New Ford Ranger: Full chassis and suspension overhaul

Despite plenty of speculation the new-generation 2022 Ford Ranger would be based on fundamentally unchanged underpinnings, the engineer in charge of the program has made it clear they are all-new.

In fact, Ian Foston says that apart from the T6 name, the new Ranger’s steel box-section ladder frame is not at all interchangeable with its PXIII predecessor.

Foston calls the 2022 Ford Ranger’s frame “third generation T6”. The T7 name carsales and others have used for the new ute in the past simply doesn’t apply.

That’s because to Ford T6 is more than a frame. It’s that catch-all title that covers a family of ladder-frame vehicles including Ranger and its Raptor spin-off, the Everest SUV and the Bronco 4x4 that’s not available in Australia.

The Australian product and development centre is also responsible for the Ranger Raptor and Everest ‘top hats’ (body on top of the frame), while the Bronco top hat was done in North America.

“The whole architecture is new,” insisted Foston.

“T6 has evolved significantly over the last several years. The first generation was introduced in 2011 as a one-piece frame. Then in 2015, we introduced the second-generation T6, which introduced a three-piece frame for Everest and the North American Ranger. That opened a whole lot of flexibility for us.

“With the third generation, we’ve made even more changes – most notably on the hard points of the frame – where we attach the underbody components such as the suspension, axles, driveline and so on.

“We went to a hydroform front-end structure, which is a tubular spaceframe that replaced the sheet-metal panels. This created more space under the hood to fit the V6 diesel engines and helped future-proof the Ranger for other propulsion technologies.

“Going this route also opened up the front to allow more airflow to the radiator. This helps keep the running temperatures low when you’re towing or heavily loaded.”

When Foston talks about “other propulsion technologies” he’s referencing plug-in technologies such as hybrid, which are expected to appear within years.

The cooling improvement, which also includes the introduction of E-Fans, came in response to high engine temperatures in low-speed conditions such as off-road “sand bushing”. Radiators are also bigger and wider and the HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) system is all-new.

The overall frame length is roughly the same as before, as is body length and width. But the wheelbase has been stretched 50mm, virtually all of that accounted for by pushing the front wheels further forward. The track has also been widened 50mm.

This has been done to aid current and future powertrain packaging – we’ve seen the new V6 under the bonnet and there’s still heaps of space in the engine bay – to aid off-road approach angle and articulation and to aid styling.

The front suspension remains independent double wishbone and the rear beam axle with leaf springs. However, the rear dampers have been shifted outboard of the frame rails.

“This gives us a bigger tuning window, which means customers get a much better ride, no matter if they’re carrying heavy tools and materials for work or just taking the family out to dinner,” explained Foston.

“The other thing was making sure we could fit more stuff in the back of the truck … it was something we would have liked to do sooner but it was quite a major change to the platform.”

Dampers are passive in all mainstream Rangers, but don’t be surprised if adaptive dampers are part of the next-gen Ranger Raptor set-up.

The new T6 frame is intentionally less torsionally rigid overall than its predecessor.

“We actually wanted a little bit more movement to allow us to get that better tuning window so it gives you that comfort,” explained Foston. “That doesn’t mean we have compromised any of the toughness or durability.”

An overdue move for Ranger which brings it into line with many other utes is the adoption of disc brakes all-round, upgrading from the drums currently used on the rear.

However, Ford has not yet clarified if all Australian Rangers will get the new set-up.

“A disc/drum set-up is still more than capable, but customers have been asking for disc/disc, something we introduced with the North American Ranger,” said Foston.

The new 2022 Ford Ranger has a tray that’s easier to access and offers more load-carrying capacity.

Access is facilitated by a box step fitted on each rear corner and the capacity increase is achieved because the tray is wider, allowing a sheet of plywood or Aussie pallet to fit flat on the floor.

Sadly, we can’t tell you if the ability to fit bigger stuff easier is accompanied by a payload increase, as Ford is holding back numbers such as GVM, GCM and kerb weights.

Other new features to help the 2022 Ford Ranger in its traditional load-hauling role includes a new plastic-moulded bedliner with functional divider locators and optional external tie-down rails made from steel tubing.

Ford has also fitted the removable box cappings on the tray sides and across the tailgate, helping protect the paint and sheet-metal. But they also include pop-out access covers to mount aftermarket accessories such as a canopy or cross bars.

“What’s really key here for the tie-downs, the load box cappings and the pop-out box top mounting points is we’ve strengthened the sheet-metal within the sides of the box,” said Anthony Hall, vehicle engineering manager for the next-gen Ranger

“It’s now multiple layers of metal welded together with accessible mounting holes.

“And the formal mounting points will have load-carrying capacity – just like load-bearing walls in an apartment or home. So, our customers can carry more load than before along these top rails.”

The tailgate, which has the Ranger name stamped into it, has also been turned into a functional workbench.

It includes clamp pockets at either end, an integrated imperial and metric ruler, two cup holders and tie-down points that double as bottle openers and rubbish bag holders.

There’s also a 400W/240V electrical socket in the cargo bed.

Lighting has also been an area targeted for improvement. It’s been upgraded in the load tray with lights under both hand rails.

There are also ‘super puddles’ under the rear-view mirrors and zone lighting right around the vehicle that can be switched on for 360-degree coverage or in sections via the touch-screen or a smartphone.