Ford Ranger XLS 2021 Review

The Ford Ranger was one of the first Australian-market Fords to be kitted out with the company’s latest all-singing, all-dancing FordPass Connect in-car tech.

The cloud-based system empowers the owner to do all sorts of wonderful things with the Ranger – like start it up by remote control, monitor its health via mobile phone, or even locate it if it’s been inadvertently misplaced.

If that sounds like a touch of electronic over-reliance to you, it probably depends on who you are, and what you want from your weekend plaything/workhorse truck. If the extent of your technical interest goes no further than Bluetooth-connecting your mobile phone, then it may not mean a lot.

But there are some people who can’t get enough connectivity into their lives and some who have a more simplistic idea of what a motor vehicle is for. Ford covers both bases here.

The newly-installed FordPass Connect covers all Ranger models, from XL to Raptor and it’s there to help the spectacularly-successful current-generation Ford light commercial maintain freshness after more than nine years on the Australian market.

The Ford Ranger has never been cheap. The least-expensive double-cab ute version, the rear-drive auto-transmission 2.2-litre four-cylinder XL, starts at $40,790 plus on-road costs, and the mid-spec 4x4 3.2-litre XLS we are looking at here is $52,490 plus ORCs.

At $77,190 plus ORCs, the top-dog Ford Ranger Raptor, with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel, ascends well into the stratosphere and that’s before adding any additional gear.

Mind you, it’s not difficult to ramp up the Ranger XLS either. Among other things there’s the availability (or forceful recommendation) of a $1500 Premium Pack which adds a chrome grille, sat-nav, digital radio, climate-control air-con, push-button start with keyless entry, and a dual 4.2-inch instrument cluster. Almost compulsorily, there are bigger 17-inch black alloy wheels available for a further $750.

As it turns out, the 2021 Ford Ranger XLS does have price-equivalents among other mid-spec auto utes. By comparison, the Toyota HiLux SR is listed at $52,160 plus ORCs and the new Isuzu D-MAX ute, in LS-M guise, an even $53,000 before rolling onto the road.

There are, however, places to go if you want to avoid bank-balance shock. The latest Mitsubishi Triton, for example.

Although it’s possible to spend as little as $37,490 or as much as $53,490 on a Triton dual-cab pick-up, the heavily-loaded, top-of-the-roost GSR version (from $53,490) is similar in price to the Ranger XLS yet comes with a sophisticated 4x4 system, a part-leather interior, LED headlights and a power-adjustable and heated driver’s seat. In the Ford, at XLS level, these things just don’t exist.

Like all its mid-spec ute competitors, the XLS Ford Ranger is pretty bare-bones inside with nary a sign of power-adjusted anything – just the basics. Yes, you do get self-dipping headlights but they’re not LED and if you want integrated sat-nav, climate control or any other luxuries you’re left gazing further upwards into the Ranger cosmos.

As we’ve already alluded to, the technical specs look pretty good though. In its latest iteration the Ford Ranger gets not just the new FordPass Connect system, but also comes with a five-star safety rating through the help of low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB), pedestrian avoidance, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.

There are plenty of positives here. In the 2021 Ford Ranger XLS, although its five-cylinder powerplant has been upstaged by a more powerful and more economical 2.0-litre/10-speed auto combination, the 3.2-litre five-cylinder (147kW/470Nm) continues as the steady, relatively economical grunter it started out as.

Along with the original six-speed auto gearbox, the five-cylinder’s intrinsic qualities are still evident nine years down the track.

The steadily-rolling engine note of the five-cylinder diesel at idle differentiates it from the less-intrusive 2.0-litre four-cylinder (157kW/500Nm) and the six-speed auto clunks occasionally when it seems unsure about which gear to select, but there’s always more than enough torque available when you need it.

Although the competition has improved steadily over various updates and model changes, it’s still hard to beat the Ford’s composure, comfort and capabilities, on- and off-road.

The steering, what with a big 12.7-metre turning circle and the 3.3 turns required to go from lock to lock, feels ponderous when parking, but that’s par for the course in the light commercial pick-up segment anyway.

Helped no end by sound-cancelling technology, the Ford Ranger is also unexpectedly quiet. This gels nicely with the surprisingly smooth ride and is consistent with the needs of a 4x4 ute that’s commonly asked to double as a family car.

So what is there about the Ford Ranger XLS that sticks in the craw?

Well, apart from initial difficulty sorting out how to activate FordPass Connect via your smartphone, there’s the steering wheel that only adjusts vertically and the tiny, poorly-lit digits between the speedometer and tachometer advising the status of the (feeble) lane keep assist and minor information such as ambient temperature and odometer.

There’s more about the Ford Ranger XLS to like than dislike. A lot more.

For example, there’s the high-res screen image from the reversing camera – so vital in a ute that blind-sides you when trying to guess the proximity of immobile objects when reversing – as well as the counterbalanced bonnet lid and the spring-assisted lifting and lowering of the tray-gate.

Also appreciated is the $800 option of a waterproof, hard-wearing spray-on coating in the tray that substitutes for removable and moisture-prone protective covers. And the tray light that sits above the rear window so you’re not kept in the dark loading or unloading at night is a nice touch too.

Indeed, the 2021 Ford Ranger XLS is the consummate all-rounder. Only its bulk, and the desirability of finding somewhere other than the tray to securely carry luggage, might dissuade those thinking of using it as a regular family car.

Of course, you can enclose the tray area with a fibreglass canopy but that’s quite expensive and limits the Ranger’s capabilities as a carry-anything ute.

In terms of operational costs, the Ford Ranger XLS offers pretty decent fuel consumption (while Ford quotes 8.9L/100km, we were happy to achieve what we thought was a respectable average of 10L/100km) and the cabin space of a large sedan that helps ensure the family stays happy between stops.

On top of that, there’s the duality that makes the Ranger not only a highly capable workhorse, but also an equally capable off-roader.

Of course, the 2021 Ford Ranger XLS isn’t for everyone. Its basic intended function is to operate as a workhorse that can double up as an occasional all-rounder, but there are few utes that do it as effectively, or in such a socially acceptable way.

Yes, there’s a new-generation model expected before too long, but the Ford Ranger has remained, in company with the Toyota HiLux, the vehicle of choice for so many Australians, regardless of market segment.

There’s a mystique about the Ford Ranger that continues to seduce a huge proportion of vehicle buyers, even in this SUV-centric age that has turned around the idea of what a popular, volume-selling family vehicle should be.

Little wonder really that the Ford Ranger has, at times, topped monthly new-vehicle sales for the entire Australian market and last year held its now-accustomed place as the nation’s most popular 4x4 ute.

How much does the 2021 Ford Ranger XLS cost?
Price: $52,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 147kW/470Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 234g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2015)