Overview
IF IT appears to be like like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it most likely is a duck… It’s that type of abductive reasoning we are able to simply as simply apply to Ford’s new Ranger plug-in hybrid electrical car, or PHEV for brief.
It appears to be like like a Ranger, drives like a Ranger, and really close to seems like a Ranger – except after all it’s working solely on electrical energy.
Obtainable this month and priced from $71,990 plus on-road prices, the Ranger PHEV is as much as $10,350 dearer than its bi-turbo diesel counterpart. It’s provided in 4 trim variants – XLT, Sport, Wildtrak, and limited-edition Stormtrak – every powered by the mixture of Ford’s turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and 75kW electrical motor, fed by an 11.8kWh (web) battery.
Ford quotes a mixed system output determine of 207kW/697Nm and mixed cycle gasoline use of two.9 litres per 100km.
The pairing is channelled to all 4 wheels through a brand new Modular Hybrid Transmission (MHT) with the electrical motor built-in between the engine and 10-speed computerized transmission.
It presents a spread of driving modes typical of such preparations, together with the quite self-explanatory Auto, EV Now, EV Later and EV Cost. Regenerative braking is an element and parcel of the mixture, accessed by releasing the throttle or participating the brake.
The 2025 Ford Ranger PHEV can haul as much as 973kg of payload (180kg greater than every other PHEV ute presently accessible within the Australian market) and might tow as much as 3500kg (braked). Gross Mixed Mass (GCM) for Ranger PHEV is listed at 6580kg.
Including to the pragmatism of the Ranger PHEV is Ford’s Professional Energy Onboard system, providing a single 10-amp, 2.3kW socket within the cabin, and twin 15-amp, 3.45kW sockets within the tray. Ford says the system can present “hours of vitality to worksite gear, campsites, or perhaps a caravan”, delivering as much as 6.9kW of whole system energy.
Throughout the grade stroll we discover commonplace inclusions for the XLT as follows: halogen headlights, fog lights and DRLs, LED tail-lights and rear fog lights, black grille and aspect steps, lively grille shutter, metal underbody safety, entrance tow hook, 17-inch alloy wheels with inflation equipment spare (spare wheel a no-cost choice), and all-season tyres.
The tray mattress is completed with a drop-in liner, tailgate help, protecting capping, inside tie down factors, illumination and rear step, whereas the cabin options carpeted flooring (vinyl flooring non-obligatory), driver and passenger flooring mats, dual-zone local weather management, and an acoustic laminated windscreen.
Material upholstery is obtainable as commonplace along with manually adjustable entrance seats, perimeter alarm, and keyless entry and ignition. These options are joined by a 12.0-inch infotainment array with AM/FM/DAB+ radio reception, wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and six-speaker sound.
On the driving force help aspect, we discover adaptive cruise management, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert and trailer protection, evasive steer help, lane maintaining help, reverse brake help, entrance and rear parking sensors, reversing digital camera, and tyre stress monitoring system.
Incremental to these options discovered on the XLT we discover the Ranger PHEV Sport (from $75,990 + ORC) with LED frontal lighting, Zone and puddle lighting, darkish accented grille and exterior garnishing, sports activities bar, and twin entrance tow hooks.
The Sport additional presents 18-inch alloy wheels with a selection of all-season or all-terrain tyres, pull-out cup holders, wi-fi cellphone charging, rear privateness glass, leather-accented upholstery, eight-way powered driver seat, heated entrance seats, volumetric and inclination alarm system, ACC Cease & Go performance, lane centring, and site visitors signal recognition.
Ranger PHEV Wildtrak (from $79,990 + ORC) provides Matrix LED headlights with auto-levelling and dynamic bending performance, auto excessive beam, Robust Mesh model grille, tray mattress sail airplane, roof rails, distinctive 18-inch alloy wheels, aluminium tie-down rails, and a powered curler shutter.
The cabin is enhanced by LED ambient lighting, rear flooring mats, a 10-speaker B&O premium audio system, powered passenger seat, leather-based upholstery, 360-degree digital camera system, and Professional Trailer back-up help.
Lastly, the limited-edition Stormtrak (from $86,990 + ORC) presents a novel paint color dubbed Chill Gray, gloss black exterior highlights, R-A-N-G-E-R bonnet lettering, Stormtrak badging and aspect decals, bespoke 18-inch wheels with full-size spare, in addition to versatile load rack and cargo administration techniques.
Inside, the variant provides Chill Gray and gloss black garnishing, Stormtrak upholstery with Chill Gray accents, and overhead auxiliary switches.
Throughout the vary, status paint choices (+$700) embrace Iconic Silver, Carbonised Gray, Lucid Purple, Blue Lightning, Agate Black, Cyber Orange (solely accessible on Wildtrak), and Chill Gray (solely accessible on Stormtrak).
Frozen White is obtainable as commonplace. Status Paint is a No Value Choice for the Stormtrak, which is barely accessible in both Agate Black or Chill Gray.
Different choices embrace a full-size spare wheel ($NCO), 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tyres (+$700), versatile rack system (+$2800), vinyl cabin flooring ($100, XLT solely), carry and slide cover (+$4500), and a industrial cover in black or white (+$4700).
Bundled choice packages embrace Ford’s Know-how Pack with Professional Trailer back-up help and 360-degree digital camera (+$950) and Journey Pack with overhead auxiliary change financial institution, and cargo administration system (+$500).
Whereas the Ranger PHEV has not been issued with its personal ANCAP security score, it’s famous that the Ranger line-up has achieved an distinctive crash take a look at score previously – one we are able to’t picture not being utilized to the electrified mannequin vary.
Ford presents its total Ranger line-up with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre guarantee (together with for commercially operated automobiles) and capped-price servicing for six years or 105,000km (whichever comes first). Service activated roadside help is included for seven years, whereas service intervals are pegged at 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first).
Driving Impressions
The Ranger PHEV would possibly look like a good suggestion for commerce and industrial patrons eager to faucet into the car’s Professional Energy (V2L) capabilities to cost and energy instruments on the job web site. However with Ford requiring the ignition to be ‘ON’, and disallowing the fitment of an aftermarket tray or service physique, the practicalities of the mannequin vary shall be considerably extra restricted than they first seem.
That quite giant sticking level apart, the Ranger PHEV is a curious different to its diesel-powered siblings, providing sturdy output figures, and strong on-paper economic system figures. That mentioned, we’re fast to notice that these figures pail in opposition to rivals from BYD and GWM – which additionally arrive with a significantly lighter price ticket thrown into the deal…
So, what does the Ranger PHEV have going for it when taking this in thoughts?
For starters, it’s the most succesful contender of the three, providing larger payload, equal best towing capability (with the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV), and the most effective off-road capabilities of the lot. Sure, the marginally electrical Ranger is as succesful off the crushed observe because the diesel-powered line-up, with solely the full-on Raptor variant more likely to present it up away from the black high.
Look extra carefully, although and there are delicate variations. Regardless of providing a beneficiant payload capability, the load mattress is 31mm shallower than the diesel vary. There’s additionally no Rock mode as a part of the four-wheel drive system, and EV mode is proscribed to on-road use, the extra hardcore settings saved for mixed petrol-electric operation alone.
However… it could nonetheless speed up neatly, steer sweetly, and trip comfortably – that means it’s simply as Ranger as every other Ranger within the Ranger vary, should you catch our that means.
Once more, although, there are variations.
Acceleration from standstill is brisker than the bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel Ranger and to this tester sooner too than the V6 diesel powered grades. Our seat-of-the-pants really feel is that it would possibly nearly out-pace a Raptor within the sprint from the site visitors lights, one thing we’d be eager to undertake given the chance.
After all, it does this with fully totally different aural suggestions to the cri de coeur of its all-ICE brethren, switching as wanted from electrical to petrol energy with a soundtrack extra paying homage to a four-cylinder Mustang than a workaday hay hauler.
Hill climbing, too, sees the two.3-litre EcoBoost make its presence identified, although to not any nice alarm. Whereas it’s apparent the petrol engine is working away, the 10-speed auto and electrical help assist maintain the quantity to a minimal, the one interruption to the in any other case hushed cabin stemming from the roof rails overhead.
We hitched the Ranger PHEV to a 2400kg mini excavator and its trailer for a brief, flat-ground lap across the Werribee market gardens discovering adequate grunt for the duty at hand. Although examined solely in a dictated 80km/h setting, the petrol-electric driveline proved competent sufficient, using much more petrol energy than earlier than in maintaining automotive and trailer shifting.
Our quick take a look at loop returned an indicated 14.5 litres per 100km of gasoline use, a determine we estimate can be just about on par with the bi-turbo diesel in an identical state of affairs.
With the trailer off the hitch, the Ranger PHEV’s gasoline use settled again to across the 8.5-litre mark when electrical vitality was depleted. Charging at freeway speeds appeared to take a while, the driveline at its sharpest – and most economical – when working with the battery pack absolutely charged.
As marketed, and on take a look at, the Ranger PHEV got here exceptionally near reaching its 49km all-electric vary declare (we noticed 46km). It’s a quantity that exhibits Ford is real in quoting its Ranger PHEV stats to the general public, however one which falls a great distance wanting the mannequin’s nearest rivals – that are additionally considerably cheaper, generously geared up, sooner, and cheaper to run.
And it’s this level that could be the Ranger PHEV’s downfall…
As a lot because it appears to be like, swims, and quacks like every other Ranger duck on the pond, it isn’t with out its limitations, particularly in relation to showroom and hip-pocket enchantment.
Whereas the strong-selling Ranger might need momentum and recognition on its aspect, savvy ute patrons shall be fast to notice the variations that work in favour of Chinese language-made utes come buy time – and we’ll be very eager to see simply how properly the Ranger PHEV stacks up within the minds of patrons within the months and years forward.
