THE 2023 Ford Ranger arrives at a time when the previous model was still one of the leading vehicles in the mid-size 4x4 ute class. Ford’s Ranger has been in an arm wrestle with the venerable Toyota Hilux for the title, of not only Australia’s favourite 4x4 vehicle but the top-selling model in the county overall for the past few years, and this ‘Next-Gen’ Ranger is Ford’s latest salvo in the battle. Not only is the latest Ranger almost all-new, but its trump card is the inclusion of a V6 diesel engine. The 4x4 ute category is mostly powered by four-cylinder diesel engines, and the introduction of the new V6 mill is akin to bringing a bazooka to a gun fight.
Bolstering Ford’s armoury is a new model in the range. The Ranger Sport slips in to the line-up between the popular XLT model and the top-of-the-range Wildtrak, to give ute buyers another choice in style and equipment levels. We have a Ranger Sport with the V6 diesel engine, which sells for $66,690 plus ORC, and pitted it against the popular Hilux SR5 which, when fitted with the Premium package that gives it leather-trimmed seats, sells for $63,320 plus ORC.
You might say the $3300 price difference puts the new Ford at a disadvantage to the Toyota, but when you consider the Ranger Sport is available with either the carried over I4 bi-turbo diesel or the V6 diesel which is a $3000 extra, the two models are close to on par in everything bar the powertrains.
Using the respective brands’ online configurators, the Hilux as tested would be a $68,477 drive-away price in Melbourne, while the Ranger Sport as tested would be $73,261 drive away. Let the battle begin!
FORD RANGER SPORT V6
THE 2022.5 Ranger is just about all-new from the ground up. The central body structure including the cabin, door openings and glasshouse are close to the same as the old Ranger with a few tweaks, while everything else – including the chassis, sheet metal, interior, powertrains, cargo tub
