Ford Ranger – What you need to know

The new-generation 2023 Ford Ranger has been a runaway success and its appeal is as high as ever as a family hauler, weekend plaything or workhorse, thanks to a big upswing in refinement, comfort, safety and tech.

With a bolder design, the longer and wider Ranger is available in Single Cab, Super Cab and Double Cab body styles, with power courtesy of three diesel engines and one petrol.

The oil-burners range from a 2.0-litre single-turbo four-cylinder to a twin-turbo version and a new 3.0-litre single-turbo V6. The Ranger Raptor performance flagship relies exclusively on a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol.

At the time of writing, all up there were 24 Ranger variants, skewed heavily towards 4x4 over 4x2 (16 to eight), with the 4x4s including full-time 4WD with models paired with a V6.

For the 2023 model year, the Ford Ranger opens at $36,180 plus on-road costs for the XL 4x2 Single Cab Chassis 2.0L SiT and tops out at $86,790 plus ORCs for the Raptor, which is only offered as a Double Cab Pick-Up with 3.0-litre EcoBoost V6 and 4x4 driveline.

In between these two extremes, the model grades include XLS, XLT, Sport, Wildtrak and Platinum.

We’ve trawled through the myriad of configurations to help pick the one you want for the budget you have.

At the entry level, the XL 4x2 Single Cab Chassis with 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel and six-speed auto comes standard with:

• 10.1-inch infotainment colour touch-screen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Adaptive cruise control
• Air-conditioning
• Nine airbags
• Vinyl floor covering
• Cloth trim
• 16-inch steel wheels and all-season tyres

Premium paint adds $700 and there are several option packs available.

A spray-in bedliner for the XL and XLS pick-up costs $900 and just $400 in an XLT or Sport, while adding a set of 17-inch steels wheels (including the spare) with all-terrain tyres on a 4x4 XL or XLS adds $750. A set of centre caps is another $20 on top of that.

Throw in another $500 if you want heavy-duty suspension on your XL.

Off-Road packs are offered on the 4x2 XL and XLS for $1150 and includes a rear diff lock, steel underbody protection and 17-inch steel wheels with all-terrain tyres.

And if you want a towing pack with trailer brake controller for the XL and XLS, you’ll need to cough up another $1700.

Sticking with the XLS there’s a $750 Tech pack that gets you sat-nav, digital radio, dual-zone air-con with rear vents, push-button start and body-coloured door handles. Chuck in another $750 and you can dress up your XLS 4x4 with 17-inch alloys, and a steel spare with all-terrain tyres.

The Off-Road pack for the Ranger XLT 4x2 comprises steel underbody protection, 17-inch wheels and all-terrain tyres including the spare for $650, and if you want 17-inch A/T tyres for your 4x4 XLT find another $500. Ranger Sport buyers can option 18-inch A/T tyres including the spare for $500.

Ford has a Touring Pack for the 4x4 pick-up XLT and Sport adding integrated trailer brake control, 360-degree camera, puddle lamps on the door mirrors and zone lighting for $900.

Having splurged on a Wildtrak, why not go for the Premium Pack and its six auxiliary switches in the roof console, Matrix LED headlights, LED tail-lights and a premium B&O 10-speaker sound system for $1500.

A black roof is standard on the Ranger Platinum, but you can order it to match the body colour for no cost. An exclusive optional colour, Equinox Bronze, is available for the Platinum.

For the Ranger Raptor, Ford offers beadlock-capable 17-inch wheels including the spare for $2000 and a decal pack for $500.

Whether you choose an XL, a Raptor or any model in between, there’s plenty of safety equipment to keep all occupants protected in the Ford Ranger.

For starters, all models benefit from nine airbags, anti-lock brakes and electronic traction, rollover and stability controls.

Every Ranger also has autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, low-speed crash avoidance control, collision mitigation with emergency steering assist and post-crash steering and braking mitigation.

Range-wide driver assistance functions include lane departure and driver fatigue warnings, lane keeping with unmarked road edge detection, forward collision warning and driver attention detection.

Stepping up to the Ranger XLS adds front parking sensors, while the XLT gains rain-sensing wipers, rear disc brakes and an electronic park brake.

Adaptive cruise control is standard across the range but from the XLT upwards the system includes lane centring and stop-and-go.

Complementing the reversing camera on pick-ups are rear parking sensors, rear cross traffic alert with trailer coverage, and blind spot monitoring.

Put your name on a Wildtrak as a minimum and you get a 360-degree camera and the convenience of self-parking.

All Ranger models qualify for a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

Infotainment tech has stepped up in the new Ford Ranger with all variants featuring a portrait-style colour touch-screen operating the SYNC 4A system.

On the XL, XLS, XLT and Sport the screen is 10.1 inches, rising to 12.0 on the Wildtrak, Platinum and Raptor.

The SYNC 4A system has an embedded modem, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, along with remote start via the FordPass app.

An 8.0-inch digital colour instrument cluster is found in all XL, XLS, XLT, Sport and Wildtrak models, with the Platinum and Raptor using a 12.4-inch instrument screen.

Step up to the XLS and two speakers are added while shooting for the XLT adds sat-nav, digital radio and voice commands.

Wireless phone charging is very handy, but you’ll have to sign up for the Sport, where the infotainment screen also has an off-road screen displaying driveline and electronic diff lock status, real-time steering, pitch and roll angles.

The big change, if you pardon the pun, is the jump up to the 12-inch infotainment screen found in the Ranger Wildtrak as a minimum.

The entry-level Ford Ranger XL Single Cab, Super Cab and Double Cab variants in cab-chassis or pick-up body styles with 4x2 and 4x4 drivelines are primarily aimed at fleet buyers and feature manual air-conditioning, cloth trim, vinyl floor coverings and 16-inch steel wheels wrapped in all-season tyres.

Also standard are power windows and mirrors, manual-adjust front seats, halogen headlights and daytime running lights, and either halogen (cab-chassis) or LED (pick-up) tail-lights.

The XL has a black grille and door handles, with the pick-up having tailgate lift assist and an integrated step in the rear bumper.

Step up a rung to the 4x2 or 4x4 XLS dual-cab and you’ll see it has grown side steps, 16-inch alloy wheels and halogen fog lamps. While black door handles and grille remain, the door mirrors and bumpers are finished in the body colour, and for added security, pick-ups have a power tailgate lock.

Inside the XLS you’ll feel the softness of carpet floor under your toes, and to keep it clean there’s a driver floor mat.

Keen on having selectable drive modes? The XLS and XLT have four modes: Eco, Normal, Sport and Tow/Haul. Jump up to at least the Sport to add Sand and Mud/Ruts modes, and if you shoot for the Raptor you get seven modes, adding Baja and Rock/Crawl and deleting Eco and Tow.

The XLT is identifiable by its body-colour door handles and mirrors, black sports bar on the pick-up and a chrome strip splitting the grille. Under the sports front bumper is a skid plate. The 17-inch alloys are finished in dark silver and the road is lit by LED headlights with C-clamp daytime running lights. A tow bar is standard.

Do you want a touch of leather to lift the cabin? The XLT delivers this with leather wrapped around steering wheel and the e-shift gear selector. Also standard is dual-zone air-con, the handiness of an electric park brake (so no big lever to wrench on) and a self-dimming rear-view mirror.

Is privacy glass on your wish list? The XLT dual-cab has this, darkening the rear and rear side windows, but keeping the cargo area bright is a tub light and a handy 12V socket.

How about the look and comfort of leather seats? The Sport double-cab pick-up ticks that box with its ebony leather-accent seats embossed with ‘Sport’.

Are power-adjustable seats a deal-maker? The Sport has them too, with a powered driver seat.

What about seat cooling to combat hot days? Roll up to the Platinum as its quilted, premium leather-accented, 10-way-powered front seats have both heating and cooling. Platinum branding is displayed on the seats, front and rear floor mats and on the upper glove box lid.

And for those wintry days the Platinum keeps your hands warm with a heated steering wheel.

Spotting the Sport variant is easy with its machined-faced 18-inch alloy wheels with black inserts, black on black grille and LED fog lamps.

The Wildtrak stands out with its exclusive black and grey grille, boulder grey 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, rear sports bar and powered roller shutter over the cargo area, zone lighting and puddle lamps in the door mirrors. Less obvious is the cargo management system.

Wildtrak seats are leather-accented and both front seats are power-operated and heated. Lifting the cabin further is the coloured stitching throughout and ambient lighting.

Distinguishing itself from the pack, all exterior lights on the Platinum are LED with the headlights self-levelling. Unique to the Platinum are its 20-inch alloys wrapped in all-season tyres, as well as its grille design.

Also exclusive to the Platinum is Ford’s clever flexible cargo system featuring folding roof racks and sliding load rack – an industry first. A power roller shutter hides the cargo area and gas struts gently lower the tailgate.

Now to the unicorn of the line-up, the high-performance Ford Ranger Raptor, and it’s anything but subtle.

When painted in Code Orange it can be seen from the International Space Station so you’ll never misplace it. However, there are less retina-searing hues as well.

From the front the Raptor gets your attention with its huge F-O-R-D letters on the black grille and under that a chassis-mounted bumper and pronounced high-strength steel bash plate.

The Ranger Raptor has a powerful 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 petrol engine pumping out 292kW and 583Nm. Underneath is a 2.5-inch sports active exhaust, and the rear suspension is coil springs and a Watts link, while up front is a lockable differential.

Like the Platinum, the Raptor has Matrix self-levelling LED headlights and LEDs for the daytime running lights, tail-lights and fog lamps.

The Raptor has 17-inch alloys with high-performance all-terrain tyres. It goes without a power roller shutter over the cargo area, roof rails, tie-down rails and tailgate step.

Inside the Raptor’s front and rear sports seats have suede inserts, code orange stitching and the Raptor logo. Code orange interior highlights are employed throughout the cabin, and behind the steering wheel are paddle gear shifters.

Premium sound? If you ever tire of the low grumble of the V6 turbo-diesel in the Platinum or the wailing V6 turbo exhaust note of the Raptor, a premium B&O sound system with 660W and 10 speakers will keep you entertained.

There’s a high degree of adjustability with the Raptor, with unique driver-selectable modes that impact the drivetrain, steering, dampers and exhaust.

At the entry level, the Ford Ranger is powered by a 2.0-litre single-turbo four-cylinder diesel engine that produces 125kW of power and 405Nm of torque.

This engine slots into Ranger 4x2 XL Single, Super and Double Cab variants plus the 4x4 XL Double Cab Chassis and Double Cab Pick-Up. Four-wheel drive XLs have a locking rear diff (an option on the 4x2s) along with low and high range gearing.

A carryover 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel with 154kW and 405Nm is found in the XLS variants as well as 4x4 XL in the Single and Super Cab Chassis, Super Cab Pick-Up and Double Cab Pick-Up. The XLT Super and Double Cab models, along with Sport and Wildtrak variants, are also offered with this engine.

Available in the XLT, Sport, Wildtrak and the only engine available in the Platinum is a new 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel with 184kW and 600Nm.

Giving the Raptor its bite is a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 producing 292kW and 583Nm.

As for transmissions, a six-speed auto comes with the single-turbo diesel, while the 2.0-litre biturbo and both the V6 petrol and diesel have a 10-speed automatic with an e-shifter that automatically moves to ‘Park’ if you open the door or turn off the engine while still in Drive or Reverse.

There’s a lot to like, and consider, with the excellent new Ford Ranger.

The Thai-built, Australian-developed ute is longer, wider and taller than before – the dual-cab pick-up measures 5370mm long, 1918mm wide and 1884mm high – while maximum braked towing capacity for all diesel variants is 3500kg (the Raptor is 2500kg) and payload varies from 1271kg in the XL 4x2 Cab Chassis down to 753kg in the Raptor.

Given the added versatility a double-cab provides, it’s my only body choice along with the excellent 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel mated to the 10-speed auto.

But which model grade?

With an eye on cost, I reckon the XLT 4x4 Pick-Up nails the brief with passenger car comfort, including a splashing of leather trim, no shortage of tech and, most importantly, loads of safety kit, taking care of all on board.

However, if I am buying with the heart the Platinum gets my money, with its upmarket looks, very plush interior, bigger infotainment screen and digital dash, powered cargo cover, unique racking system and, not least of all, its high payload and towing capacity.

How much does the 2023 Ford Ranger cost?
XL 4x2 Single CC 2.0L SiT – $36,180
XL 4x2 Super CC 2.0L SiT – $38,430
XL 4x2 Double CC 2.0L SiT – $40,680
XL 4x2 Double PU 2.0L SiT – $42,580
XLS 4x2 Double PU 2.0L BiT – $47,130
XL 4x2 Single CC 2.0L BiT – $47,280
XL 4x4 Double CC 2.0L SiT – $48,280
XL 4x2 Super CC 2.0L BiT – $49,780
XL 4x4 Double PU 2.0L SiT – $50,180
XL 4x4 Super PU 2.0L BiT – $51,680
XL 4x4 Double CC 2.0L BiT – $51,780
XL 4x4 Double PU 2.0L BiT – $53,680
XLS 4x4 Double PU 2.0L BiT – $54,730
XLT 4x2 Double PU 2.0L BiT – $54,790
XLT 4x4 Super PU 2.0L BiT – $59,990
XLT 4x4 Double PU 2.0L BiT – $61,990
XLT 4x4 Double CC 3.0L V6 – $63,290
XLT 4x4 Double PU 3.0L V6 – $65,190
Sport 4x4 Double PU 2.0L BiT – $64,490
Sport 4x4 Double PU 3.0L V6 – $67,690
Wildtrak 4x4 Double PU 2.0L BiT – $67,990
Wildtrak 4x4 Double PU 3.0L V6 – $71,190
Platinum 4x4 Double PU 3.0L V6 – $76,990
Raptor 4x4 Double PU 3.0L V6 EcoBoost – $86,790
*Prices exclude on-road costs