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2015 Ford Ranger Australian specifications

The 2015 Ford Ranger line-up has been detailed — sans pricing — ahead of its Australian premiere in a few months time.


Headlining the revised, 24-model-strong PX Ford Ranger MkII line-up are a suite of cabin upgrades, some stylistic tweaks, and the addition (to some versions) of advanced driver assist technologies reminiscent of the average luxury car.

True to recent style, Ford Australia has also laid down the gauntlet to Toyota and its top-selling HiLux — the only light commercial offering the fast-growing Ranger now trails on the sales charts — via its familiar adversarial advertising strategy.

Ford claims to outgun the HiLux in various areas no fewer than six times on the first two pages of its media release. It cites the Ranger’s better payload (against the current HiLux, not the all-new one launching in October), and names 10 features found on the Ranger not seen on the Toyota.

Of course, it might be a different story (to some degree) when this version of the HiLux arrives.

“You can buy a best-seller or cheaper alternative but nothing as good as the Ford Ranger,” said Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman (perhaps while poking a bear?).

Chief among these are additions such as adaptive cruise control with a forward collision alert system, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist (that nudges you between the lines if you stray) and Ford’s Driver Impairment Monitor.

You could argue this approach is working, given Ranger sales are flying this year. It has 10,772 sales YTD, up about 5.0 per cent on 2014’s record. At the same time, the ageing and soon-to-be-replaced HiLux has fallen about 2.5 per cent to 14,500.

Ford is relying heavily on its commercial hero, though. Its total sales this year are 27,559 (down 17.8 per cent), meaning the Ranger contributes around 40.0 per cent of its total deliveries.

The addition of the aforementioned luxury car features sets the ute bar high, and will no doubt appeal to the growing number of people buying commercials as second family vehicles. More than one-in-three Ranger buyers opts for the top-line XLT or Wildtrak versions.

Disappointingly though, these features will only be available as optional extras on said XLT and Wildtrak versions — more on that further down.

Other new features added to various spec levels include Ford’s SYNC 2 connectivity system with a WiFi hotspot, all the requisite connectivity and an eight-inch touchscreen, a new sat-nav system, and electric (rather than hydraulic) power steering.

The cabin itself has also come in for a design makeover that makes it more car-like than before. It notably gets those soft-touch plastics we’re always talking about. Externally, there’s also a new grille and headlight design.

The core selling points remain — a braked towing capacity of up to 3.5-tonnes and a wading depth of 800mm on 4x4 versions. The 147kW/470Nm (between 1750 and 2500rpm) 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine is unchanged, though the 2.2-litre four-pot is uprated to 118kW/385Nm (between 1600 and 2500rpm).

Both engines still come with six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions — the latter of which now gets fuel-saving idle-stop technology on 4x2 Hi-Rider and 4x4 iterations.

The revised Ranger will arrive in the third quarter of 2015, and will be joined a few months after by the new HiLux. Also due is an updated Mazda BT-50 (based on the same platform as the Ranger), while a new Mitsubishi Triton has just launched. The ute segment, it’s safe to say, is running hot.

As we know, Australia’s Product Development and Broadmeadows-based Design Centre took the lead in the design and development of the refreshed 2015 PX Ranger MkII, as well as the original PX Ranger.

It is now sold in more than 180 countries. Ford in Australia is investing more than any other car company in Australia – more than $300 million in 2015 on top of almost $2 billion over the past six years, to ensure its design and development facilities continue to play a lead role in Ford globally. The Ranger is still made in Thailand.

New features:

  • SYNC2 with a high-resolution 8-inch touchscreen (XLT and Wildtrak)
  • Navigation with Traffic Management Channel (XLT and Wildtrak)
  • Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS)
  • Adjustable Speed Limiter
  • Cable shift manual transmission
  • Auto Stop/Start on manual transmission (4x2 Hi-Rider and 4x4 models)
  • 230V Inverter (Double and Super Cab models)
  • Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
  • Projector headlights (XLT and Wildtrak)
  • Rear box illumination (when Sports Bar equipped)
  • Dual colour 4.2-inch instrumentation screens (XLT and Wildtrak)

Tech Pack Option on XLT and Wildtrak:

  • Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Alert
  • Lane Departure Warning
  • Lane Keep Assist
  • Driver Impairment Monitor
  • Reverse camera (standard on Wildtrak)

Specifications by variant:

Ranger XL

  • 16-inch steel wheels
  • Bucket seats
  • 4-way manual driver’s seat adjustment with lumbar support
  • Auto headlamps
  • Air conditioning – manual single zone
  • Floor coverings – vinyl
  • Power windows
  • Day/night inside rear view mirror
  • 230 V inverter (Double and Super Cab)
  • Bluetooth with voice control
  • AM/FM stereo radio
  • Single MP3 compatible CD player
  • AUX/USB/iPod integration
  • 4.2-inch colour multi-function display
  • SYNC 1
  • Locking rear differential (4x2 Hi-Rider and 4x4 models)
  • Alarm with perimeter, interior motion and vehicle movement sensors
  • Cruise control with steering wheel mounted buttons
  • Adjustable Speed Limiter
  • Inner and outer tie downs (Pick-up)
  • Load rest (Pick-up)

Ranger XL Plus – XL features plus:

  • 17-inch steel wheels with all-terrain tyres
  • Daytime running lamps
  • Plastic side steps
  • Expanded wiring harness with 4-switch auxiliary bezel
  • Second battery
  • 3.5-inch ice blue multi-function display

Ranger XLS – XL features plus:

  • 16-inch alloy wheels
  • Front fog lamps
  • Floor coverings – carpet
  • Front floor mats

Ranger XLT – XLS features plus:

  • 17-inch alloy wheels
  • Towbar
  • Chrome exterior trim
  • Plastic side steps with bright inserts
  • Sports bar with load box illumination
  • Privacy glass
  • Rear step bumper - accent steel
  • Power fold mirrors
  • Projector headlamps
  • Rain sensing windscreen wipers
  • Dual colour 4.2” cluster screens
  • Dual-zone climate control
  • Cooled console
  • Leather wrapped steering wheel & gear knob
  • Electrochromatic rear view mirror
  • SD Card Slot
  • 8-inch colour touch screen
  • Satellite navigation with Traffic Management Channel
  • SYNC 2
  • DAB Radio
  • Mobile WiFi Hotspot
  • Tyre pressure monitoring system
  • Rear park assist
  • Bedliner with 12V socket
  • Tech Pack Option:
  • Reverse camera
  • Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Alert
  • Driver Impairment Monitor
  • Lane Keep Assist
  • Lane Departure Warning

Ranger Wildtrak – XLT features plus:

  • 18-inch alloy wheels
  • Plastic side steps with brushed inserts
  • Wildtrak sports bar
  • Rear step bumper - chrome
  • Puddle lamps
  • Eight-way power driver’s seat adjustment with lumbar support
  • Leather heated front seats
  • Front and rear floor mats – Wildtrak
  • Ambient Lighting
  • Front Park Assist
  • Reverse Camera
  • Roller shutter

Tech Pack Option:

  • Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Alert
  • Driver Impairment Monitor
  • Lane Keep Assist
  • Lane Departure Warning
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