New Ford Ranger to benefit from F-150

The tough Yank-tank look of the next-generation T7-series Ford Ranger captured by this artist’s impression hints at a relationship that goes more than skin-deep.

Due to be revealed sometime in the next year or two, the T7 Ranger’s technical linkages with its bigger F-150 brother will be stronger than ever.

That makes sense. The Ford Ranger has been selling strongly in the USA and the Yanks see sense in progressively aligning its two ladder-frame truck families in logical ways.

Apart from strong bluff looks, the similarities will be especially notable under the bonnet.

While the new 14th-generation F-150 breaks cover on June 18, it’s the 3.0-litre Power Stroke V6 turbo-diesel offered in the current generation of the Blue Oval’s top-seller that Ranger aficionados should be paying major attention to in Australia.

The Ford Ranger’s first diesel V6 is expected to be the premium engine option in models such as the Wildtrak 4x4, replacing the venerable 3.2-litre inline five-cylinder Puma turbo-diesel, which will be retired.

Available alongside the V6 will be the newer twin-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder Panther diesel, which is already offered in the Ranger line-up but will become standard.

The standard transmissions for these new-generation engines will be the Ford/GM-developed 10-speed auto already used in combo with the biturbo four.

Presumably a six-speed manual will still be offered at the blue-collar end of the Ranger line-up, where a 2.2-litre diesel also currently resides.

Ford’s 3.0-litre Power Stroke V6 makes a bouncy 186kW of power at 3250rpm and a muscular 597Nm of torque at 1750rpm in the current F-150. Even without future improvements, it promises to make Ranger the performance King of the dual-cab 4x4 ute class.

Its primary rival will be the vehicle it is being co-developed with: the second-generation Volkswagen Amarok that should continue with its own diesel V6, which currently makes up to 200kW/580Nm.

Of course, Ford will go an extra step in the form of a wild new Ranger Raptor, which will get the 3.0 V6 as standard, addressing the grunt criticisms the long-travel ute has suffered since launch.

Sadly, there’s no chance Ford’s 5.0-litre Coyote V8 will slide into the T7 Raptor, or even the T6 Raptor as a 2021 farewell present for the current Ranger. That project was never formally approved and has now been quietly and indefinitely shelved.

Of course, the new Ford Ranger’s upgraded drivetrain will also benefit the second-generation Ford Everest seven-seat wagon, which might finally be able to boost its braked towing capacity to a full 3500kg.

There are petrol engines being mooted for the new Ford Ranger and Everest as well. A new plug-in hybrid powertrain based around the EcoBoost 2.3-litre that already powers the US Ranger is one option that could arrive later.

The Blue Oval currently offers 2.5-litre four-cylinder (coming here in the new Ford Escape this year) and 3.0-litre V6-based PHEVs – and another petrol option is the twin-turbo 2.7-litre V6 from the F-150.

There’s also a V6 hybrid (non plug-in) powertrain reportedly coming in the next F-150, which will even be available in the US with all-electric battery power.

All that engine work makes sense in the USA, where the Yanks far prefer petrol to diesel – and the hybrid is a shoo-in for Europe where the Ranger is popular and emissions regulations are super-tight.

But don’t expect to see so much engine choice with T7 Ranger in Australia. This is a diesel market with no mandatory fuel consumption or CO2 emissions standards, so unless that changes quickly the incentive to launch a petrol model – even a fuel miser – won’t be high initially.

There’s obviously lots of speculation about what else might make its way into the next Ranger and Everest. The next F-150’s new SYNC4 infotainment with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is on the cards, as is a 12.8-inch portrait touch-screen from the Ford Mach-E.

The forthcoming F-150 might again provide some hints for what else might be seen with the next Ranger. It has stow-away gearshifter that creates a flat surfaces between the front seats.

It is also thought to be coming with a multifunction tailgate and an onboard power generator. As fordauthority reports, it might come in very handy for tradies.

Meanwhile, with existing Ranger supplies challenged by the shutdown of the Thai factory from March 27 because of COVID-19, Australian Ford dealers are surely less concerned by what’s coming down the track than getting enough stock to exploit the June 30 tax write-off deadline.

The fear is demand will slump again from July 1, just when Ranger deliveries start ramping back up from the Thai plant, which reopened on May 18.