Ford’s new hardcore Ranger Super Duty has landed. We talk to the development team who tested it to breaking point and beyond.
“We need you to try and break it.”
Can you imagine, as an engineer, being given such an instruction from Ford’s head office in Michigan?
Yet this was the order to Ford Australia’s engineering team, tasked with developing the new Ford Ranger Super Duty.
After all, “Super Duty” has only previously been applied to hulking American pickups like the F-250, F-350 and F-450 which feature a heavy-duty chassis and mega payload and towing capacities.
You know, proper work trucks.
“Some of the testing is almost abusive,” said Rob Hugo, who works for Ford Australia in the department for “Product Excellence and Human Factors.”
Basically, Rob’s the voice of the customer in the engineering team. He’ll evaluate anything from cabin controls and layout, to how a vehicle tows, off-roads and wades deep water.
“This is probably the most fun programme we’ve ever had,” Rob said.
“There’s every excuse in the world to go out and test these cars and push them hard. We’re so lucky they (Ford USA) gave us the Super Duty name, and that’s because they trust us to test it to breaking point.”
Ranger hits the gym
So what is this new Ranger Super Duty? It’s Aussie-developed, Thailand-built, has the same footprint as a normal Ford Ranger, but has taken a course of steroids and pumped hard at the gym. There’s 4500kg towing, 4500kg GVM and 8000kg GCM, while payload is up to 1982kg.
It exists to fulfill true hardcore work and lifestyle duties.
Think Outback residents, cattle stations, rural worksites, mega farms and mining work.
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If a vehicle goes off-service (breaks down) out here, the work day is shot.
At worst, if the vehicle refuses to proceed in this harsh land, the driver and occupants could be in real trouble.
That’s why Toyota’s LandCruiser 70 Series is weapon of choice in such wild environments, especially the 79 Series pickup.
It’s a model that’s barely changed since its 1984 introduction, because that’s how many folk like it.
Uncomplicated but very dependable.
The new Ranger Super Duty wants a slice of the action (Toyota sold over 11,000 79 Series last year, each from around $80,000 on the road), and Ford knows it must get the durability, reliability and capability absolutely right.
Those of you mechanics who’ve worked on Fords will know the Ranger and Everest’s 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel has had its reliability issues, as has its ten-speed auto gearbox. With Ranger being Australia’s best-selling vehicle, there’s plenty of them on the road and in workshops.
But Ford Australia believes its Lion V6 is the right fit for Super Duty, and has tested it exhaustively in extreme situations, and made changes to suit the application.
It retains a normal Ranger V6’s chunky 600Nm, but power is down from 184kW to 154kW.
That’s due to unique engine and transmission calibrations better suited for extreme work, and to meet stricter Heavy Duty Euro6 emissions requirements.
Underneath, it’s all-change.
Only six per cent of a normal Ranger’s frame remains, with all else upping the muscle. Front and rear diff locks are larger for durability and to handle greater loads.
The driveshafts, CV joints, control arms, suspension mounting points, engine mounts, box mount brackets, radiator fan, underbody protection, front and rear recovery hooks, side steps and more are either larger or reinforced.
There’s an abundance of bash plates and a steel front-mounted bumper, while wheels are eight-bolt 18-inch steelies, able to be bashed back into shape after taking hits. Standard fit are General Grabber 33-inch all-terrain tyres, helping ground clearance up to 299mm and wading depth of 850mm.
Tough mudder
The engineering completed, it was time for fun field testing. Smashing a tough-as-nails ute around a 4×4 proving ground sounds a dream job to many, but it absolutely serves a purpose.
“By pushing them like this, then you can make a decision,” Rob explained.
“Was that a realistic thing a customer would do? And if we think it’s something that could really happen, let’s fix it before it gets to the customer.”
One of the biggest enemies during harsh off-roading is mud. Rob and his team added between 600-700kg of the stuff to the Super Duty’s underside during testing. Ever wondered how? “By driving it through very thick, heavy, damaging mud,” he explained. Obvious, I suppose.
It’s important work. “With that amount of mud, there’s the payload you’ve lost,” Rob said. “You may be running at what you think is GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass), then all of a sudden you’re 600kg over.”
Some technology to remedy this is Ford’s smart onboard scales.
This safety feature uses sensors mounted to the suspension located at the wheels to provide a payload weight estimate. It’s shown via the cabin’s screen, where it estimates (very accurately, it seems) how close you’re getting to maximum payload… and if you must stop to clean off some of that heavy mud.
“A secondary issue with mud is you’ve got all that weight hanging on harnesses, connectors and wheel arch liners,” Rob said.
“If it gets into the engine bay it can start getting into bearings, alternators and parts we must protect. It can overheat things, get into components and start prematurely wearing them down, or into your brakes and wheel sensors.”
Desert duellers
Rob’s partner in extreme road-testing crime is Tim Postgate. He’s a true enthusiast off-roader and veteran of the UK Camel Trophy off-road expedition team in the 1990s. “When I’m not on a work trip, I’m off as much as my wife will let me in my own four-wheel-drives,” he said.
Tim also suggested Ford’s Super Duty project has been career high point, with numerous memorable, hardcore and lengthy tests across Australia.
If you’re currently working at a dealer’s service workshop without much fresh air or light, prepare to go green with envy at Tim’s day job.
“We went into the Victorian High Country, and weighed the Super Dutys up to their 4.5-tonne GVM, so the steep hills and descents are going to be a potential challenge,” he explained.
Tim’s mission (he gets paid for this, remember) was to tackle the Billy Goats Bluff Track, Blue Rag Range Track, and the South Basalt Knob Track: bucket-list stuff for hardcore off-roaders.
“That’s a lot of weight to go safely down there,” he explained.
“We also took cars over to South Australia for the sand dunes. A four-and-a-half tonne (GVM) vehicle in sand, especially on the beach, can be a bit of a challenge to say the least,”
They also tested deeply inland – real Outback stuff.
“We drove from our secret proving ground location up to Birdsville, using all the high-speed gravel roads,” he said, by this stage smiling and acknowledging how excellent this sounds.
“Then into the desert, across the sand dunes for 600 kilometres. We’re living out of the vehicles. We’re camping overnight, campfire, cooking out of the side of the vehicles, and just living the way tourists would.”
Tim made a point of saying they made it across the Simpson Desert on a single fill of diesel in the Super Duty’s 130L long range tank. “In all it was about a 5500km trip for four vehicles. We really wanted to prove this tough truck can do the tough tasks in the real world, and all the unexpected things that entails.”
Burn the trailer!
Tow testing was no less extreme. “It has a 4.5 tonne towing capability, so we went and purchased a 4.5 tonne trailer,” said Rob. “When towing we loaded the car up to GCM (8000kg), then did city driving, freeway driving and when it got to 40C, we found some of the steepest grades we could to test the cooling system.
“When we go on these trips, we take the calibration team with us: engine calibration, transmission calibration and driveline calibrators so they can monitor the performance.”
How did the big trailer fare after all this torture testing?
“It turned out to be a sacrificial trailer because the Super Dutys lasted longer than it managed… we’re going to burn and bury it soon,” Rob said with a big grin.
Such exhaustive testing is exactly what this new Ranger Super Duty demands, as Aussie owners are going to have very high expectations.
They’re paying for the heavy-duty nature of these trucks, and want value for money as well as reliability.
There are three Super Duty Cab-Chassis body styles: a single (two-door, two-seat) from $82,990; Super (tiny hinged rear doors) from $86,490; and Double (four-door, five seat) from $89,990, all before on-roads and tray costs.
A double-cab pickup with style-side tub – the target for recreational users – lands in July 2026.
“We’ve listened to customers and we’ve delivered a vehicle to get them to their critical locations, all while carrying about 1900kg of payload,” Rob said.
“There’s pretty much nowhere in Australia that you’d ever need to go that you can’t get to in one of these.”
Tim echoes Rob’s faith in this ultimate Ranger. “It’s bulletproof,” he said.
“All that chassis work that’s gone into it, there’s nothing we’ve thrown at it that’s broken it.”
Which is exactly what the big bosses at Ford wanted. There was no other way this Aussie special could’ve earned its Super Duty stripes.