Ford Ranger vs Mazda 6E

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.

It’s fair to say Mazda didn’t exactly rush into the electric vehicle market with a flourish. Its first battery-powered offering, the MX-30, was a small SUV with a big price and it sold in small numbers.

But with EV sales on the rise in 2026, the timing is perfect for its second electric offering to land in Australia, and the Mazda 6e is a very different proposition to the MX-30.

The 6e is a mid-size sedan, with a very competitive price and it has plenty of influence from the booming Chinese EV industry. The 6e is a product of the long-time joint-venture between Mazda and Changan and is the first car built in China sold in Australia by the Japanese brand.

The 6e (which is known as the EZ-6 in China) shares its underpinnings with the Deepal L07, with Deepal being the electric brand for Changan Automobiles. 

So, can this second EV, with Chinese influence, help Mazda catch up lost ground in the electric car race? Read on to find out…