The Ford Ranger has emerged over the last decade or so as a major competitor to the Toyota HiLux, and is a favourite for many tradies.
It’s looked pretty similar over much of that time though… The T6 Ranger, launched back in 2011, still looks virtually identical from the front doors back.
Call us biased, but we still think the current model looks pretty good…
But an all-new Ranger is expected in 2022, and from the photos so far, both leaked and rendered, it looks even tougher!
There’s a much bolder US-inspired front end that will probably have tradies arguing over whether they love it or hate it.
Related: 5 mistakes tradies make with car insurance
The image below from Wheels magazine is said to be a genuine photo of a new Ranger photographed at a transport facility in Melbourne.
Is it or isn’t it? Well apparently one website received a legal threat from Ford asking them to remove the images, so that might be a good indication…
The image below is a rendering from CarExpert, which is quite obviously based off the leaked photos above. It’s a good looking rig…
And here’s another rendering from Indian Autos Blog. It’s quite similar as you’d expect…
Aside from the leaked images and renderings above, there is also news on the engines which will power the new T7 Ranger.
Australian website CarExpert has revealed some interesting information regarding the powerplants.
The 3.2 five-cylinder engine will be getting the chop, replaced by a 3.0 litre V6 turbo diesel pumping out 186kW and 600Nm.
This engine will only be available in the higher-grade models, so tradies needing the extra grunt for towing are going to have to pay extra not just for the bigger engine, but also a higher spec vehicle.
A 2.0 litre four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel will power the lower grade models.
In big news, the new Ranger will also be available with a plug-in hybrid engine! This is said to be a 2.3 litre four-cylinder turbo petrol setup producing an impressive 270kW and 680Nm.
More impressive is that the hybrid option will drink just 3.0 of fuel per 100km.
Raptor
The current Raptor has proved a massive hit for the Ranger, but the power output has often been critisised.
This should come to an end with the 2022 Ranger Raptor, as CarAdvice is reporting that it will be powered by a twin-turbo petrol V6!
The 3.0 litre unit is currently used in the Exlorer ST in the US, and pumps out a very healthy 300kW and 560Nm.
CarAdvice’s render of the Raptor seen below looks sensational!
What happened to the V8 Ranger?
Last year there was all sorts of talk about a V8 powered Ranger coming.
Whilst the talk was that it was all but confirmed, more recent reports say that it’s no chance of happening. Whilst a V8 powered Ranger would have been awesome, the new twin-turbo V6 should provide the extra grunt that some Ranger owners have been looking for.
For a load more information on the 2022 Ford Ranger check out this article from CarExpert. It’s super detailed and well worth checking out.
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