Ford Ranger News

Driver-assist technology is supposed to do just that – assist the driver – but sometimes the application of it in the real world ranges from annoying to bloody atrocious depending on the vehicle you’re driving at the time.

We know what it will cost, when it will arrive, even the colours it will come in. But now Ford Australia has detailed a staggering range of factory designed, tested and warranted accessories developed for its new Ranger Super Duty.From purpose-built trays, tool boxes and tanks to driving lights, scuff plates and rock sliders the list is immense, with pricing (including a recommended fitting allowance) detailed for almost all items.Approved suppliers including well known names like ARB, Warn and EVOm also get a look in with specialised pieces including bull bars, winches, roller shutters and more.Each official accessory comes with a five-year warranty when fitted to a new vehicle by an authorised Ford Dealer prior to delivery.The extensive range recognises the often unique uses to which a vehicle like the Ranger Super Duty will be put, as Ford Australia Customer Service Division Marketing and Sales Manager Brad Hogg said, "Our new line of Super Duty Ford Licensed Accessories offers a one-stop solution for customers, providing fully integrated, Ford-engineered products to prepare Ranger Super Duty for almost anything. “From the robust steel tray to advanced device integration, every accessory is built to meet the rigorous demands of Ranger Super Duty work and adventure," he said. A standard Ranger Super Duty is already equipped with fuss-free vinyl flooring and the seats are trimmed in what Ford describes as “hard-wearing cloth”. But an impressive number of included features means while tough it’s far from spartan. Factory prepared for customisation with an auxiliary switch bank for accessories and a 400W inverter the Super Duty also features a 12-inch ‘SYNC’ multimedia screen with built-in satellite navigation, wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, dual zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera view plus ‘Trail Control’, ‘Trail Turn Assist’ and more. An impressive safety suite is onboard as is a ‘Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Regeneration Control’ allowing customers to choose when their vehicle’s DPF regeneration takes place.A trio of accessory packs also bundle together useful extras for three distinct groups of potential owners or operators.The ‘Farm Pack’ consists of a tray (galvanised, body colour or matt black), water tank, tool box, an ARB Summit Bull Bar and All-Weather Floor Mats. The ‘Work Pack’ includes the same choice of tray as well as an ‘Integrated Device Mounting System’, all-weather floor mats, a top console mount, weather shields and wheel nut indicators. And the ‘Adventure Pack’ features the tray choice plus the all-weather floor mats, a Warn winch and rock sliders. There’s also a range of ‘Tray Packs’ with a toolbox and water tank thrown in until March 31, 2026. Ford Ranger Super Duty deliveries are scheduled to start in early 2026 with pricing (before on-road cost) set at $82,990 for the Single Cab-Chassis, $86,490 for the Super Cab-Chassis and $89,990 for the Double Cab-Chassis.   

Here’s a question for four-wheel driving enthusiasts: why? As in why do you do it? Serious question.

It’s never a good sign when car companies don’t tell you how many cars they’ve sold.Typically car makers love to spread the word about how successful it has  been and tell you exactly how beloved its vehicles are. So when they decided not to reveal the details of their newest model’s popularity, it does raise red flags.Which suggests sales of the new Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid (PHEV) may not be reaching the highest heights that the company was hoping for. When asked for details on the hybrid Ranger’s success, a Ford spokesperson told CarsGuide that the company doesn’t break out sales data for its individual models.Instead it told us this: “We are pleased to see customers nationwide adopting new technology and reaping the benefits of Ranger Hybrid, such as Pro Power On Board, to get the most out of their vehicle.”You’ll notice at no point did it indicate how many “customers” are enjoying these benefits. It could be hundreds or it could be two (but that seems unlikely).To be fair, Ford has never revealed the details of its individual models, namely its flagship Raptor, which is believed to be a sales success. So just because they won’t say how many customers have plugged-in to Ranger, it doesn’t mean it’s a sales flop.But if car makers were hoping that the plug-in hybrid technology would be the saviour of the ute segment, there are signs that there is still a long way to go before customers fully embrace this new breed of ute.The best example we have is the BYD Shark 6. Why? Because it’s an entirely PHEV-powered ute and therefore all of its published sales are the PHEV-powered model.So far in 2025, year-to-date to August, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) tells us that BYD has sold 12,918 Shark 6. GWM revealed to CarsGuide that it has sold 441 Cannon Alpha PHEV in the four months it has been on sale.The FCAI also tells us that there have been 13,936 PHEV ‘commercial vehicles’ sold, which doesn’t leave a lot of sales for the rest of the PHEV commercial offerings (which includes the Ranger) to pick up - just 607 to be precise.Those three utes are the most notable PHEV-powered workhorses, so the success or failure of them will shape the course of the market for years to come. If they become a popular new alternative to turbo diesel engines, as the Shark 6 is threatening to do, then it will give rival brands the confidence to push ahead with their own. Alternatively, if they fade away after a strong start, it will likely mean the end of PHEV utes for the foreseeable future.Don’t believe me? Compare the amount of ‘Raptor rival’ tough utes on sale today and then think back to how many convertible SUVs you saw after the Range Rover Evoque drop-top flopped…There is no question the Shark 6 has made an impact, in a crowded and highly-competitive market the BYD is already the fourth best-selling 4x4 ute this year, behind only the Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max — and after missing the month of January.However, there are two very big months on the Shark’s books, specifically the 2810 sales in March and 2993 sales in June. Is it a coincidence that the fringe benefit tax on PHEVs ended on April 1 and EV Direct handed over the reins of BYD to the factory in July…Other than those two outliers, the Shark consistently does between 1200-1300 sales a month, which is solid but still well behind the Ranger and HiLux (although so is everything else).If the Shark can maintain its current rate of sales, then that’s probably enough to convince others of the merits of entering the PHEV ute contest. Other brands have already begun openly discussing it, Hyundai, for example, has made it clear it believes introducing another diesel-powered ute is simply not a starter for its planned entry later this decade.But whether or not how many brands drop diesel for hybrids will likely play out in the coming months and years, as the Shark 6, Ranger and Cannon Alpha carve a trail for the others to follow… or ignore.

Ford makes its plug-in Ranger a whole lot cooler overseas.

Ford Ranger Black edition makes a return for 2025

Where does the Kia Tasman go from here? Is having a conventional diesel engine as the sole choice enough to run with the best-sellers? Should the Tasman follow the lead of the Ranger Raptor by going down the off-road performance path, to create a halo model for the rest of the range to bask beneath? Or is going hybrid the answer? The answer may shock you!

Diesel as a fuel source might not be dead yet, but the vultures are circling, waiting for their prey to finally stop moving. Don’t believe me? It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see into a future already so clearly laid out, and not just by newcomer brands, but by some of the biggest proponents of diesel engines in the history of the fuel.

It’s widely regarded as a great way to exfoliate, detoxify and hydrate the skin, while some believe it can provide relief from muscle and joint pain. But the type of mud bath Ford Australia has been applying to its up-coming Ford Ranger Super Duty is far from a therapeutic beauty routine.

Which Mitsubishi do you wish would make a comeback? Pajero? Lancer?  Well, Mitsubishi is currently undertaking a massive overhaul of its Australian line-up with several new models to come to fill the gaps. So while they're at it we’ve put together our wishlist of cars they really should really revive or bring here. The changes to the Australian Design rules (ADRs) in March this year meant Mitsubishi had to axe three vehicles from its local lineup.  These were the ASX small SUV, the bigger Eclipse Cross SUV and the Pajero Sport off-roader. This leaves Mitsubishi with just two cars on sale in Australia — the Triton ute and Outlander mid-sized SUV. Meanwhile Toyota has 23 models on sale.Now we're not suggesting that Mitsubishi needs another 21 models, Ford is managing just fine on pretty much the Ranger, Everest and Mustang, but I definitely think there are some essentials the brand could use and a few dream cars while we're at it.Probably the most obvious model Mitsubishi needs right now is the Pajero. Yep once-upon-a-1990s the Toyota Prado and Mitsubishi Pajero wrestled for dominance all over Australia, from the outback to suburbia. The Pajero eventually lost the battle and was axed by Mitsubishi in 2020 … or so we thought! Imagine the comeback. Just when the new generation Prado had arrived and was still gloating, the Pajero could make its return. Sure the Pajero Sport is coming back in 2026, but that’s a Ford Everest rival. The beauty is Mitsubishi could easily plonk another, posher-looking SUV body on the ladder frame and call it the Pajero. And they’ve already got the badges made up. You just just take the “Sport” bit off. Think of the savings.Next on our wish list is not really a car that would sell in high numbers, but it'd be the halo car in many ways the brand needs so badly right now —  a reborn Lancer, and yes, with an Evolution grade as well. Or maybe just a standalone Lancer Evo XI. I think we’re up to XI, I can't remember but I tested the very final one in 2015.Back in the final glory days of Ford Falcon versus Holden Commodore there were two other tribes going to war: Subaru WRX v Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. These days the WRX lives on, but it looks so lonely without the Lancer EVO to play with.Finally, and given the number of grey imports we see of this car, Mitsubishi needs to add the Delica people mover to its Aussie line-up. What’s not to like about a high-riding all-wheel drive six-seater van?A sixth-generation of the people mover is expected in the next two years and whether it looks anything like the futuristic and silly Delica concept Mitsubishi revealed at the 2023 Tokyo Motorshow is yet to be seen.A wishlist for Mitsubishi could go one forever, who wouldn’t want to see the Colt come back, or the Cordia Turbo? Or the 3000GT?In reality the ASX will be back and so too will the Pajero Sport, and that might be all Mitsubishi needs as it faces bigger problems.  Challenges like how on Earth will it adapt to a rapidly changing market that’s been inundated with excellent electric vehicles from brands which hardly existed five years ago. Currently Mitsubishi doesn’t even sell one purely electric vehicle in Australia at all.