The Ranger has made waves since the current-generation model went on sale in 2022, quickly soaring past the HiLux on the sales charts to become Australia’s best-selling vehicle in 2023 and 2024 – giving Ford a rare win over Toyota.
But there’s been changes in the wider market, as consumer education on electrification drives up not only traditional hybrids but full-electric vehicles and, latterly, plug-in hybrids.
Ford may not be the first brand to launch a plug-in hybrid ute – having been beaten to the punch by both the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV – but it represents the first time one of Australia’s best-sellers has been available with power from a plug.
Instead of turbo-diesel four-cylinder and V6 engines, the Ranger PHEV sees a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine mated with an electric motor, sandwiched between the engine and 10-speed automatic transmission.
Fed by an 11.8kWh battery, Ford claims an electric-only driving range of 49km – quite a bit less than the Cannon Alpha PHEV’s 115km figure, attributed to a much larger battery which led to the GWM moving its spare tyre to the rear tub, rather than underneath.
The Ranger PHEV is available across four grades: XLT ($71,990), Sport ($75,990), Wildtrak ($79,990) and the plug-in exclusive Stormtrak ($86,990).
You lose between 45kg and 121kg of payload capacity in the Ranger PHEV, but retain the Ranger diesel’s 3500kg braked towing capacity. Also retained is the dual-cab’s circa-225mm to 235mm ground clearance.
So how does the Ranger PHEV drive?
Despite the added weight, it rides the bumps just like turbo-diesel Ranger, with the battery pack almost acting as a low-mounted payload to help settle the rear suspension.
The Ranger is already the best-riding leaf-sprung dual-cab in Australia, and the PHEV system does nothing to change its on-road handling, both with on-road all-season tyres and all-terrains.
It also continues to take corners with confidence, feeling more like a high-riding car than a traditional ute, though it can be deceiving – try to carry too much momentum and that battery pack will remind you it’s there.
While there’s little change in how the Ranger PHEV rides and handles, how its power is delivered marks the greatest contrast from its turbo-diesel counterparts.
On paper, the petrol engine and its electric motor assistant can make more power and torque than the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6, and it can happen in practice – provided the battery has enough charge.
In Auto EV mode and driving on a highway, our car’s battery was drained within an hour though across this period it’d used 5.6L/100km. That’s far from Ford’s lab test claim of 2.9L/100km.
Fuel consumption continued to rise with the depleted battery, eventually rising to about 8L/100km, or roughly on par with the V6 diesel.
Ford’s EV Charge function further increases the fuel consumption figure as it tops up the battery to be used in either the Auto EV or EV Now, while EV Later holds the current charge figure without topping it up unless you give it the beans for an overtake.
It’s when you do this that you feel the difference the PHEV system makes, effortlessly pulling the Ranger along as if the turbo-diesel V6 hadn’t been removed.
Power delivery is smooth and linear, however there can be some delay between flat-footing the throttle and getting a response from the engine. This doesn’t change depending on what drive mode you’re in.
When driving in electric-only mode, it can be a foreign feeling to be going through the gears but with no aural cues. Though Ford has calibrated the systems well, drivers need to manually accept a request to turn the engine back on when applying full throttle for an overtake.
For those wanting to go off-road, the Ranger PHEV loses none of the turbo-diesel’s abilities, with the electric motor arguably helping more to feed in the right amount of power and torque at low revs.
Such was its ability that we were taken up a concrete incline of 31 degrees, with the Ranger PHEV able to complete the climb with ease in its EV Now mode – the petrol engine remaining off the entire time.
Of course, peak off-road capabilities will largely be limited by tyres and suspension travel, though most drivers won’t push the Ranger PHEV beyond its capabilities.
On paper, the GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV seem a more tantalising proposition, thanks to its lower price ($61,490 to $71,090 drive-away), locking front and rear differentials (rather than the Ranger’s rear-only), and 115km electric-only driving range.
However, it’s compromised due to its larger battery, which has forced the spare tyre and wheel to be mounted in the tub – something Ford opted against doing to minimise PHEV-specific sacrifices.
The Ford Ranger PHEV may not be a revelation in how it drives or performs, but its price increase of about $3200 to $5200 over the turbo-diesel V6 gives buyers who tour a new option – buy the V6 and rely on powered campsites and generators, or use your own car to power everything silently.
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