Ford Ranger Super Duty XLT: Expanded line-up tested in SA outback

Ford Australia has added more models to its Ranger Super Duty line-up. 

Joining the single-cab, extra-cab and double-cab cab-chassis models we saw late last year are new up-spec XLT variants, as well as Super Duty double-cabs with the style-side ute tub, which Ford Australia calls a pick-up.

All Ranger Super Duty variants have the key capacities that set them apart from other midsize 4×4 utes: A 4500kg GVM, 4500kg towing capacity and 8000kg GCM. Those figures also put the Super Duty ahead of many full-size American pick-ups. The double-cab pick-up has a 1697kg payload, compared with 1825kg for the cab-chassis without a tray fitted.

The ute tub for Super Duty differs from that of the regular Ranger ute, as it needs to cover the wider wheel track of the Super Duty. The wheel arches are also a different shape to clear the bigger tyres and allow for the model’s extra wheel articulation.

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The dimensions of the upper section of the tub are the same as Ranger, so any roller shutter, tonneau cover, tub-topper canopy or other accessory made for Ranger will also fit the Ranger Super Duty. The tub includes power outlets in the back, with power coming from an inverter in addition to the one in the cabin.

The Ranger Super Duty is a unique vehicle, conceived and engineered right here in Australia for Australian users, even if the company chooses to use the pick-up moniker.

The XLT adds some style and comfort to what was previously a working-class vehicle, with leather-trimmed seats, heating and cooling for the front buckets, carpeted floors and alloy wheels in lieu of the steelies on standard models. These upgrades should give the Super Duty more appeal for private buyers and touring four-wheel drivers.

The single drivetrain option remains the 3.0-litre diesel V6 engine, backed by a 10-speed automatic transmission and dual-range transfer case with driver-lockable front and rear differential locks for off-road use. The transfer case is slightly different to that in other Ranger models in that it doesn’t have a two-wheel drive setting, as the 4×4 Auto setting is better suited to on-road use with the heavy loads the SD is capable of carrying.

Ford Ranger Super Duty line-up

Cab-Chassis

• Single Cab: $82,990
• Extra Cab: $86,490
• Double Cab: $89,990
• XLT Double Cab: $95,990

Pick-Up

• Double-Cab Pick-Up: $93,990
• XLT Double-Cab Pick-Up: $99,990

Tested in the Bendleby Ranges

To get a feel for the new additions to the Super Duty line-up, Ford took us to the stunning Bendleby Ranges in South Australia. The property is a working sheep station that also offers camping and 4×4 tracks for adventurous travellers, so it was the perfect location to put the RSD through its paces. 

The road drive up to the property from Adelaide gave us the chance to reacquaint ourselves with the Ranger Super Duty and appreciate the added creature comforts of the XLT model, specifically the heating function on the leather-trimmed front seats. Everything else is as we’ve found on the Super Duty in the past. It retains all the features and functionality of the Ranger models, and while you feel the heavier weight and all-terrain tyres when you hit the twisty roads, the rest is standard Ranger fare – and that’s a good thing.

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The Grabber all-terrain tyres came into their own when we left the bitumen behind and hit the gravel roads and station tracks, offering firm grip through mud, as well as the security and strength of a heavy-duty all-terrain tyre. The Super Duty’s transfer case doesn’t have a two-wheel drive setting, so we were already in 4×4 Auto with no need to select anything else for the gravel roads.

The tyres were all the more important when we selected low range and climbed up into the rocky ranges on the property. The rear diff lock was needed to avoid spinning the tyres on the sharp rocks, and the front locker was selected in the gnarliest sections.

A gripe I do have with the Ranger’s 4×4 settings is that selections in the transfer case are linked to the off-road drive modes, which are not as easy to select as they should be. Not being in the prescribed mode also hampers your transfer-case selections. It’s not as simple as selecting low range and lockers which, in reality, are all you really need on tracks like those at Bendleby.

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Verdict

Bendleby Ranges provides a great place to test the capability of a 4×4 vehicle and its tyres over the various tracks and roads on the property.

There aren’t many showroom-stock new vehicles that could drive the tracks we drove at Bendleby, and certainly no other midsize 4×4 utes except the Ranger Raptor. With its heavy load and towing capacities combined with the off-road ability afforded by good tyres and front and rear lockers, the Ranger Super Duty is truly in a class of its own at the head of the 4×4 ute options.

Specs: Ford Ranger Super Duty XLT