Ford Ranger Super Duty 2026 Review

If there’s one thing that works against the 2026 Ford Ranger Super Duty, it’s price.

Starting with an $82,990 (plus on-road costs) for the single cab-chassis variant, then rising to $86,490 (plus ORCs) for the Super Cab-chassis and topping out at $89,990 (plus ORCs) for the dual cab-chassis, all of the Ranger Super Duty’s extra engineering, impressive as it is, comes at a considerable cost.

Put it this way: a work-grade Ranger XL single cab-chassis 3.0-litre 4x4 retails for $52,100 – just over $30K less than its Super Duty equivalent. That's a hefty premium for the extra off-road hardware and tanky chassis.

Bear in mind, those retail prices don’t include the cost of a tray. Even a basic galvanised steel tray costs $6078 for the dual cab or as much as $7233 for the single cab, with painted finishes costing even more.

Add the price of a tray and a dual-cab Ford Ranger Super Duty is more expensive than a Ranger Raptor.

And it’s not like you’re getting any extra amenity for your spend. There’s no carpeting (just bare vinyl), and the seats are clad in basic cloth. You do get dual-zone climate control and a 12-inch infotainment screen, but so does the regular Ranger XL now.

But here’s what that extra $30-odd thousand bucks gets you: a chunky steel ladder frame that’s both thicker and made of stronger steel than a regular Ranger’s chassis; heavy-duty front and rear axles pinched from Ford’s most durable vehicles like the Bronco Raptor and full-size rear-drive Transit.

You also get on-board scales that take the guesswork out of staying within your GVM limits, while also helping you balance trailers plus there's an integrated monitor/computer mount in the dashboard, a fully sealed snorkel, chunky 33-inch all-terrain tyres on 18-inch steel wheels, an uprated engine cooling package, and bigger brakes to support that huge 8000kg GCM.

The engine, however, takes a backward step.

Though engineered for greater durability, the 3.0-litre V6 loses 30kW from its peak power and delivers a mere 154kW at 3250rpm.

Peak torque remains unchanged at 600Nm, but with the kerb weight rising to just under three tonnes for a dual-cab with a tray, having to move more weight with less power isn’t the direction you’d want to go in.

Like all other Rangers, a 10-speed automatic is fitted as standard, while the four-wheel drive system also incorporates multiple drive modes for off-roading as well as the Trail Turn feature of the Ranger Tremor and Wildtrak X.

Driving the 2026 Ford Ranger Super Duty, it’s clear that a lot of effort not only went into uprating every mechanical component, but also in making it feel as well-integrated and easy to drive as a regular Ranger.

Out on the road, it’s as comfortable and user-friendly as any other Ranger variant, with only the intake resonance of the snorkel subtracting from what is otherwise a very civilised cabin ambience.

Steering effort doesn’t feel any different, the brakes take a little more of a prod to come to a smart stop, but even then it’s not a massive difference. It’s all very well executed.

But the real difference becomes obvious offroad.

With huge ground clearance (299mm for the single cab, 295 for the dual cab), and big approach/rampover/departure angles to work with, the Super Duty steps over tricky terrain without fuss or scraping.

But even if ground contact happens the consequences are minor: Ford says the entire weight of the ute at maximum GVM could be balanced on the fuel tank bash plate, with no repercussions.

Out on the trails, we found there to be so much grip available from the General Grabber AT3 all-terrains (even when inflated above 40psi) and so much gearing in the 10-speed auto that there was very little need to ever engage low-range or activate the front or rear diff locks (both of which can be activated independently of the other, by the way).

A purpose-built obstacle course helped demonstrate the exceptional articulation (more than you get in a Raptor, apparently), as well as the manoeuvrability-enhancing Trail Turn function.

But in the real world we had few reasons to dig deep into the Super Duty’s bag of traction-enhancing tricks - it's an impressively resolved off-road machine. When tackling challenging terrain, very few factory-issued utes would be able to come close to the effortless unstoppability of the Ranger Super Duty.

Yet, it’s nice to know that all of that gear is close at hand, should it ever be needed. And it’s incredibly easy to use as well, with push-button transfer case controls flipping from high range to low range speedily, a twist dial on the centre console not only controlling the terrain mode but the trailer reversing assist function too.

We’d prefer physical buttons for the diff lockers – they’re instead activated via the infotainment screen – but they do at least engage quickly. The electronic integration of all of these off road aids is masterful, and truly user-friendly.

The payload and towing headroom is another plus, particularly payload, which, in a dual-cab with tray gives you a maximum of 1535kg to devote to passengers and cargo. It’s even better in the single-cab, which can tote 1607kg. For many users, it’ll make towing a trailer unnecessary.

But even when towing a 3500kg trailer, there’s enough GCM headroom to still carry well over a tonne in the ute. Try doing that in anything else short of an actual truck.

The cracks only start to appear when you try and get closer to its 4500kg towing limit…

Compared with the XL-grade cab chassis that it’s based on, the differences in the Ford Ranger Super Duty’s chassis, axles, suspension and engine all combine to add a little over 600kg of mass. And that’s not even counting the addition of a tray, the lightest of which weighs 290kg.

For a dual-cab Ranger Super Duty with a tray, the kerb weight comes in at 2965kg – which is 455kg heavier than a Ranger Raptor.

Now, a Ranger Raptor isn’t going to tow 4500kg anywhere – in fact, it’s only rated for a puny 2500kg.

But if your objective is simply to have fun off road, the Raptor arguably wins that contest. The Super Duty, meanwhile, very much feels more like a truck than a ute due to its significant mass.

On the subject of weight, it’s important to remember that like most utes the Super Duty will still have issues with payload headroom if you want to fully exploit its 4500kg tow rating. At that weight, with the trailer nose weight (or towball downforce) of 450kg accounted for, there’s only 85kg left for payload in a dual-cab Super Duty. Barely enough for a driver.

Think of that maximum tow capacity as just extra safety margin rather than something that should be leveraged all the time.

At the launch, we towed a trailer that brought the GCM to 5940kg, plus about 160kg more in the form of a couple of occupants. Performance was leisurely, with plenty of room needed to accelerate to 110km/h and lots of throttle depression required most of the time.

Braking performance felt good despite the weight, but for long-distance highway towing there are arguably better, bigger-engined options like Ford’s own F-150 or the RAM 1500 Rebel.

Yet even when totally unladen, the Ranger Super Duty is still a slug. We timed it at 14.1 seconds on a 0-100km/h run, which is a little over five seconds slower than a regular Ranger dual-cab with the 184kW V6.

Wherever you’re going, it won't be in any great hurry.

Another negative? Ford doesn’t publish fuel economy numbers for the Super Duty due to it existing in a weight class that doesn’t mandate them. We saw averages between 11-12L/100km during our time at the wheel, but don’t take that as gospel.

Need to carry or tow heavy loads somewhere remote, or are you a keen mud plugger who wants the most over-engineered fourbie on the market? Both are great reasons to look in the Super Duty’s direction.

Otherwise, the Super Duty is probably overkill for the majority of ute buyers – which wouldn’t be such a problem if it wasn’t also $30,000 more expensive than its vanilla-flavoured Ranger equivalent.

If you spend the bulk of your time on the blacktop, there are more suitable choices in the Ranger family. If you need to tow 4500kg objects, an F-150 will cost more but be far more relaxed out on the highway. The Super Duty definitely has its place in the world, but it’s not for everyone.

2026 Ford Ranger Super Duty at a glance:
Price: $82,990 - $89,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: December 2025
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 154kW/600Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: Not available
CO2: Not available
Safety rating: Not tested

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au