Australia’s best-selling vehicle is getting big changes

Ford Australia isn’t wasting any time in reacting to the new-generation Toyota HiLux, announcing today a range of upgrades to the Ranger ute, four years on from its unveiling.

The changes represent the most significant to the turbo-diesel ‘RA’ Ranger since it was revealed in November 2021, with the new ‘MY26.5’ Ranger due in Australian showrooms around mid-2026.

Visually, the updated Ranger stands out as all chrome exterior trim has been replaced with black exterior highlights, in gloss or matte, depending on the variant.

Ford has also axed the Ranger Sport, brought back the Black Edition (now a permanent fixture), revived the Tremor (only temporarily) and introduced a new limited-run Ranger Wolftrak’, sitting between the XLT and Tremor.

As announced earlier this month, the Ranger has lost its bi-turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine, while the previous entry level single-turbo diesel has also been replaced with a new iteration.

Fitted with a fuel injection system and a timing chain – rather than the wet timing belt system of its predecessor – the new 2.0-litre single-turbo diesel engine produces 125kW and 405Nm, matching the outgoing base engine. However, it’s 29kW and 95Nm down on the outgoing bi-turbo.

While the single-turbo 2.0-litre was previously mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, the new powerplant receives the 10-speed automatic, now standard across the Ranger lineup. The base engine is available in rear-wheel drive (4×2) and part-time four-wheel drive (4×4) applications.

Ford is yet to announce the fuel consumption and emissions figures for the 2.0-litre engine, though it has confirmed peak torque continues to be available from 1750rpm.

Prices for the 2.0-litre are largely unchanged or up $700 compared to the old single-turbo, or down by as much as $3700 against the bi-turbo.

The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 remains the flagship engine in the Ranger family, with unchanged outputs of 184kW and 600Nm. It also continues to exclusively be mated to a full-time four-wheel drive system (4WD).

V6 prices are also mostly unchanged (aside from a handful of reductions), however in some instances it has replaced the bi-turbo, resulting in increases over the four-cylinder. That’s despite 2026 introducing more stringent emissions penalties, which many had warned would increase the cost of vehicles like the Ranger.

Ranger XLs now get added standard equipment, including a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen (previously 10.1-inch), dual-zone climate control (over single-zone), and rear air vents for dual-cabs.

V6-powered XLs add 17-inch wheels, rear disc brakes (instead of drums), an e-shifter and multiple drive modes.

All Ranger cab-chassis variants also now get Ford’s ‘Driver Assist Technology (DAT) bar’, allowing tray-fitted examples to retain driver assist systems like blind-spot monitoring and alert, rear cross-traffic alert, a digital reversing camera, and rear parking sensors.

As mentioned above, the new Ranger Wolftrak introduces a mid-spec grade which brings Traction Green to the palette for the first time.

It gets ‘Zest’ grille accents, Asphalt Black wheels, a sports bar, front tow hooks, all-weather floor mates, vinyl seats, Traction Green interior accents and an auxiliary switch bank as just some of its features.

As with the previous four-cylinder Ranger Tremor, the new V6 Tremor gets all-terrain tyres, Bilstein external reservoir dampers, longer springs, off-road specific drive modes, underbody protection and a tow tongue hitch.

The Wildtrak, long one of the most popular Ranger grades, now gets matrix LED headlights as standard, as well as a Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker sound system.

In the Ranger’s colour choices, Blue Lightning has been deleted for the Wildtrak, while Ignite Orange and Acacia Green replace Luxe Yellow and Equinox Brown on the Wildtrak and Premium respectively.

Order books for the 2026 Ford Ranger are due to open in December 2025.

2026 Ford Ranger 4×2 pricing

2026 Ford Ranger 4×4 pricing