Next Ford Ranger set for segment-first tech

The incoming next-generation 2022 Ford Ranger will charge into Aussie showrooms early next year, brandishing a bold new look, more powerful engines and fresh technology. 

But it could also launch Down Under with clever segment-first features, including a Smart Hitch to reduce trailer sway and a set of Onboard Scales that’ll let you know if you’ve exceeded the ute’s recommended payload.

That’s if first-in-class gear which debuted on the Ford F-150 pick-up in the US earlier this year is anything to go by, which wouldn’t be surprising given the amount of shared equipment between the next Ranger and its larger sibling.

The innovative built-in Onboard Scales system is designed to estimate how much weight the vehicle is carrying.

With each model’s maximum payload programmed into the ute’s computer, the scales system takes into account the number of passengers in the vehicle, as well as the fitment of accessories such as a roof-top luggage pod.

Once loaded up with gear, there are three ways the F-150 can signal to the driver if too much weight is on board: via the central infotainment unit, the FordPass smartphone app or a set of vertical-running LEDs built into the tail-lights.

Ford says the LEDs operate like the battery charge indicator on a mobile phone, with four bars that illuminate as the weight accumulates, the top of which will flash once the scales become overloaded.

Elsewhere, Ford’s latest F-150 also brings a Smart Hitch feature that’s designed to calculate the tongue weight of a trailer and provide guidance on weight distribution – again, via the touch-screen or app.

Continuously controlled suspension damping also features on the F-150, with the vehicle’s computers said to be able to analyse multiple signals from sensors to “adjust vehicle response to each situation by controlling valves in the shocks”.

Ford remains tight-lipped on what we can expect from its next Australian-developed global mid-size ute, which is set to be revealed in the coming months before first examples arrive in showrooms from early 2022.

And even though we’re yet to see it in the metal, months of teaser shots and recent spy pics have already shown off its tough new front-end.

That includes C-shaped headlight clusters with vertically-stacked dual-beam headlights and LED daytime running lights (DRLs).

Inside the cabin, the inclusion of Ford’s latest SYNC4 infotainment system could pave the way for a larger central touch-screen and driver’s display.

The next Ranger will also be much more powerful, boasting upgraded 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engines, as well as a twin-turbo diesel V6 which is rumoured to be a 200kW-plus development of the Blue Oval brand’s 3.0-litre Power Stroke V6. 

Stay tuned for all the latest on the new 2022 Ford Ranger, including its full reveal in the coming months.