Ford has taken the wraps off its fourth-generation Ranger pickup truck today. The Ranger is one of Ford’s bestselling pickups globally and this new-gen Ranger debuts with new powertrains, a bold new exterior design that nods to the larger Ford F-150 pickup and Bronco SUVs, and a completely revamped cabin. The new Ford Ranger will go on sale in international markets by late 2022.
- New Ford Ranger styling inspired by F-150 and Bronco SUV
- Powered by a range of petrol and diesel engines
- New electrified variant also confirmed
2022 Ford Ranger: exterior design
The new Ford Ranger gets an fresh front styling with a larger radiator grille featuring a horizontal bar that incorporates the Ford badge and further extends across the front to the new “C-clamp” daytime running lights. It’s also 50mm wider than its predecessor, giving it a broader stance. The front bumper features a beefy, bull bar-like trim, silver skid plates with provisions for tow hooks and blacked-out fog lamp surrounds.
The new tailgate design features the Ranger name stamped into the metal, while the sides have slightly more pronounced wheel arches with an integrated step on either side of the bumper to improve access into the bed. Ford has also given the pickup LED lights at either end. While the design is all new, it is still readily identifiable as a Ranger. In fact, this new design language will also likely feature on the next-gen Ford Everest (known as the Endeavour in India) that is likely to see its world premiere some time next year.
Just like the outgoing model, the new Ranger will be offered in a range of body types and trim levels, including the Ranger Raptor performance variant and plusher models such as the popular Wildtrak. In addition, Ford will offer around 600 official accessories from launch.
2022 Ford Ranger: interior and features
The cabin of the new Ford Ranger has also been updated with a fresh new design. Taking centre stage on the dashboard is a new 10.0-inch or 12.0-inch – depending on the trim – portrait-orientated touchscreen with the latest version of Ford’s Sync4 infotainment system. The screen is flanked by vertical AC vents on either side and a stack of buttons for the climate control below. The dashboard has a clean, uncluttered look with an all-black theme and premium soft-touch materials.
A fully digital instrument cluster allows drivers to customise the information shown and adapts its display to suit the six new driving modes (previously only available in the Raptor). However, many of the off-roading controls are now found in the touchscreen, and there’s a dedicated screen for off-roading that includes data on the driveline, steering angle, vehicle pitch and roll angles alongside other useful information and controls.
Ford has also added several features to the load bed, including new clamps built into the tailgate to give you a mobile workbench for holding materials for cutting. Plastic capping on the load bed's edges prevent damage to the body and conceals structural anchoring points for easy attachment of canopies or covers. Moulded slots in the bed now allow you to fit dividers to customise the box.
2022 Ford Ranger: powertrain options
The current 2.0-litre diesel engine from the outgoing model has been retained, remaining architecturally same with only slight modifications for cooling. There will be two single-turbocharged variants and a twin-turbocharged one, the power ratings for which are yet to be confirmed.
A new 3.0-litre diesel V6 has also been added to the ranks, and while it has yet to be officially detailed, it will no doubt tout performance statistics to trump the 210hp, 498Nm available in today’s most powerful Ranger. A 2.3-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine will also be sold in some markets.
New five- and six-speed manual gearboxes replace the current units, along with a revised 10-speed automatic that’s lighter and has tighter ratios to improve towing capability at lower revs. The gearshift itself is now a short-throw “e-shifter” with an electronic parking brake that will enable the Ranger to gain more driver assistance systems and semi-autonomous driving features in the future.
For the first time, Ford will offer two different versions of four-wheel drive in the Ranger: a basic system offering on-the-fly manual four-wheel-drive selection and a more advanced, electronically controlled on-demand system.
Ford Ranger electric variant confirmed
Ford has also confirmed that the new Ranger will be available with an electric drivetrain, although it has offered no further details on specification or timeframe. The company will make its European commercial vehicle line-up zero-emissions capable by 2024, so a plug-in hybrid is the most likely format for the Ranger, and various reports suggest that it will be based on the 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine.
Ford Ranger for India
Incidentally, the previous-gen Ford Ranger has been spotted in India a couple of times. In fact, Ford was planning to introduce the outgoing Ranger Raptor in India in the second half of this year, like we had reported last December. The carmaker intended to import the pickup as a CBU under the 2,500-unit homologation-free route. However, as Ford has wound down operations in the country, it seems unlikely that this model will now be brought down here.
Ford is expected to continue selling fully-imported models like the Mustang Mach-e among others in India in future.
Also See:
2022 Ford Ranger image gallery
The two big challenges for Ford’s CBU only plan
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