New Ford Ranger teased for the first time

We’ve seen a variety of shots from our own spy photographers, but now Ford has released the first official images of the 2022 Ford Ranger undergoing extreme off-road testing in Australia and New Zealand.

In releasing the pictures and a teaser video of prototype versions of the new Australian-developed T7 Ford Ranger (with the #NextGenRanger tag), the Blue Oval brand has also confirmed that the next generation of Australia’s top-selling 4x4 ute will be “revealed later this year ahead of a 2022 launch”.

We expect it will arrive in the first quarter of next year.

The new Ranger was spied for the first time early this year undergoing testing in the US, and was subsequently caught in top-shelf Ranger Raptor guise before being seen on home soil as a trio of engineering development cars were returning to Victoria from the Australian Outback.

We’ve also seen further shots of the next Ford Ranger Raptor in right-hand drive.

In the official images and footage released by Ford today, similarly camouflaged T7 Ranger prototypes – in both dual-cab and extra-cab guise – wearing Australian number plates are seen blasting across mud, sand, rocks and snow at full tilt.

There were rumours the next-gen Ranger may adopt a full-time 4WD system, but the video shows the global ute engaged in drifting antics that look rear-wheel-driven, suggesting it will maintain its part-time 4x4 arrangement.

The top-selling vehicle in Ford Australia’s portfolio, the Ranger is crucial to the brand’s success Down Under and will also form the basis of the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok due a year later in 2023.

Chief competitors include the Toyota HiLux, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Mazda BT-50.

No details on the powertrains, chassis specifics or new technology have been confirmed, with the car-maker saying only today that the T7 will be “the toughest, most capable and most connected Ranger yet developed by Ford”.

Despite the camouflage, it’s clear the Ranger’s new front-end will be dominated by a ‘big truck’ design complete with a bigger and bluffer grille and vertically stacked LED headlight clusters with C-shaped daytime running lights, as seen on the new Ford F-150 full-size pick-up.

Expect it to look similar to our unofficial com-gen image in this story.

Powertrain-wise, the T7 Ranger is set to adopt two V6 engines for top-spec Raptor models; a twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost petrol with up to 300kW (402hp) is expected for the US market, while a 3.0-litre Power Stroke V6 turbo-diesel is slated for Australia.

The diesel V6 bangs out around 186kW and 597Nm in the Ford F-150 but is certain to be dialled up to deliver more mumbo.

The current Australian-market Ford Ranger Raptor, by comparison, runs a 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder engine, and is tipped to continue in less extreme versions of the T7 Ranger.

The current 3.2-litre five-cylinder Puma turbo-diesel is set to be discontinued and could be replaced a single-turbo 2.0-litre diesel mated to a 10-speed auto that would deliver similar performance but improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

There’s also been talk of hybrid versions of the new Ranger – and an electric model – which would provide the ute with more showroom appeal in some markets such as Europe and the US.

Ford wants to maintain its status as a technology leader in the segment and will deploy plenty of new safety, connectivity, infotainment and driver assistance systems.

The new SYNC4 infotainment system is set to be offered on the Ranger, which could see it adopt the 12-inch central touch-screen and 12.3-inch digital instrument display from the F-150.

Ford’s press release says the new Ranger has been “designed and engineered in Australia for local conditions” and is its “smartest and most versatile Ranger yet”.