Ford Ranger vs Iveco Daily

What's the difference?

Ford has given its Ranger ute range a mild facelift. And mild is the word. If you look closely, you might notice some small visual changes, but the real news is under the bonnet where a new entry-level powerplant lives.

And however you look at it, this new engine that addresses the ownership issues experienced by some Ranger buyers since the bi-turbo diesel engine was released back in 2018, was probably overdue.

But the new powerplant comes at a cost; in terms of power and torque, even though the vital towing statistics remain for the Ranger.

The other changes that come with this facelift include some new tech, and the availability of the V6 turbo-diesel (which is unchanged) across the entire Ranger 4X4 dual-cab line-up.

For this review, we’ve concentrated on the new engine as being the major point of difference, and we’ve driven it the base-version XL trim specification. That means this is potentially the lightest variant, and heavier specifications might blunt the performance a little. But overall, this is representative of the new powertrain and represents the biggest point of difference in what is otherwise a very minor facelift.

There’s a school of thought that says you should always use the biggest hammer available. That’s the view of more than one van and truck manufacturer, who will point at the dual-cab utes Aussies are currently consuming at a frightening rate, and politely suggest a light truck or full-sized van might just be more appropriate.

It’s a hard argument to ignore, and for those who use their commercial vehicles to the max, perhaps a committed truck or van might make sense. After all, having the ability to tow 3.5 tonnes AND still have some payload left over for passengers and fuel is a hard argument to ignore. It’s also a line European maker Iveco is keen to push, along the lines of never taking a knife to a gunfight.

Iveco’s volume-selling light van offerings are the 42S and 50C models; vans that cross from recreational to professional user thanks to their overall size, capacity and the fact they can be driven on a normal car license in Australia.

Now revised for greater buyer reach, the 42S gains a 350kg payload boost over the 35S model it replaces, as well as more power and torque from its engine. It also boasts improved safety credentials with the addition of a range of driver aids which we take for granted in passenger cars, but are increasingly important in the commercial vehicle world thanks to a renewed focus on OH&S.

So, what else is new? Starting in the cabin, there’s now a 10-inch digital driver display unit, improved wireless and wired charging rates, changes to the chassis rails for better crash performance, an improved warranty and a pair of feature packages designed to target the end user market.

In Europe, the Daily van has plenty of competition, while in Australia, the major opponents are the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, VW Crafter, Fiat Ducato and the emerging Chinese van threat, the LDV Deliver 9.