Ford Ranger Super Duty – hardcore work truck with off-road tyres, steel bumpers, snorkel, higher GVM

Teased back in November, the Ford Ranger Super Duty has finally been revealed, imbued with some serious muscle. Designed first and foremost for the worksite, the Blue Oval pick-up has been beefed up with several modifications from the factory, essentially preventing business users from spending thousands in aftermarket accessories.

Inspired by Ford’s American Super Duty trucks, the Ranger Super Duty gets wider fenders and squared-off wheel arch flares to cover the wider track and the 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain tyres. Those rollers are mounted on 18-inch wheels with an eight-lug pattern, just like on a “real” Super Duty.

The tougher look is enhanced by a bulging bonnet with a power dome, chamfered edges and the Super Duty script stamped on the leading edge. Below that sits a more open mesh grille for increased cooling, as well as a chunky steel bumper attached directly to the frame, replete with driving light attachment points.

Keeping the Ranger Super Duty’s oily bits out of harms way is a bash plate that wraps underneath the front bumper, improving the truck’s approach angle in concert with the increased ground clearance. As a finishing touch, you get much taller door mirrors – a requirement as part of the gross vehicle mass (GVM) rating jumping from a max of 3,350 kg on the Wildtrak to a whopping 4,500 kg – and a snorkel designed with Safari.

Inside, the Super Duty looks more conventional, still with an octagonal design theme and a 12-inch portrait infotainment touchscreen, here fitted as standard. There are a few telltale signs, however, starting with Super Duty again embossed on the passenger-side dashboard. Look up and you’ll also spot a row of auxiliary switches for wiring up accessories.

Business users will also appreciate the optional Integrated Device Mounting system, located on the passenger side next to the centre console. This allows the fitment of devices – such as a tablet – weighting up to four kilograms, clearing the passenger airbag and preventing owners from “having to damage their vehicle by making modifications,” said Ford International Markets Group design boss Max Wolff.

Given that the Super Duty is set to sit at the top of the Ranger lineup, it’s no surprise it gets many of the available driver assists, including autonomous emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, reverse AEB and a 360-degree camera system. You also get towing assists such as blind-spot trailer coverage and Smart Hitch, useful given the expected use cases.

Under the skin, the Ranger Super Duty benefits from a heavier-duty frame, upgraded axles, thicker driveshafts and front and rear locking differentials. So equipped, the truck’s towing capacity gains another 1,000 kg at 4,500 kg, leading to a gross combined weight (GCW) of 8,000 kg. Not only can the Super Duty carry more, but it can also go further, thanks to a 130 litre fuel tank.

No technical details have been released just yet, but it’s likely the Super Duty will utilise the largest and most powerful Ranger diesel engine available – a 3.0 litre turbocharged V6 producing 250 PS and 600 Nm of torque, mated to an ten-speed automatic gearbox.

Built in Thailand, the truck will be offered in Australia from the middle of next year, available in double-cab form and as a cab chassis in single- and double-cab versions. More details will be announced later this year.

With the Ranger Super Duty being built in Thailand, will it come to Malaysia? It’s unlikely, given the work truck market (especially for expensive higher-end models like this one) is pretty much non-existent here. Then again, we thought a circa-RM200,000 desert-blasting pick-up would be a non-starter here – and yet we got the Raptor anyway.

The post Ford Ranger Super Duty – hardcore work truck with off-road tyres, steel bumpers, snorkel, higher GVM appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.