-ups on the road and tracks.

It has a sealed Super Duty-branded snorkel, substantial front and rear recovery points (two at each end), a wider-than-regular wheel track at 1710mm (150mm wider than the regular Ranger’s), big side steps, 18-inch eight-stud steel wheels (from bigger ‘F Series’ utes), chunky General Grabber All-Terrain LT (275/70 R18) tyres and an 18-inch steel spare wheel.

This ute has plenty of presence on- and off-road. In fact, it can easily compete with the likes of the 79 Series on looks alone.

Lift any vehicle a few millimetres and throw decent all-terrain tyres on it and that one-two combination instantly gives the vehicle more track-cred. 

And so it goes for the Everest Tremor.

But there’s more going on here than simply increased height and a swap-out of rubber over standard Everests.

As mentioned, it gets Bilstein dampers, new springs, and tough all-terrain tyres which combine to give the Tremor a solid presence.

The new honeycomb-pattern grille with auxiliary LED lights, quite visible steel bash plate, pronounced heavy-duty side steps and orange Tremor branding add to the package.

And inside it gets those Tremor-specific touches, such as the leather-accented seats embossed with Tremor branding, ebony-coloured interior accents and all-weather floor mats.

If you’ve spent any time in a Ranger cabin recently, you know what to expect. It’s a high achiever in terms of practicality and comfort.

The 12-inch touchscreen multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) is easy to operate while the screen is big enough and on-screen colours crisp enough that even my decrepit eyes could cope with it.

The driver and front passenger are afforded easy access to numerous storage options, including a centre console, cupholders, door pockets, a shelf for all of your pocket stuff and charging points, with a wireless charge pad upfront, as well as USB-A and USB-C sockets.

There’s ample space inside for the driver and the passengers, front and back. The seats – cloth to cope with real life dirt and grime – are supportive and comfortable up front and only slightly less so in the back row. There’s also more-than-adequate room back there. At 172cm I'm a modest amount below average height and sitting behind my driving position have plenty of space.

The driver’s seat is eight-way manually adjustable, while the front passenger seat is four-way manually adjustable.

Second-row passengers have air-con vents and controls, as well as a fold-down centre armrest, door pockets and map pockets.

The tray on the test vehicle measures 1790mm long, 1890mm wide, and 270mm deep. It has a load height (from ground to the tray floor) is 1065mm. It also has metal window-protection and a chequer-plate base. The full-size steel spare is mounted under the tray.

In terms of practicality, the Super Duty bests the likes of Toyota’s 79 Series LandCruiser.

The Tremor cabin is a comfortably familiar interior – it’s functional and roomy and so scores well in terms of overall practicality.

Driver and front passenger have easy access to storage options, such as the centre console, cupholders, door pockets and a shelf for your everyday-carry stuff as well as charging points (wireless charger, USB and USB-C sockets).

There’s plenty of space for the driver and all passengers (front, second and third row), and the seats are supportive and comfortable, even in the third row.

While that pew is a straight-up-and-down set-up it still manages not to be a complete punishment for those passengers.

Those in the second row get a fold-down centre armrest, door pockets and map pockets as well as air con vents and controls.

The rear cargo area has standard Everest features – with cargo tie-down points and a 12-volt outlet.

A niggle, and one I’ve found in other new-generation Fords, is the multimedia system. It's a decent size with clear and crisp colours and is easy to operate, but I needed to repeatedly stab a finger onto the screen in order to work my way through menus and sub-menus to figure it all out.

My advice is get your head around all of the multimedia system’s functionality while the vehicle is stationary because, to me, some of the screen workings are counter-intuitive and it’s easier and safer to learn all of that while the vehicle is not moving.

Also, the fact some controls are on-screen and some are off it creates more than a little confusion.

The seven-seat Ford Everest Tremor 4WD 3.0 V6 diesel auto has a listed price of $76,590, excluding on-road costs, putting it between the Sport and top-spec Platinum in the Everest range. 

That pricing pits it against the likes of the GWM Tank 500 Hybrid Ultra ($73,990 drive-away), Isuzu MU-X ($74,400, excluding on-road costs) and Toyota Prado GXL ($79,990, excluding on-road costs).

However, price 'as tested' on our test vehicle is $84,390 because this Tremor has 'Prestige Paint' ($700, 'Command Grey'), the 'Premium Seat Pack' ($1100), 'Touring Pack' ($2500) and 'Rough Terrain Pack' ($3500).

The Tremor Premium Seat Pack includes heated/vented front driver and passenger seats, eight-way power passenger seat and 10-way power driver seat (with memory).

The Touring Pack includes a 360-degree view camera set-up, tow bar and hitch, an integrated trailer brake controller and trailer back-up assist.

The Rough Terrain Pack includes what Ford Australia describes as “Under Vehicle Armour” (aka bash plates), a Rough Terrain Bar (a nudge bar on steroids) and an auxiliary switch bank.

Worth noting Ford Australia advises fitment of the Rough Terrain Bar “means the vehicle is considered 'unrated' by ANCAP”.

Also available is the 'Towing Pack', which includes a tow bar and integrated trailer brake controller.

Otherwise, standard Tremor features include a 12.0-inch digital multimedia system (wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), wireless charging, an 8.0-inch digital driver’s display, as well as heavy-duty side steps and black wheel arch moldings, among many other things.

It also gets Tremor-embossed leather-accented seats, ebony-coloured interior accents and all-weather floor mats.

As mentioned earlier, the Everest Tremor gets Bilstein dampers, new springs, the all-terrain tyres (LT 265/70 R17) and low-speed Rock Crawl added to its off-road driving modes.

Other Tremor-specific features include a new grille, auxiliary LED lights, a steel bash plate, heavy-duty side steps and orange Tremor branding.

As a result of the Tremor treatment, this Everest has a claimed 255mm ground clearance (26mm more than the closest Everest model), the best off-road angles of any Everest (more about those in the Driving section) and the tightest turning circle of the Everest line-up (measuring 11.65m to best the rest of the field’s 11.8m).

Exterior paint choices include the no-extra-cost 'Arctic White', or 'Shadow Black', 'Meteor Grey', or 'Command Grey' which all cost $750.

The Ford Ranger Super Duty has a 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel engine producing 154kW at 3250rpm (30kW less than the regular V6 Ranger) and 600Nm at 1750rpm and has a 10-speed automatic transmission, full-time 4WD as well as front and rear diff locks.

For reference, the 2.8L four-cylinder turbo-diesel 79 Series LandCruiser produces 150kW and 500Nm.

Driver-selectable modes in the Super Duty include 'Normal', 'Eco', 'Tow/Haul', 'Slippery', 'Mud/Ruts', 'Sand' and 'Sport'.

This engine and auto makes a smooth and highly effective combination in all driving circumstances.

The Super Duty’s gutsy powertrain eclipses the 79 Series for general driveability.

As mentioned right at the start, the Everest Tremor has a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine – producing 184kW at 3250rpm and 600Nm at 1750-2250rpm – and that’s matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

It also gets the line-up’s full-time 4WD system. This system has selectable two-wheel drive (2H), four-wheel drive high-range (4H), four-wheel drive low-range (4L) and four-wheel drive automatic (4A = 4Auto) that sends drive to the front and rear axles as needed, and which can be safely used on high-traction surfaces, such as bitumen.

The Super Duty does not have an official fuel consumption figure because it is an N2 light commercial vehicle.

An N2 light commercial vehicle is “A goods vehicle with a ‘Gross Vehicle Mass’ exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12.0 tonnes”. The Super Duty is category NB2 - “over 4.5 tonnes, up to 12 tonnes ‘Gross Vehicle Mass’.”

On this test, I recorded 13.7L/100km. The Super Duty has a 130-litre fuel tank so, going by my on-test fuel consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 948km from a full tank of diesel.

The Tremor has the highest listed fuel consumption of the Everest line-up: 9.5L/100km on a combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle.

I recorded an average of 11.2L/100km on this test.

The Tremor has an 80-litre fuel tank so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 714km from a full tank.

Worth noting the Tremor requires AdBlue diesel-exhaust fluid.

The Super Duty is a smooth-driving ute on road; comfortable and composed. At 1710mm this ute’s wheel track is 150mm wider than the regular Ranger’s and is the same as the Ranger Raptor’s, giving it a supremely settled feel over most road- or track-surface imperfections.

The wheelbase is unchanged (at 3270mm), but the Super Duty is substantially heavier than the ‘normal’ Rangers and thankfully its confidence-inspiring driving feel on the blacktop is retained when you drive off sealed surfaces.

It remains settled and even refined on the dirt. It's quite stiff (level some of the blame at its heavy-duty chassis) and the Super Duty’s ride on bush tracks can be jarring if corrugations and potholes are on the wrong side of deep.

Otherwise, it's a very comfortable driving experience. So even though it is heavier and more robust and it has a stiffer chassis than the regular Ranger, the Super Duty is quite comfortable on- and off-road.

Steering has a nice weight to it and visibility to the front through its big windscreen is generally good, although the big bonnet obscures the driver’s forward view on more severe obstacles such as steep hills and rock-climbs. But the Super Duty’s onboard camera system, which is able to present a 360-degree view around the vehicle, negates that somewhat.

Throttle response is good, low-range gearing is reliable and the Super Duty has a front and rear diff lock for when the terrain becomes particularly challenging.

This ute has grippy Light Truck construction all-terrain tyres, which are more robust than standard all-terrain tyres. The Super Duty also has a comprehensive toolbox of driver-assist tech – including hill descent control and a variety of drive modes (Slippery, Mud/Ruts and Sand), all aimed at improving your off-road ability.

It handles steep, tricky technical hill-climbs with ease as long as you drive with consideration. It is a bigger and heavier vehicle than a regular-sized ute and it has a 13.6m turning circle so it requires extra concentration on tight bush tracks.

In terms of physical dimensions the Super Duty is well suited to off-road duties. I have confidence in the listed 300mm ground clearance and 800mm wading depth having driven this ute on some decent rock steps and through various mud holes. The Super Duty also has some substantial underbody protection as standard.

Approach angle is 36.3 degrees, departure is 29.3 degrees and breakover is 26.9 degrees. For reference, the 79 Series offers off-road-relevant angles of 35 degrees (approach), 25 degrees (departure) and 23 degrees (rampover) with 235mm of ground clearance and a 700mm wading depth.

What’s more, the Super Duty fills a niche between regular-sized utes and US pick-ups by offering much more flexibility for towing and touring than a regular Ranger and most other mid-sized utes.

In double-cab chassis guise, the Super Duty has a listed payload (at minimum kerb weight, which excludes the tray) of 1825kg, as well as the aforementioned 4.5 tonne gross vehicle mass (GVM), 4.5 tonne towing capacity and 8.0-tonne gross combined mass (GCM), which are all impressive figures for a ute that’s not as big as US pick-ups.

For reference, the dual-cab 79 Series LandCruiser has a listed payload of 1310kg, can legally tow 3500kg (braked trailer) and has a listed GCM of 7010kg. So the Super Duty wins out in all of those comparisons.

Overall, the Tremor is nice to drive on road. It’s quiet, refined and comfortable and the engine and transmission make a cluey, unstressed pairing.

However, the Tremor’s suspension – engineered to improve the vehicle’s off-road capability – is firm through sections of back-country bitumen and even mildly corrugated bush tracks. 

Also, this Everest’s all-terrain tyres don’t help ride quality or noise levels on sealed surfaces. But that’s no surprise and a very minor trade-off when the Tremor's potential as a touring vehicle is so high.

On the open highway at cruising speed, the Tremor exhibits all of the smooth-driving characteristics the Everest line-up is well known for.

It sits nicely on the road, that wide wheel track (a 30mm increase in width to 1650mm) gives it a solid stance and this V6 ute simply rumbles along.

So, how does it perform in 4WD territory? Well, it’s based on the Everest Sport, which is no off-road loser, so you’d assume the Tremor would do okay.

However, we all know if you assume, it makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'… but the Tremor has been engineered to outperform the standard Everest in the dirty stuff. Unsurprising spoiler alert, it does, but only marginally.

The Everest Tremor is 4914mm long (without the towbar hitch receiver; 4978mm with), 2015mm wide (mirrors in; 2207mm, mirrors out) and 1904mm high.

It has a 2900mm wheelbase and a listed kerb weight of 2550kg, the latter making it the heaviest Everest in the line-up. 

This is not a diminutive wagon but it has the smallest turning circle (11.65m) in the Everest range and its dimensions don’t hamper it in the bush.

As mentioned earlier, when you add running ground clearance to any off-roader its off-road performance will be improved. The Tremor has more ground clearance (255mm) than its stablemates but, as with any measurements provided by vehicle manufacturers (ground clearance, wading depth, towing capacities, etc), always regard those figures with a healthy degree of scepticism.

Wading depth is listed as 800mm and its off-road angles are in line with market rivals: for your reference, approach, departure and ramp-over angles are listed as 32, 26.8 and 23.9 degrees, respectively.

This wagon’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 offers plenty of torque across a broad rev range, the 10-speed auto is clever – no flip-flopping between ratios here – and you can use the manual shifter if you get the urge.

Low-range gearing is adequate and the Tremor has an electronic rear diff lock.

The Tremor has a variety of selectable on- and off-road drive modes, including 'Normal', 'Eco', 'Tow/Haul', 'Slippery', 'Mud/Ruts', 'Sand and Rock' and the Tremor-specific 'Rock Crawl' plus a locking rear diff.

These off-road driving modes are no substitute for track-worthy 4WD mechanicals but they help by adjusting engine, throttle, transmission, braking, traction and stability controls to suit the driving conditions. 

Off-road traction control is effective without being spectacular. There’s a bit too much wheelspin for my liking.

Off-road applications are displayed on screen – with driveline/diff lock indicators, steering, pitch and roll angles depicted. Hill descent control held the Tremor to a steady 3.0-4.0km/h as I crawled down a difficult slope.

The power steering, light and sporty in all scenarios, has been tweaked with a heavy-duty tune and it retains a confident feel in difficult conditions.

Heavy-duty off-road engineering has bolstered the suspension set-up with new springs and Bilstein dampers with external reservoirs.

Wheel travel – how far the axle can move up and down vertically wheel-to-wheel relative to the chassis – is slightly better than a standard Everest’s, with this wagon’s tyres stretching a little further than the regular version’s.

Again, as I mentioned earlier, by replacing an off-roader’s standard road-biased rubber with a set of decent all-terrain tyres its off-road capability will be improved. And that’s exactly what Ford has done.

The Tremor's General Grabber all-terrain tyres feature light-truck construction. They are grippy and very effective in dirt, loose gravel, slippery clay and the like.

There are a few niggles, though.

I’ve previously expressed annoyance at the auto transmission shifter – a kind of joystick on a light cycle of steroids and just as touchy. It’s especially finicky on bumpy terrain but it’s another Everest-based characteristic to which I’ve become somewhat accustomed.

The operation of some off-road driver-assist tech can be confusing as it’s divided between the rotary dial (to select drive modes) and the screen (to engage the rear diff lock etc). Not a deal-breaker, but it takes some getting used to.

The brake pedal is spongy – taking some time between initial foot pressure to ‘biting', but then the brakes – discs all around – do clamp into action.

As for packability, there is a listed 259 litres (VDA) of space in the rear-most cargo area (with all three rows of seats in use), 898L (VDA) when the third row is stowed away and 1823L (VDA) when the second and third rows are lowered.

The Everest Tremor has a listed payload of 690kg, and towing capacities of 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked).

It has a listed GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) of 3240kg and a GCM (Gross Combined Mass) of 6350kg. Remember: any onboard loads – such as people, pets, camping gear or aftermarket equipment (bullbar, roof rack etc) – must figure in your payload and GVM equations.

The Everest Tremor has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2022.

Standard safety features include nine airbags - front, front side, driver and front passenger knee, full-length curtains plus a front-centre bag - AEB, adaptive cruise control (with stop and go), lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring (with cross-traffic alert and trailer coverage), a reversing camera and more.

Off-road driver-assist tech includes specific driving modes, Rock Crawl mode, 'Trail Control' and 'Trail Turn Assist'.

And remember, as mentioned earlier, if the Rough Terrain Bar is fitted, the vehicle is regarded as 'unrated' by ANCAP.

The Ford Ranger Super Duty is covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty which is now the average offering in the mainstream market.

Roadside assistance is included free for the first 12 months and continues for seven years if you have your vehicle serviced by Ford.

Service intervals are recommended for 12 months or 15,000km and capped price servicing is available. If you pre-pay that’ll cost you a total of $2100 for five years. It's $2345 if you don’t, which equates to $469 per service.

For comparison, Toyota recommends the 79 Series LandCruiser is serviced every six months or 10,000km, with each of the first 10 workshop visits costing $545 (for a five-year total of $5450).

Ford Australia has about 200 dealers across the country with a decent spread across metro, rural and regional areas. Ford dealers are also service centres.

The Tremor is covered by Ford’s five year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is the standard for this part of the market.

Roadside assistance is complimentary for 12 months after each service, extended for up to seven years as long as the Tremor’s owner has it serviced at an authorised Ford dealership.

Service intervals are scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km and a capped-price servicing plan applies to the first five years/75,000km with a $2550 cost attached ($510 per service).

For reference a comparable Toyota LandCruiser Prado will set you back $390 per workshop visit, but that car's service interval is more frequent at six months/10,000km.