Ford Ranger vs Skoda Superb

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.

The large passenger car segment, meaning big sedans and wagons, has taken a huge nosedive in terms of sales and available models over the past decade or so.

The Holden Commodore, Chrysler 300, Kia Stinger and even the Volkswagen Passat? All axed locally.

The Toyota Camry remains a strong fleet and private buyer option (hello Uber). But it leans more towards medium than properly large car proportions, as confirmed by industry statistician, VFacts segmentation.

The only vehicle left now before you start considering premium players is the Skoda Superb. It has just launched locally in new, fourth-generation guise.

Sitting alongside the new Kodiaq as a flagship product for the Czech brand, the Superb continues to now only be offered in a single, fully-loaded Sportline trim level. Thankfully, you still get the option of either a liftback or wagon body style.

Skoda has made a wide array of changes to this new-generation Superb, including plenty of new ‘Simply Clever’ touches, but will Australians actually care about this new version of a dying breed?

@carsguide.com.au Simply Clever? The new 2025 Skoda Superb’s ‘Smart Dials’ are a set of three physical dials that are capable of altering the following: Climate control temperature Air direction Fan speed Seat heating, ventilation Drive mode Sat-nav map zoom Volume P.S. these Smart Dials also feature in the new 2025 Skoda Kodiaq SUV#skoda #superb #sedan #wagon #car #carsguide #fyp ♬ original sound - CarsGuide.com.au

Read along to find out.