Reports in the OZ-based www.carsguide.com confirms that the new Ranger will appear later this year with the covers coming off! But we will have to wait a little bit longer to get behind the wheel of one.
Since we are already in the middle of September there is not much of “later” left in this year, which means our first look is only weeks, or at worst months away and we believe that the release date to dealers will be starting Q1 or Q2 here in South Africa
“Captured testing in its natural habitat, the Next-Generation Ranger has been designed and engineered in Australia for local conditions and will be the toughest, most capable and most connected Ranger yet developed by Ford. With superior off-road credentials paired with Ford’s dynamic driving DNA, the Next-Generation Ranger will be the perfect vehicle for work, family, and play. This is not just a Built Ford Tough truck; it is the smartest and most versatile Ranger yet,” Australian reports said.
That is about all we could find that Ford revealed thus far about the new Ranger in an official capacity. But there is plenty of info we think we know of the new Ranger.
Strictly speaking, this is not an all-new Ford Ranger, but rather a heavily updated model. The new Ranger is expected to sit on a revised version of their T6 platform and this time called the T6.2 and it will be shared with the new VW Amarok.
Without the camouflage, it is tricky to see exactly what it would look like, but we expect the new Ranger to take a lot of its design clues from the new F-150. Some of the tech would most likely be bigger touch screen and Fords newest user interface software.
The biggest mystery remains under the bonnet.
The brand’s 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine (from the current Ranger Raptor) will likely be the only carry-over engine and will appear in much more of the new range. It is likely to be joined by a new 130kW/420Nm single turbo version for entry-level variants.
The exciting part however is the possible introduction of a pair of V6 engines – a 3.0-litre single-turbo diesel producing about 185kW/600Nm, and a 2.7-litre twin-turbo petrol developing around 230kW/540Nm – The petrol version likely to be seen in the new Raptor
A PHEV model appears likely, with a plug-in hybrid variant recently spied testing in Europe — though it’s not expected to be available at launch.
All will be revealed soon, with the Ford Ranger now storming towards its official reveal.
