Ford has revealed full specifications for its new Ranger Super Duty, with the new model boasting a significant number of under-the-skin changes to differentiate it from the standard ute.
The first time the Australian-engineered Ranger has worn the Super Duty name, it took a substantial raft of upgrades for Ford’s hierarchy to sign off on the project. It comes on the back of years of Aussie-led development.
“The genesis of the Super Duty story is in my last role as global product marketing lead for Ranger and Everest,” Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic explained to the media at the model’s global launch in country Victoria.
“As organic conversations started to happen, customers started to talk about their pain points – what frustrated them, inhibited their productivity, their end users’ productivity, and their efficiency,” he said.
“What you’re seeing [in Super Duty] is a manifestation of that, and it really is a wonderful story of innovation and imagination.”
Jeremy Welch, conversion development manager for Ford’s International Markets Group, also expanded on just how thorough the process of creating Super Duty was.
“What we did was ring up the F-Series and Super Duty team in the US and asked, ‘you’ve been leading the market there for five decades, what are you doing right?’ and they told us it’s about going on the journey with the customer,” he said.
“We’d ring customers, go back and talk to them multiple times, doing ride-alongs, and understanding their journey,” he added.
“For instance, when you dial triple-zero, what actually happens behind the scenes? We followed the journey with mining companies, when they pick up their trucks and go off to work with them, and the same with forestry and utility companies, a lot of which even allowed us to put data loggers in their vehicles as well.”
Beyond ensuring the Ranger Super Duty was ready to tackle these varying use cases, another important consideration was to ensure that it was worthy of the Super Duty name.
“Super Duty is an iconic name in the Ford world; you don’t just get awarded it, but you have to earn it,” says Steve Crosby, director of product development for Ford IMG.
“It required a lot of trust from [Ford’s head office in] Detroit, and Jim Baumbick, who used to be here as one of the early founders of the Ranger in Australia, he really got behind us.”
At launch, just a single specification level is available in Cab-Chassis form across three body styles, with the Single Cab model starting at $82,990 before on-road costs and fitment of a tray. Super Cab and Double Cab models are also available.
Combining the traditional Ranger DNA with the capabilities of both rugged off-roaders – such as Ford’s own Ranger Raptor – and light-duty trucks that can be driven on a car license, Super Duty offers extreme capability with it rated for a 4500kg GVM.
That’s alongside 4500kg braked towing, and 8000kg gross combined mass (GCM). These ratings and the features Super Duty offers were shaped by extensive customer research and feedback across multiple sectors.
Ford representatives visited cattle stations, mines, and forestry operators to truly understand what they required in a vehicle. “It’s all about listening to the customer and thinking about the things they needed in, and the things they needed out.”
Those are the words of Justin Capicchiano, chief program engineer for Ranger Super Duty. “Sometimes it comes down to interpreting what they will tell you about their vehicles they have in the field,” he said.
“They’d say to us, ‘Oh, we don’t need the tech, we want things to be simple,’ but we found that it’s not necessarily that they didn’t want the tech or features, but just that they hadn’t had them before,” he added.
“But then, even simple things like auto stop-start… we went to a mining company in Pilbara and they explained to us that they need to have the cars always on because of the way their tech integrates with the vehicle, so auto start-stop is not compatible with that [use case], so we don’t have it fitted as a result.”
To equip Ranger Super Duty for handling such extreme loads, Ford engineered a unique frame based on the Aussie-developed T6.2 platform to provide increased strength and performance.
It features extensive usage of high strength steel, reinforced suspension mounting points, stronger box mount brackets for handling increased payloads, a stronger tow bar mounting point with a Super Duty specific tow bar design, and a frame-mounted steel bumper.
Far more than a standard GVM upgrade kit has gone into enabling Ranger Super Duty to handle such extreme loads. Enhancing its off road capability, it also boasts uprated springs and shock absorbers.
Ride height increases to 299mm, while the track width has also increased to 1710mm. Larger front and rear driveshafts with enlarged front CV joints have also been added, as has a new-to-platform rear axle with a larger differential and full-floating axle bearings.
Front and rear differential locks also feature and can be operated independently from one another. Larger brake rotors offer improved thermal performance and fade resistance when handling heavy loads.
A tuned electric brake booster delivers a unique pedal feel that can adjust to account for varying GVM/GCM weights. Underneath, a heady duty High-Strength Steel bash plate and engine, front differential, and fuel filter shields have been added.
The fuel tank has also been increased to 130-litres capacity, enough for around 1000km driving range depending on driving conditions, with a steel under-shield for increased protection.
All Ranger Super Duty variants are powered by Ford’s 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel engine which, along with the 10-speed automatic transmission, has been recalibrated specifically for this model.
This means it delivers less power, 154kW at 3250rpm, but the new tuning aims to ensure optimum usage of its 600Nm torque, which is available at 1750rpm. The V6 engine also features new, stronger engine mounts.
To handle its higher towing and payload ratings, the radiator fan power has also been increased by 25 per cent from 800W to 1000W, compared to standard Ranger V6 variants. A bespoke sealed Safari snorkel is also fitted as standard.
This helps it receive an 850mm water wading rating in line with the Ranger Raptor. As part of ensuring this, the intake and exhaust systems, electrical components, and overall sealing required specific designs.
All breathers for the transmission, transfer case, differentials, fuel tank, and AdBlue tank are also extended above that height. The latter comes thanks to the Super Duty falling into the N2 vehicle classification courtesy of its 8000kg GCM.
In direct response to customer feedback, the ability to delay diesel particulate filter (DPF) regeneration cycle temporarily in certain circumstances has also been added to benefit customers operating in high fire-risk environments.
Controlled through the 12-inch SYNC infotainment screen, this also introduces the ability to manually initiate a DPF regeneration cycle. The auto stop-start function has also been removed. Other screen-based features include on-board scales.
This allows drivers to estimate their payload by using sensors in the front and rear suspension, along with smart hitch for helping drivers understand what weight they are putting on the tow ball.
Ford Ranger Super Duty cab-chassis variants are available to order now, with first customer deliveries expected before the end of 2025. Exhaust Notes Australia will be able to reveal to you just how it drives tomorrow, November 27.
The 2026 Ford Ranger Super Duty is offered (at launch) in single, super and double cab-chassis, which are priced at $82,990, $86,490 and $89,990 respectively – all plus on-roads. You can find out more on the Ford Australia website.
