Ford Ranger XLT Bi-Turbo 2018 Review

It’s a busy time for Ford Australia, which released the new Ranger Raptor and a refreshed Everest in recent months, and will follow them up with launches of the redesigned Focus hatch and all-new Endura SUV by the end of the year.

This month the rest of the Ranger 4x2 and 4x4 ute models are getting their new model year makeover with the 2019 Ford Ranger update.

The Ranger isn’t just getting a new shade of interior colour or a new front grille and bumper – the headline change for the upgraded MY19 Ford Ranger -- as we detailed back in May -- is the option of the Raptor’s new 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo diesel four-cylinder engine in the XLT 4x2 and 4x4 and Wildtrak for $1200 more than the 3.2-litre five-cylinder auto.

The 2.0-litre comes exclusively with a 10-speed automatic transmission; you’ll have to take either the 2.2-litre or 3.2-litre engine if you want manual.

The XLT Double Cab Pick Up 3.2 auto has gone up $500 from $57,690 to $58,190. Add $1200 for the Bi-Turbo engine and it’s $59,390 (all prices plus on-road costs).

The 2.0-litre is a very different engine compared to the 3.2-litre. On Victorian secondary roads around Daylesford, the MY19 XLT 3.2 often broke traction on the drenched bitumen when accelerating with barely any throttle applied. It drops its big bundle of torque early on in the rev range.

Despite its peak torque being delivered in a much narrower band (1750-2000rpm compared to 1750-2500rpm for the 3.2) the 2.0-litre feels much more progressive in its delivery. This was reflected in its performance when accelerating on the wet roads; the Bi-Turbo was far less eager to break traction in the wash-out conditions.

The 2.0-litre is smoother, quieter and much more free-revving too. While the 3.2 is a good engine in a ute, it emits more vibration and noise and, unlike the 2.0, it is not happy to rev beyond 3000rpm.

When you ask everything of it, the four-cylinder twin-turbo quickly spins up to around 3700rpm before upshifting.

The Bi-Turbo doesn’t lag like the 3.2 either; off the mark there’s only a momentary pause before the action starts. Calling in the kiloWatts when rolling doesn’t involve any delay at all thanks in part to the auto, which drops a gear or two immediately.

According to the trip computer, fuel consumption for the XLT 2.0 Bi-Turbo averaged 8.7L/100km over about 150km of easy cruising at 80km/h and 100km/h on secondary roads.

That’s promising – it’s about 1-2L/100km better than the 3.2-litre in similar conditions – but we need to get an example back to Carsales HQ for a week’s testing to see if it’s representative.

It wasn’t that long ago that the only transport that had 10 gears had two wheels and you pedalled it yourself. The Ranger’s 10-speed auto is smooth and intuitive, and manages to keep the engine on the boil – it’s always in the right part of the rev range to deliver its best.

It has a Sport mode and can be flicked between gears manually with a rocker switch on the side of the gear lever. Seventh gear is a 1:1 ratio, with eighth, ninth and 10th being overdrives. The auto only slipped into 10th gear at about 110km/h in ideal conditions (that is, when cruising on level ground or on a descent).

With the slightest incline, the Ranger would slip back to ninth gear. Driving at 100km/h in ninth, the tacho was sitting on about 1600rpm.

Using the rocker switch on the side of the lever, the transmission would hold gears to the 4500rpm redline and not automatically shift up a gear in high-range driving with foot floored.

Yet when trying to peg speed in low range on a steep slippery off-road course, the transmission would not hold a gear even when selected manually.

More time with the vehicle is needed to assess what’s going on here, but for what it’s worth the overall reduction ratio in low-first is 42:1 (anything from about 40:1 is very good).

There was plenty of torque to keep momentum up when climbing a bank out of a river crossing and with its standard diff lock the Ranger will go anywhere most good standard four-wheel drives can get to in the bush.

The Ranger 2.0 Bi-Turbo has an 800mm wading depth, with intake air sourced from an area ahead of the radiator support panel. With the bonnet sealing the enclosure from the top, at first glance it looks like a clever way of ensuring that water won’t find its way into the intake.

But the Ranger has an opening in the horizontal panel between the radiator support and the grille (without which no air would reach the intake). So a step descent into a water crossing, with a momentary surge of water over the bonnet, might see water find its way where it shouldn’t.

The alternator is positioned high up in the engine bay while there is a small amount of room that might be able to house a second battery on the passenger side of the engine bay. There’s no pretty engine cover hiding the workings of this machine – the spaghetti maze of hoses around the engine bay are out there for all to see.

The wash-out conditions didn’t encourage press-on driving but the steering was light and felt direct and responsive off-centre while the PXIII Ranger’s ride seemed a little more forgiving than the PXII’s.

While proper tow-testing will have to wait until we can get a heavy boat or van behind the Ranger Bi-Turbo, we were able to get a taste-test with a 1500kg Tare horse trailer behind a XLT Bi-Turbo.

Although 1500kg isn’t going to tell you a lot about how a 3500kg tow vehicle copes with a heavy load (the Bi-Turbo shares the 3.2’s 3500kg/350kg limits), it’ll give you a few clues.

The 2.0-litre hauled the trailer up hills more easily than expected. Engine braking downhill seemed pretty ordinary though, while towing stability -- a Ranger core strength -- was very good.

Even though there was no yawing at all (and Ranger’s trailer sway control would intervene if there was) the Ford did pitch fore-aft over bumps and stuttered over corrugations more than you’d think it would. Perhaps the softer suspension doesn’t work so well when certain trailers are hitched up. Further testing will tell.

The darker interior trim with brighter contrasting panels can’t take away the sense that after seven years the new Ranger is not so new anymore. Hard plastics like on the Ranger’s centre console and door cards isn’t a given in a 2018 ute, especially in a high-end model.

With the introduction of a keyless entry and keyless start system, the Ranger has finally caught up with its main competitors.

The rest of the Ranger interior hasn’t changed; you’ll either love or hate the front-seat backrest adjustment lever (it’s in a hard-to-reach position) and the fiddly ventilation buttons, but otherwise there’s not much to complain about.

Outside there isn’t much to tell the world you’ve bought the latest version of the Ranger either. The exterior changes (a new grille and bumper, plus HID headlights and LED daytime running lights on the XLT we drove) are not obvious.

Ford says that with lighter internals the tailgate needs 70 per cent less effort to shut. It is one of the easiest tailgates to close -- a one-handed operation rather then a two-armed heave like some competitors.

At 2197kg, the Ranger XLT Bi-Turbo weighs 33kg less than the XLT 3.2. The 2.0-litre’s payload is thus 33kg higher at 1003kg, while GVM and GCM is identical to the 3.2 at 3200kg and 6000kg respectively.

If you’re towing at its 3500kg limit, you can put just 303kg of payload in the Ranger before you exceed its GCM.

While we didn’t get to sample it, the addition of the $1700 Tech Pack safety and convenience suite is well worth considering. It comprises technologies that are now standard on MY19 Wildtrak models, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), Semi Auto Active Park Assist and Traffic Sign Recognition.

Aside from the subtle active safety gear, the practical park-assist feature is a boon for such a long vehicle and a first for the ute category according to Ford.

Adding peace of mind is the Ranger’s warranty, which is up from three years/100,000km to five years/unlimited kilometres with the new PXIII series.

If you think there’s no substitute for cubic inches, the Ranger’s 2.0 litre engine might be the engine to change your mind, while the availability of safety equipment such as AEB is a significant addition. In all, this is worthy update to what was already a well-rounded ute.

How much does the 2018 Ford Ranger XLT 2.0 Bi-Turbo cost?
Price: $59,390 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre Four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel
Output: 157kW/500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 195g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP