Ford Ranger XLS Sport 2019 Review

Ford has been extremely busy with its Ranger ute of late, with so many model updates and special editions it’s hard to keep up.

While the Ford Ranger has been with us since 2011 it last received a series update as the MY19 PXIII Ranger last year and just last month received yet another revision for MY2020, on the back of a MY19.75 update in June.

The Ranger is the number-one selling 4x4 ute so far this year, with the VFACTS tally counting 24,992 Ranger 4X4 sales to the end of August. To keep up sales momentum on what is becoming a dated model (with a replacement not due until 2021), Ford has not only been busy with its overall model range updates to Ranger but also has introduced three special editions this year, the Ranger FX4, Ranger Wildtrak X and this one, the new Ford Ranger XLS Sport.

The MY2020 Ford Ranger XLS Sport 4x4 is a special edition based on the 3.2-litre dual-cab Ranger XLS 4x4, adding a host of extra equipment over the XLS including the latest SYNC3 infotainment unit with smartphone mirroring, which is usually reserved for higher spec models (although it can be optioned the XLS).

Other standard accessories fitted to XLS Sport include rubber floor mats, a plastic tray bed liner and black-out treatment for exterior components such as the grille, side steps, sports bar, door-handles, mirrors and rear bumper.

The Ranger XLS Sport also features larger-diameter wheels than the XLS, a set of 17-inch alloys in gloss black, as well as darkened headlight shells and a Sport decal on the tailgate.

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane assist, traffic sign recognition and auto high-beam have been standard on every new Ranger since the MY19.75 update in June, while August’s MY2020 update brought a larger 8.0-inch SYNC3 infotainment screen and a USB port behind the rear-vision mirror (for plugging in items such as a dash cam).

Ford says the the XLS Sport’s extras add around $6000 but is charging only $3000 for them. The Ranger XLS Sport 4x4 is $47,790 in six-speed manual form and $49,990 for the six-speed automatic (drive-away prices).

Colour choice for the Sport special edition runs to True Red, Meteor Grey, Arctic White, Shadow Black and Aluminium Metallic.

There’s a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, and with long 15,000km/12-month service intervals, A and B log-book services for the first four years/60,000km are set at a maximum of $299 per service for Ranger XLS Sport..

Ford also has what it calls Ford Service Benefits, which gives Ranger XLS Sport owners a free loan car during servicing, auto club membership with roadside assistance, plus SYNC3 sat-nav mapping updates.

Utes tend to have long lifecycles, and while the Ranger is getting long in the tooth, the basic design is very good and with Ford’s regular updates the Ranger is not missing anything in terms of safety and convenience features.

The Sport simply adds to this appeal with the extra equipment, although if you’re signing up for a long lease be aware that an all-new model arrives in two to three years. This may affect the value of your vehicle at that time and also you will then be driving an out-dated model, if that matters to you.

If you’ve come from a passenger car or SUV and are looking at buying a ute for the first time, be aware that vehicles like this Ranger have a relatively rough ride (when unladen at least), can be difficult to park in tight urban areas due to its length and handling is not even quite on par with a SUV, let alone a passenger car.

The Ranger XLS Sport was introduced in July and Ford has built an initial run of about 600 vehicles. While Ford says that “it has been extremely well received”, how long the model is available beyond this initial batch will depend on customer take-up.

Long-gone are the days that utes were solely the workhorse of tradie and farmer buyers, with dual-cab 4WD utes like the Ranger XLS Sport appealing to a wide mix of people.

This five-seater ute will find a home with buyers wanting a practical family vehicle that can be loaded up for camping trips, retirees needing a 3500kg heavy-duty caravan hauler, 4WD/remote travel enthusiasts as well the more traditional market where the vehicle can be used for work and play.

The Ranger XLS Sport has a fair bit of kit but doesn’t have the premium dual-cab ute price tag, so budget-conscious buyers will like the deal.

The Ford is accounted for in VFACT’s Light Commercial Pick-Up/Cab-Chassis 4X4 category of course, where it goes head-to-head with the likes of the Toyota HiLux, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Volkswagen Amarok.

Dual-cab utes like this are of course extremely versatile, with enough creature comforts and drivability to be used as a family hauler as well as a load-carrier for work.

It’s easy to see why the Ranger is so popular, with strong points being its performance, interior space and comfort and versatility for on-road driving as well as strong off-road performance for a standard vehicle.

The slow-revving five-cylinder diesel isn’t the smoothest of the utes (a shame the 2.0-litre Bi-turbo isn’t available on this special model) and there are other small annoyances such as not being able to have a tacho, digital speedo and trip computer displayed at the same time in the instrument cluster (they all appear on the same screen, so you have to scroll though fiddly menus to see them individually) and adjusting front seat rake is awkward due to the lever’s position.

All up though, the bunch of extra gear for not a lot of more money on the XLS Sport 4x4 is the cream on top of what is already a very good ute.

How much does the 2020 Ford Ranger XLS Sport 4x4 cost?
Price: $49,990 (drive away)
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)