Ford Ranger vs Isuzu NLR

What's the difference?

VS
Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger

$37,130 - $90,690

2025 price

Isuzu NLR
Isuzu NLR

2022 price

Summary

2025 Ford Ranger
2022 Isuzu NLR
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 2.3L

Diesel Turbo 4, 3.0L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded/Electric

Diesel
Fuel Efficiency
2.7L/100km (combined)

0.0L/100km (combined)
Seating
5

3
Dislikes
  • Prohibitively expensive
  • Lacks truly usable EV range
  • Adds weight to already-heavy ute

  • Limited cabin storage
  • Automated shift durations
  • No Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
2025 Ford Ranger Summary

Ford has been teasing the plug-in version of its sales chart darling for some time.

Long enough, in fact, that between the Ford Ranger PHEV program being confirmed in late 2023 and its 2025 arrival, two other plug-in hybrid utes have hit the market. 

While there’s some overlap between the aims and target market of the Ranger PHEV and its challengers from China, the BYD Shark 6 and the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV, Ford claims the Ranger’s capability hasn’t been compromised for the sake of electrification.

Can a petrol engine and a big battery bring the same tough ute vibes as the rugged diesel variant that’s arguably become the segment benchmark? 

There’s a lot riding on the Ranger PHEV and Ford Australia invited CarsGuide to the updated ute's local launch, including a variety of situations you might expect a dual-cab to be found in - on and off the asphalt.

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2022 Isuzu NLR Summary

For many tradies and mobile service providers, a single cab one-tonne ute in cab-chassis form is a versatile platform that can be equipped to suit virtually any task, from off-the-shelf drop-side trays to complete custom-made canopies and service bodies.

However, utes of this size typically have payload ratings of 1.0 to 1.3 tonnes and a sizeable chunk of that can be eaten up by the combined weight of a tray/service body and essential accessories like ladder racks, tow-bars etc. And that can leave you with a much smaller payload than you need for your tools of trade and materials.

Isuzu offers a convenient ‘turn key’ alternative with its compact N-Series range. This well-designed package comes with its sleeves rolled up ready for work, equipped with a versatile service body and big GVM and GCM ratings that leave one-tonne utes in the shade. And it can be driven using a normal car licence. We recently put one to the test.

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Deep dive comparison

2025 Ford Ranger 2022 Isuzu NLR

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