What's the difference?
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.
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.
The Ford Ranger is a strong starting point for a plug-in hybrid upgrade. And there are valid pros accompanying the addition of a high-voltage battery. But those benefits aren’t primarily seen on the road.
In fact, given its higher price, the Ranger PHEV loses out when compared to its BYD and GWM rivals, which offer more features and a far higher EV range at lower prices.
The Ranger doesn’t compromise its ‘ute-ness’ as its rivals do in different ways. But its target audience is likely relatively small. One that's willing to fork out for a capable, comfortable ute that can power a campsite or run tools on the job.
If you want an EV that just looks like a ute, this isn’t it. But if you're after a dual cab that can do proper ute things, with a bonus when it comes to efficiency and convenience, you’ll need deep pockets.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.
Work out the weight of all the tools, equipment, materials, crew and (if applicable) trailer that you need to haul around each day and measure it against this truck’s formidable GVM and GCM ratings. When combined with its compact dimensions, robust design and build quality, solid warranty and ready-to-work pricing, you may find it’s hard to beat if you’re prepared to think outside the square on what a single cab-chassis ute can look like.
The Ford Ranger is still one of the best-looking utes available, with a strong brand identity and a lack of design features that lean into trends - perhaps aside from the ‘C-shaped’ DRL signature.
There are only a few hints that any given Ranger you might be looking at is a plug-in hybrid, with the vehicle’s panels and general design features looking primarily the same.
The most obvious change is fender badging that outs the Ranger as a ‘PHEV’, though its lettering isn’t too ‘shouty’.
But to those more familiar with the Ranger, or anyone able to have a proper look around a PHEV, there are a couple of other giveaways.
For example, the Ranger plug-in has a new set of wheel designs that range from the 17-inch alloys on the XLT to the Stormtrak-specific 18s featuring 'Chill Grey' inserts as trim accents.
The Stormtrak can also be had in Chill Grey, the colour being exclusive to that variant along with the aforementioned unique trim design.
There are also plug outlets in the ute’s tub for access to the Ranger’s battery power. Harder to spot if you’re looking at one of the higher-spec variants that feature a roller cover.
Inside, it’s a similar story with the PHEV’s interior being standard Ranger fare aside from the button that controls its EV modes.
This vehicle looks compact in comparison to a one-tonne ute - and the tape measure confirms it. Compared to a Ranger 4x4 dual cab ute for example, its 5020mm overall length is a surprising 339mm shorter, its 2490mm wheelbase is 730mm less and its 1855mm width is line-ball.
The Isuzu’s 2172mm height is 357mm taller, which could present a challenge if access to underground or multi-storey carparks is required. However, its remarkably small 8.7-metre turning circle is a whole 4.0 metres tighter than the Ranger, so it's highly maneuverable.
Built on a heavy-duty steel ladder-frame chassis, it has independent wishbone/coil spring front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle, power-assisted rack and pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes. It also runs a 24-volt electrical system with twin batteries.
The single cab provides fabric-trimmed seating for up to three (driver bucket, passenger bench) but our test vehicle was fitted with seat covers from the Isuzu accessories range. With torsion bar assistance, the cab can be easily tilted forward to rest at a 45-degree angle and provide full access to the engine.
The service body, which is a blend of lightweight aluminium and steel, has a tough powder-coated finish. It comprises a large main storage compartment with big gull-wing doors on each side, plus a compact rear tray with checker-plate floor, drop-sides and load anchorage points. There are also rear underbody storage boxes on each side, plus sturdy body-mounted roof racks, safety yellow non-slip steps and sturdy grab handles front and rear.
The Ford Ranger’s interior is impressive for a dual-cab ute when it comes to layout and functionality.
A large 12-inch touchscreen dominates the central space on the dash, but there are still physical controls for the climate settings and the screen has shortcuts to main functions thanks to Ford’s 'Sync' software.
A big 12.4-inch driver display is similarly handy, being clear in its layout and able to be customised to the extent you’d expect from a modern bit of kit.
As mentioned, in the XLT you miss out on a few goodies, but the phone charger found in other variants is placed out of the way, under the screen and behind the gear shift.
Cupholders are similarly out of the way of any buttons or controls, and the gear-shifter itself is mercifully a traditional one rather than a dial or buttons.
With everything in an ergonomically sensible place, it’s similarly comforting that the seats and the steering wheel can be adjusted to find a suitable position.
It’s still a dual-cab ute, so don’t anticipate ‘melt-into-the-seat’ levels of comfort, but the space on offer in the front and rear seats is enough for an adult to feel at ease on even a long trip.
Behind the cabin, there’s space for two euro pallets according to Ford, with a payload as high as 973kg for the XLT. The Stormtrak’s 808kg payload is the lowest of the bunch, with Sport (934kg) and Wildtrak (885kg) slotting in between.
There’s a spare tyre underneath the tub and the ability to tow a 3500kg braked trailer - all combining to make it the most functional workhorse on offer in the plug-in hybrid ute segment. The GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV can tow 3.5-tonne and the BYD Shark 6’s payload is okay, but neither can do it all.
That said, the Ranger falls short in the plug-in game, which we’ll get to shortly.
With a hefty 2825kg tare weight and 4500kg GVM, the Isuzu has a big 1675kg payload rating. It’s also rated to tow up to 4000kg of braked trailer and with its sizeable 8000kg GCM, it can legally tow that weight with a 500kg reduction in payload. Or you can cap the towing weight at 3500kg and keep the full payload. Either way, these are substantial GVM and GCM ratings for any number of working roles.
In terms of cabin storage, there’s no glove box but both doors have narrow storage bins and there are overhead shelves with restraint netting to keep loose items in check. There’s also a pop-out dual bottle/cup holder in the centre dash along with two small storage nooks, but more places to store things would be welcome in this space.
The Ford Ranger PHEV is not cheap. While rivals kick off in the $50,000-bracket, the entry-level Ranger PHEV XLT starts from $71,990, before on-road costs.
The range tops out at $86,990 for the PHEV Stormtrak, which is approaching Raptor territory.
For reference, the BYD Shark starts at $57,990, while the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV kicks off from $59,990.
The standard features list for the Ranger PHEV is pretty slim when it comes to interior mod-cons. The base model even makes do with halogen headlights as opposed to more commonly standard LEDs.
With cloth seats, no phone charger pad, manual adjust seats and even a more rudimental cruise control system than the rest of the range, more than $70,000 is a big ask.
The Ranger Sport adds some quite useful features and is only $4000 more, at $75,990.
LED headlights and DRLs, a sports bar and 18-inch alloys to replace the XLT’s 17s are visual clues, while inside there’s leather-accented seats, heated for the front row and the driver’s is electrically adjustable. Plus a wireless phone charger ups the tech on offer.
The $79,990 PHEV Wildtrak adds matrix LED headlights with auto-levelling and auto high beam, some unique trim including a different grille and a sail plane, as well as a roller shutter over the ute’s tub.
For more comfy vibes inside there’s ambient lighting, Wildtrak-specific leather seats with electric adjustment for the driver and front passenger and a premium 10-speaker sound system.
It also adds surround view parking cameras and Ford’s trailer assist system.
Finally, the top-of-the-range Stormtrak slots in at a relatively steep $86,990.
It gains a unique grille design, and other exclusive styling cues including specific wheels. But it’s the rack and cargo systems and auxiliary switches that owners will likely find handy.
Our test vehicle, to use its full model name, is the NLR 45-150 SWB AMT Servicepack X. It’s the most compact model in the N-Series range and as a result is similar (and in some cases much smaller) in key dimensions to a one-tonne ute. It only comes in one specification with 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, six-speed automated manual transmission (we’ll get to that) and dual-rear wheels, for a list price of $87,789.
In addition to its service body, this hard-worker comes standard with half a dozen 16-inch steel wheels, 195/75R16C Michelin tyres and a full-size spare. The single cab is well-equipped with useful features like keyless entry with central locking of cab and service body, big door mirrors with power adjustment, heating and lower wide-angle view, driver’s bucket seat with mechanical suspension and weight adjustment up to 130kg, two-way adjustable steering column, cruise control and bright LED interior lighting. Also standard is a 4000kg-rated tow-bar, reversing camera, loud reversing alarm and door-mounted cornering lamps.
There’s also an infotainment system with smallish 6.2-inch control screen and DAB+ radio. Even though there’s no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, it has multiple connectivity including internet radio via smartphone, external camera inputs, navigation, reversing sensors and tyre pressure monitoring. The driver also gets a multi-information display and there’s plenty of the latest safety tech headlined by AEB.
The Ranger PHEV remains an off-road-capable 4x4 ute, with all four wheels receiving power. But the drivetrain is not your standard Ranger gear.
Ford’s 2.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder 'EcoBoost' engine does the heavy lifting, aided by an electric motor mounted between it and the transmission.
The engine isn’t unproven in the ute game. In fact, it’s found in some variants of the current-gen Ranger’s cousin, the Volkswagen Amarok.
In the Ranger PHEV, it makes 138kW and 411Nm which, paired with the 75kW electric motor, contributes to a total 207kW and 697Nm output, transferred to all four wheels via Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission.
Of course, the ute’s 4WD system is able to be set to '2H', '4A', '4H' or '4L' and has a rear diff-lock to assist in traversing tricky terrain.
Isuzu’s 4JJ1-TCS 3.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel is closely related to the 4JJ3-TCX in the current D-Max ute and MU-X wagon. Tuned for hard work and long life, it produces 110kW at 2800rpm and 375Nm across a 1200rpm-wide torque band between 1600-2800rpm. It’s also equipped with a vacuum-controlled exhaust brake which can be switched on or off.
Isuzu’s MYY-6E is a six-speed fully-automated manual transmission, which may sound like a contradiction in terms, However, like the engine, it's designed for a long service life under continuous heavy loads. It uses an electro/hydraulically controlled wet clutch and lock-up torque converter to provide either fully automatic or clutch-less manual shifting. There’s also slow/fast gear engagement control, first gear start (for heavy loads) and normal or economy drive modes.
A handy power take-off (PTO) facility can drive numerous on-site implements, with drive coming from a counter gear on the left-hand side of the transmission case.
Ford claims the Ranger PHEV sips 2.9L/100km according to NEDC testing, but like many plug-in hybrids that would be difficult to achieve without constantly stopping to charge.
It’s also only able to charge the 11.8kWh lithium-ion battery at a 3.5kW rate under AC power and it takes around four hours to do so. There’s no DC fast charging.
It’s got a 70-litre fuel tank, and requires minimum 91 RON petrol.
During the launch drive, the highest figure reasonable driving produced in terms of a fuel consumption on the trip computer was 9.6L/100km during battery charging.
So, while theoretical range is around 2400km, that closer to real-world number reduces the distance between fills to a still useful 730km.
Ford didn’t offer an expected general consumption figure for ‘low-power’ driving - i.e. while the battery isn’t being actively charged but also isn’t carrying enough juice to fully propel the ute.
Average combined fuel consumption figures are not required for commercial vehicles in this weight division. Even so, the dash display was claiming 13.2L/100km at the end of our 295km test which included about one third of that distance hauling a heavy payload. So, based on those figures you could expect a real-world driving range of around 570km from its 75-litre tank.
During a presentation and Q&A to media before the launch drive program, the Ford Australia team was keen to spruik how handy the PHEV’s battery would be for things like powering worksite equipment or for use during camping trips.
Alternately, focus on how the battery might come into play while on the road was modest. And behind the wheel it became clear why.
On-paper, the 49km electric driving range seems handy, but the NEDC testing which produced that figure is known for being optimistic.
On top of that, the launch program's highway driving wasn’t prime EV territory. In fact, we were encouraged to keep the cars in ‘charge’ mode to leave enough electric power in reserve to experience the Ranger PHEV’s off-road capabilities.
As mentioned, fuel consumption doesn’t exactly skyrocket even while the engine is charging the battery, but to make the most of the Ranger’s EV range you’d want to have a relatively short commute.
In terms of its on-road manners, the Ranger’s status as a benchmark for the category means even with the extra weight of the battery, the PHEV performs well.
Its 75kW EV output means driving under the electric motor’s power alone is reserved for low speed, but it does well to boost the torque provided by the engine. While it’s no sports car, it doesn’t feel sluggish.
The Ranger’s suspension does well to balance relative softness when it comes to bumps and rough surfaces without feeling like it doesn’t have the ute's weight under control.
If you want the best on-road driving experience from a Ranger, a V6-powered variant will provide the balance of comfort and power you seek.
Off-road, the PHEV’s capability is likely more than enough for most weekend warriors.
The electrified ute’s ability to use battery and engine to carefully cover terrain that would likely intimidate any off-road beginner is impressive. But we'll wait until we can get the Ranger PHEV onto home turf for a proper off-highway test before making a definitive judgement.
The doors open 90 degrees for easy access and there are decent boot-sized steps plus big handles on the windscreen pillars to help you climb aboard.
It’s a different driving position to a ute, as you sit high above the engine with your feet ahead of the front wheels and hands on a bus-style flat steering wheel. There’s also a big left footrest with lots of open floor around it, so there’s ample space to rest your foot given there’s no clutch pedal.
The suspension seat can be easily adjusted to suit a driver’s weight and works well in providing a more comfortable ride. The seat’s base cushion has no rake adjustment but there is some movement available in the backrest. Large glass areas deliver a commanding view ahead and to the sides while the big door mirrors provide excellent coverage of what’s behind.
Its harsh ride quality when unladen is to be expected as it’s designed to carry permanent payloads between 1.0 and 1.5 tonnes. You do get thrown around, particularly on poor road surfaces with large bumps and dips. However, it’s no worse than the rodeo ride we’ve experienced in some unladen single-cab chassis utes which don’t have the luxury of a suspension seat.
The cab’s insulation ensures low engine and tyre noise, particularly during highway use where the turbo-diesel requires 2200rpm to maintain 100km/h and 2500rpm at 110km/h. The most noticeable noise at these speeds comes from wind buffeting around the mirrors, roof racks etc but it’s far from intolerable, as conversations can still take place at normal volumes.
Braking (particularly when using the exhaust brake) and steering response are good but the automated manual transmission takes some getting used to, as it shifts gears at about the same leisurely speed you would do manually.
These long pauses between cogs can be frustrating when climbing hills, as you naturally want to downshift quicker to avoid losing momentum, but you can’t do it in either automated or manual modes. Isuzu claims that the duration of these automated shifts can be shortened, but after consulting the owner’s manual to make this adjustment, we didn’t notice much if any difference (or perhaps we just didn’t do it correctly).
The engine has good flexibility and does not respond well to aggressive treatment. A more relaxed approach is best, using low rpm to optimise torque.
The Ranger PHEV comes with the same safety kit as its diesel counterpart, depending on variant, aside from the addition of an acoustic alert for pedestrians when in EV mode.
Adaptive cruise, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert, pre-collision assist and lane-keeping plus tyre pressure monitoring are all standard.
There are a couple of features that only come with higher grades. For example, the PHEV XLT is the only variant to miss out on lane-centring (more specific than lane-keeping) and traffic sign recognition.
The Wildtrak and Stormtrak are the only variants to feature a surround-view camera set-up and Ford’s trailer reverse assist.
The Ranger PHEV also has nine airbags as standard, which is plenty for even a passenger vehicle, including front, side, knee and full-length curtain airbags, plus a far-side (front centre) driver airbag.
There are also outboard ISOFIX points in the second row with top tethers for child restraints.
In terms of on-road behaviour, the Ranger’s safety systems work away in the background rather than intervening in everyday driving.
Even during off-roading, the Ranger’s active safety didn’t overstep in providing alerts to the driver about obstacles or, importantly, intervening during moments that required careful, considered input.
There’s no ANCAP rating required for vehicles in this weight class. Even so, it does have numerous passive and active safety features including driver and passenger airbags plus advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) including AEB, forward collision warning, distance warning, lane departure warning, traffic movement warning, cab-tilt warning and more. There’s also a reversing camera, reversing alarm (the loud beep-beep type) and door-mounted cornering lamps.
Ford’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty applies to the Ranger PHEV, but like all electrified Fords there’s an eight-year or 160,000km warranty on the high-voltage battery.
Ford also has set pricing for the first five years of servicing at a reasonable $399 per service, with the recommended interval set at 12 months or 15,000km.
There's a reassuring standard warranty of six years or 250,000km (unlimited operating hours) whichever occurs first. Includes three years/unlimited km coverage for body equipment, plus six years of 24/7 roadside assistance with unlimited km. Scheduled servicing every 15,000km/12 months whichever occurs first. Choice of servicing packages available.