2022 Ford Ranger vs 2023

What's the difference?

After more than six years of blood, sweat and tears, millions of kilometres of testing and heaps of customer feedback that helped shape the 2023 Ford Ranger to what we see today, what can we say?

It is a huge step forward for the truck. In fact, we'd go as far as saying that it might be one small step for the Ranger, but it's one giant step for pick-up kind.

Anyway, this is at Ford's proving ground, so we'll have to wait until we get it out in the real world, to see exactly how good the new-gen Ranger is.

But, as first tastes go, this is extremely promising indeed. The designers and engineers at Ford Australia have plenty to be proud about.

The Current Ranger is a hot seller and that’s purely because it’s a top-shelf product. The new Wildtrak X specification, meanwhile, hasn’t altered that and the changes including the suspension, option of on-road all-wheel drive and wider track have made it a more road-oriented vehicle that hasn’t been hobbled in any area as a result.

In fact, the trade-offs are nowhere to be found. The X can tow as well as any Ranger, carry as much payload and accommodate as many people in – roughly – the same level of comfort.

The only raised eyebrow we can see is the price, given the V6 turbo-diesel is not available in this trim level. For many buyers, we reckon the V6 Wildtrak makes a more compelling argument. And even though that vehicle lacks the tricky dampers and dress-up bits, it does get the same on-road all-wheel-drive of the X model. Oh, and it leaves an extra $3600 in your pocket.

It's very obvious that the Ford F-Series is the design inspiration for the new Ford Ranger. And that's very noticeable in the C-shape headlights and the new grille treatment, amongst other areas.

It also seems likely that fitting a big V6 engine helped determine the extra front-end bulk and resulting improved road stance compared to before. The newcomer looks quite a bit more different in the flesh than it does in photos, especially when compared to the preceding PX III series side-by-side.

The new Ranger features 50mm more track width and 50mm more length in the wheelbase, and what this does is fundamentally change the proportions of the truck compared to the previous model. The bonnet sits higher, the sheetmetal is all new, and the rear cargo bed has changed completely.

Overall, then, it looks a whole lot wider, tougher and – yes – more modern. Job well done.

The Wildtrak X subscribes to the wider is better school of off-roader design. With that in mind, the big dimensional change has been an extra 30mm of track front and rear thanks to different offsets for the 17-inch alloy wheels.

Visually, the X is distinguished by its optional 'Cyber Orange' paint job, combined with blacked-out badging and trim and there’s even an X-specific grille to make sure nobody misses it as something a bit different.

The bash plates, side-steps and racking system also give the Ranger a bit of its own flavour. Throw in the matrix LED lighting and keen ute-spotters will soon pick the X from the rest.

Since this is a prototype of the Wildtrak Dual Cab, and not everything is quite in its final production-spec form, we can't tell you much about the interior other than it is both extremely familiar as well as a dramatic departure from the old Ranger.

The familiarity comes from the same basic dimensions, even though Ford says that the redesign has brought minor gains in cabin space.

But current owners will instantly appreciate the reach-as well as tilt-adjustable steering column, completely different dashboard with its huge portrait touchscreen, electronic instrumentation display and nicer-quality cabin materials. And the removal of the manual handbrake for an electronic one frees up space in the centre console.

What they make of the new-fangled electronic automatic gear lever remains to be seen. It's a bit fiddly at first, but maybe we'd get used to it after a while.

Never mind. The seats are snug and comfy, the driving position is A1 and there is absolutely no shortage of storage. And in our all-too-brief time inside, the ventilation system helped us keep our cool over the demanding 4x4 track.

We'll wait for the launch versions before we can comment on how well the new Ranger is built, how much better the new multimedia system is and if it's more refined to ride in compared to before.

But, for now, so far, so good.

The Ranger’s interior matches the car’s exterior… it’s huge.

There’s a tonne of room in the front and the chairs are generous and well padded. The rake and reach adjustable steering column is also good to see and some of the competition misses out on this.

The huge, portrait-oriented centre touchscreen seems to work well and the integrated navigation is about as good as it gets.

We would, however, prefer a switch for things like the locking rear differential, rather than having to find it in a menu on the touch-screen.

Oh, and you’ve got to love the row of blank roof switches just waiting for the owner to wire up a few toys like extra lights, a fridge outlet and maybe even an inverter for charging phones and laptops in the scrub.

The wireless charging pad is a great idea but USB, charging and 12-volt sockets are limited to one of each in the front and rear.

The doors all have wide pockets, but they appear quite shallow for something top-heavy like a bottle. The upper and lower glove box is a his-and-hers masterstroke. But for some strange reason, the bonnet-release catch is on the passenger’s side of the cabin.

The rear seat is typical for this style of vehicle with a steep backrest and not a lot of plushness in evidence despite the leather and suede covering.

Air vents for the rear are limited to centre vents only and with the dark headliner, the rear compartment is a bit cave-like for some tastes.

Meantime, despite all that space, some will find the driver’s door opening a bit tight, especially if you’ve used the side-step to climb in.

And where are the paddle shifters for the transmission? These might seem trite in a pick-up, but off-road, they’re worth their weight in gold.

The tray is the usual mix of decent width with a wish for more length, but that’s dual-cab utes for you.

As it is, the tray can at least take a standard pallet between the wheel arches and the tub is lined with a tough, plastic material that, although it allows objects inside to slide around a bit, should be hard-wearing.

Plenty of tie-downs including moveable ones higher up are a great touch and the standard, electrically operated roller-shutter tonneau cover is nothing short of brilliant.

So is the flexible rack system which allows the load-bearing parts to be located anywhere along the length of the tray and even work in conjunction with the roof rails for really long loads.

You could never accuse Ford of not offering plenty of choice in its upper-echelon Ranger variants.

The big kahuna is, of course, the $87,990 Raptor with its mighty V6 petrol engine, and below that the V6 diesel Platinum at $78,190.

Just a couple of thousand shy of that is this car at $75,990, while the V6 Wildtrak lands at $72,390 and the 2.0-litre Wildtrak (on which this car is notionally based) lobs in at $68,490.

Which means, of course, is that the real question revolves around whether the letter X is worth the extra $7500 over the 2.0-litre Wildtrak.

In many ways, the answer is yes. That’s largely because you get plenty of extra standard kit as well as some important mechanical changes.

Those start with the full-time four-wheel drive setting which means the car can, unlike the part-time all-wheel-drive standard Wildtrak, be driven on tarmac in all-wheel-drive.

That gives it an extra performance dimension as a touring vehicle which is where Ford is pitching it marketing-wise.

To help with that, the X gets a set of remote-canister Bilstein shock absorbers which aim to give the car enough bandwidth to cope with true off-roading as well as the sort of remote-area touring that Aussie families seem to enjoy, often towing a camper-trailer.

The shocks keep some of their damping fluid in a nitrogen-charged remote reservoir (rather than in the shock body itself) keeping the fluid cooler and extending the shock’s window of operation in really rough going.

Everyone wants to know what the new Power Stroke 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel is like.

Delivering 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque, it is paired solely to a 10-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. No manual alternative is available.

Being a Wildtrak, it 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.

There are now 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 new SYNC 4 multimedia screen, for improved off-road traction.

Cheaper versions will stick with the standard part-time 4x4 set-up that offers 4x2 (rear-drive), 4x4 Low range and 4x4 High range.

Still on going off the beaten track, there are now dual recovery hooks incorporated up front, and more prominently placed, for easier use.

More information about the powertrain will be revealed closer to the Ranger's launch.

The Wildtrak X breaks some new ground here, and while every other twin-turbo Ranger variant has used the part-time all-wheel drive system, the X is the first twin-turbo model to gain the Raptor’s full-time-capable four-wheel drive set-up.

The system still has a two-wheel drive mode but can be switched to high-range four-wheel drive with an open centre differential to cope with bitumen road use in that mode.

The catch is the Wildtrak X can’t be had with the V6 turbo-diesel, instead being fitted exclusively with the twin-turbo, four-cylinder turbo-diesel which nevertheless squeezes 150kW and 500Nm from its 2.0-litre displacement.

That’s actually down four kiloWatts on the non-AdBlue version of the same engine. The only transmission available is Ford’s 10-speed automatic, but there’s a locking rear differential as part of the package.

Even though it offers permanent all-wheel drive, there is a low-range function giving the necessary gear ratios for serious off-road work, and the full-time AWD platform also allows for 'Trail Control' which acts as a sort of low-speed, off-road cruise-control (below 32km/h).

There’s also 'Trail Turn Assist' which combines the vehicle's brakes with steering input to help initiate sharp turns in tight spots, again at low speeds typical of off-roading.

At the time of publication, Ford had not yet revealed the official consumption figures for the new Ranger V6 turbo-diesel.

But it does include stop/start technology, as well as a heavily revised version of the 10-speed automatic transmission that is claimed to have improved operating efficiency, so fingers remain crossed that the fuel economy won't be too bad.

One of the Wildtrak X’s boasts is that it’s the first Ranger variant to meet the new Stage 6 EU emissions standard for light trucks. But to do so, it requires the use of AdBlue, so that will add a little to running costs.

You’ll need to fill the 18-litre AdBlue tank probably every 12,000 to 15,000km at a rough price of $100 depending on where you buy your AdBlue.

Beyond that, the official combined fuel consumption figure is 8.7 litres per 100km which, combined with the standard 80-litre fuel tank gives the Wildtrak X a theoretical range of better than 900km.

Our real-world test drive netted an average consumption figure of between 10 and 11 litres per 100km, but that included some slow, off-road track use.

Months out from launch, we're here at the famous Durability Circuit deep within Ford's You Yangs Proving Ground, to try out the Ranger V6 for the first time.

For all you students of Australian motoring history, this is the same course that helped make generations of the Falcon the so-called "Great Australian Road Car" from the early Sixties to the end of Ford's local production in 2016.

Keep in mind, though, that it's only three fast laps in the new Ranger V6, sadly, it's supervised at all times by nervous Ford personnel as we're in an extremely expensive pre-production prototype, and we're not forgetting that driving a Ford at the You Yangs gives the new truck a home-ground advantage, since it's literally been designed and developed to be its best right here.

But this quick spin is still more than enough for us to give you an initial taste of the changes made between old and new Ranger.

And to refresh our memories, we've also had a run in the old Ranger – a PX III series Wildtrak BiTurbo with the 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel powertrain ¬– that highlights the many advances of the latest version.

Anyway, we're strapped in and finally ready to go!

Accompanied by the deep baritone exhaust note that can only be from a V6 turbo-diesel, initial acceleration is strong, with a decent amount of forward thrust on hand – or, rather, underfoot – even if you just tickle the throttle.

While the old 2.0-litre BiTurbo Ranger reacted fairly quickly when asked to simulate an overtaking manoeuvre at speed, the V6 lunged ahead, to power along much more briskly and with not much provocation from the pedal, highlighting the next level of performance that paying the extra $3000 brings to the Ford.

And even for this late-stage prototype, there's a sophisticated level of tuning going on here, as revealed by how progressively the truck responds to the driver's commands. The brakes pull up cleanly; the steering is light yet has a good deal of feel as well as feedback; and through the really fast corners, there's impressive composure and control, that elevates an already class-leading pick-up to what we believe will be new heights for this sort of vehicle.

One section of the Durability Circuit includes bumps and cobblestones that are designed to disrupt the suspension's ability to soak up or ride over them at speed; in our unladen Wildtrak, and with the newly redesigned independent wishbone coil-sprung front and leaf-sprung rear suspension set-up fitted, the Ford sailed over these, with little of the lateral 'crabbing' that was evident in the PX III Wildtrak we sampled straight after.

So, after three quick laps in the new Ranger V6 that ended all-too-soon, we're quietly confident that Ford might have upped the ante in terms of engine performance, handling capability and ride comfort.

And the sound of that 3.0L V6 just amplifies as well as elevates the experience even further.

Clearly, we need to drive a Ranger away from its home base before we know definitively, but all the signs are extremely promising indeed.

And it was also telling to see just how good the old version still feels behind the wheel.

Ford also gave us an opportunity to try out the new Ranger V6's capabilities off-road. Again, back-to-back with an old Wildtrak to see how far it's come. Being a Wildtrak, it had the new electronic 4WD system.

And the biggest takeaway here is just how easy it is to drive the new model off-road, by selecting one of the drive modes on screen and letting the vehicle do the rest. That screen displays driveline and diff lock status, steering angle and vehicle pitch and roll angles.

It's also quite surprising how much more planted and surefooted the new Ranger feels.

Ford's claims about it having more wheel travel and articulation are realised driving the new Ranger over the deep ruts and potholes that make up the You Yang's off-road course, with the suspension doing a great job soaking up or traversing the bumps and thumps.

Plus, the V6 has the torque to really power up very steep inclines without struggling at all, while the new hill descent tech takes care of going down again, without the driver having to break a sweat.

In fact, it's how composed and in control the vehicle now feels off-road that separates the new from old Ranger, backed up by an engine that offers ample performance to do it.

Like we said, we'll need to take the new Ford ute out in the real world to make sure it's as good as it feels around the You Yangs, but first impressions suggest that few other midsized trucks anywhere in the world can offer the sort of bandwidth that the new-gen Ranger seems to have in spades.

We can't wait for that.

No surprises to learn that the Wildtrak X drives pretty much like any other Ranger. The 17-inch wheel and tyre package provides a bit of sidewall flex which is welcome most of the time and will make a difference off-road.

The Bilstein dampers improve stability in faster corners, but don’t really do anything for ride comfort. That said, the basic Ranger platform provides better than average ride quality in the first place, so the X model continues that theme.

Performance from the twin-turbo engine is adequate rather than generous and the V6 available in other Ranger models remains, for most of us, the superior powerplant.

There’s no doubt, however, that the four-cylinder turbo-diesel fitted here is up to the job, it simply doesn’t have the extra dollop of urge up top, nor is it as sophisticated as the V6.

The 10-speed transmission is smooth and refined and our only real gripe is the manual shifting set-up. Rather than paddles or a T-bar that can be flicked across to a manual plane, Ford has insisted on retaining the lever-mounted switches to manipulate the transmission.

The problem is that, in this case, the switches themselves are small, hard to find tucked almost underneath the shift-lever and are black switches on a black background, making them almost invisible, especially when you need them the most. On the bitumen they’re fiddly, off-read they’re next to useless.

The other thing to be careful of is the Ranger’s ability to disguise its current velocity. The high seating position, tall gearing (tenth gear is almost never selected below 100km/h) and relaxed feel of the engine means that it’s entirely possible to underestimate your speed by a good chunk. The game then becomes one of watching the speedo like a hawk.

Our other observation is that the gearing is so tall and the transmission so keen to get to the next gear to save you fuel, that the engine sometimes feels like it’s lugging at 1500 or 1600rpm.

By 1800rpm, the sensation through the seats and floor has gone, but it’s definitely there at lower engine speeds. Some people won’t notice it, but for others it spoils the relative refinement the Ranger otherwise displays.

Off-road, the Ranger in any of its forms is as good as the best of them and better than most.

The extra ground clearance of the X, combined with the beefier tyres and great transmission makes light work of trails and tracks.

Off-road is also where the selectable drive modes for mud, snow, rocks and whatever come into the game, too, and even though there’s a bit of gimmickry here, the overall off-road ability of the Ranger is never questioned.

The main thing to watch is that the Ranger remains a very big vehicle by any standards, and the extra 15mm of tyre sticking out of each side hasn’t changed a single thing there.

The importance of safety in commercial vehicles has never been higher than it is now, which is why the current Ranger platform was engineered with the latest passive and active safety gear in mind.

On the passive front, that extends to no less than nine air-bags including full-length side-curtain bags for all outboard seating positions as well as a full-length knee air-bag for both driver and front seat passenger. There’s also a centre airbag which is a novelty in this category.

The active side of things is the job of the latest driver aids including adaptive cruise-control with a stop-go function, lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition, cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking, post-impact braking, evasive steer-assist, tyre-pressure monitoring and a 360-degree camera view as well as parking sensors at both ends.

It's also worth mentioning the Ranger line-up’s excellent in-built towing functions which not only make towing easier, but also safer in an overall sense.

Despite the fitment of the X model’s front bash-plate the Ranger’s maximum five-star ANCAP rating carries over to this car.

Ford offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with five-years roadside assistance.

Currently, the Ranger is also available with what Ford calls a Service Price Calculator, which is an online resource showing what the capped-price scheduled service costs will be over a 12-year/180,000km period. The same or something similar is expected for the new Ranger soon.

Other details, including other ownership and servicing info, will be revealed closer to the new model's launch, so stay tuned.

Ford offers pre-paid fixed price servicing on the Wildtrak X with the first four years or 60,000km which ever comes first of general servicing available at $1200 including GST.

The scheduled service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km.

In terms of overall running costs, the Wildtrak X should be no different to any other Ranger using the twin-turbo engine, with the exception that the latest emissions controls require the use of AdBlue.

Ford also throws in roadside assistance with the Ranger, and will maintain that coverage for up to seven years provided the vehicle is serviced at a participating Ford dealer.

Ford’s standard warranty for the Ranger is five years/unlimited kilometres.