Ford Ranger XLT
Buyers of 4x4 utes are spoilt for choice in 2022, with new players coming in to the market every day and the leaders in the segment striving ahead with ever-improving vehicles. We had the best of them at 4X4OTY and eventually found our winner.
THE mid-size four-door, 4x4 ute market is one of the biggest in Australia these days, so it deserves a class of its own at 4X4OTY. There was a time in the past where 4X4 Australia used to do separate events and awards for utes and wagons, but that was because the utes lacked the tractive and safety technologies of the 4x4 wagons and it was almost impossible for them to compete on the same tracks.
As utes became more popular with recreational users and family buyers, auto manufacturers started equipping them with all the same tech the other vehicles got – and now they are on par with each other. They have become so popular they dominate the 4x4 sales landscape and warrant a class of their own.
They say the cream rises to the top and it was no surprise that the two biggest-selling 4x4 utes – by a long shot – also led the charge when our drivers selected the two finalists in the category. What was surprising was that the ‘tuned’ utes – the Ranger Raptor, Navara Warrior and Amarok W580 – were looked over in favour of the more affordable offerings from the middle of the range.
As such, it was last year’s overall 4X4OTY winner the Hilux
SR5 up against the Ranger XLT, and of them the Ford proved the winner. In fact, the Ranger XLT was the highest scoring finalist vehicle overall and the Hilux was the lowest, so it was pretty much a unanimous decision; all our drivers scored the Ranger higher than the Hilux.
From the moment the drivers hit the tracks at the AARC, it was obvious the Ranger was impressive. Comments referring to how well it handled the corrugated Second Class Road and how well it rode for an unladen ute over such a road were common, as was the feeling that the cars were engineered and set-up for Australian road conditions.
Dex said, “The Ranger was by far a better platform to drive over just about every terrain than the Hilux. It rode better, it braked better, it had better gearing, the seats were comfier – it’s number one in sales for a reason, folks.”
Ron echoed those comments, saying, “The Ford Ranger is superior to all others in this category, climbing to the top of the ute pile for 2022.”
While Evan said, “The Ranger is more comfortable on- and off
THE RANGER IS SUPERIOR TO ALL OTHERS IN THIS CATEGORY, CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE UTE PILE FOR 2022
road than the Hilux, used similar amounts of fuel, and was capable off-road.”
I really felt the Australian engineering and input that went in to the T6 platform under both the Ranger and Everest as I drove them around the tracks at the AARC, and it’s no wonder the Raptor drives so well when this is the platform it is based on.
The Ranger backed up those impressions as we left the coast and headed up in to the desert country and it tackled the sand hills with relative ease, the bumpy tracks in comfort and was simple and easy to drive on open roads.
As it displayed on the rutted hill climb at AARC, the importance of keeping the ETC active across the front axle when the rear diff lock is engaged, again showed its worth on the sand dunes and the rocky mountain climbs in the Barrier Ranges. The Hilux’s ETC calibration might be close to the best, but with the diff lock in and once it lifts a front wheel, you’re basically relying on the rear axle alone for drive. The Ford system is how it should work.
It’s interesting to think that the Ranger is one of the oldest platforms in the ute segment, having first appeared under the PX Ranger in 2011. It has evolved over the ensuing years to what it is now, and the exciting thing for ute buyers (and scary for Ford’s competitors) is that there’s an almost all-new Ranger just around the corner, arriving mid year on the next-generation of T6 and with a V6 engine in its arsenal. It promises to be hard to beat!
“THE RANGER IS MORE COMFORTABLE ON- AND OFF-ROAD THAN THE HILUX, USED SIMILAR AMOUNTS OF FUEL, AND WAS CAPABLE OFFROAD”