- Ranger Super Duty will deliver advanced safety, versatility, connectivity and creature comforts synonymous with the Ranger nameplate
- Thanks to heavy-duty axles, upgraded chassis and reinforced tow bar, Ranger Super Duty is able to achieve its incredible 4500-kilogram GVM rating
- Ranger Super Duty debuts Ford’s Smart Hitch and Onboard Scales in South Africa
- The Ranger Super Duty will be available in various body styles including Double Cab, Single Chassis Cab, Super Chassis Cab and Double Cab Chassis Cab
The first-ever Ford Ranger Super Duty is set to make its highly anticipated arrival in South Africa with a variety of body styles; (Single Chassis Cab, Super Chassis Cab, Double Cab Chassis Cab and Double Cab) being introduced in a phased approach in 2027. Ranger Super Duty is uniquely engineered to help those who do the toughest jobs carry, tow and do more.
“We listened to what the hardest working customers told us they needed, and we’ve developed a hard-working vehicle with heavy-duty hardware and enhanced capability allowing them to stay on the job longer and get it done sooner,” said Ryan Searle, Director of Sales Operations, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (Manufacturing) (Pty) Ltd. “We are taking global mid-size truck capability to a whole new level, straight from the factory and making it a unique offer for South African Ranger fans.”
Engineered with an impressive 4500kg GVM rating, the Ranger Super Duty is classified as a Code 10 (C1) vehicle in South Africa, recognising its exceptional heavy-duty capability. This ensures customers who require serious towing performance have a factory-built solution designed to meet the demands of agricultural, mining, lifestyle and professional applications.
Toughest Ranger yet
Developing a vehicle like the Ranger Super Duty and ensuring it could live a life doing the toughest jobs in the most extreme locations required an extensive durability program.
“We torture test our vehicles to earn the name Super Duty,” said Searle. “For instance, to make sure the Ranger Super Duty is ready for almost any work and play environment, we created an even tougher mud pack test to simulate mining and leisure conditions. The Ranger Super Duty had to continue working, even with 600 kilograms of mud stuck to the bottom of the truck.”
Certain durability tests for the Ranger Super Duty were so severe it prompted the Ford Australia to deploy autonomous driving robots. The robots ran continuous, round-the-clock testing at the infamous You Yangs Proving Ground, recreating the harsh conditions of a rugged, dry riverbed.
The Ranger Super Duty also ran the usual durability tests including 24/7 corrosion baths, towing dynos, shaker rig testing, extreme real-world off-roading, and low-speed, low-range heavy load driving.
Tow more
Being able to tow more than any other factory-built mid-size pickup is just part of the Ranger Super Duty’s story.
Ranger Super Duty also gets the Ranger’s Pro-Trailer Backup Assist™ that makes backing up a trailer as easy as turning a dial. The latest version uses a yaw rate sensor to help automatically manage trailer angle. The system is able to store up to 10 trailers and only requires calibration once per trailer.
Ranger Super Duty features Ford’s Smart Hitch and Onboard Scales: Smart Hitch helps customers better understand the weight on their vehicle’s towball and how to adjust the load in the trailer to ensure optimum load distribution and avoid under or overloading the towball. The standard tow ball accommodates a 3500kg load while an uprated towball is an option for those customers who want to experience the Super Duty’s maximum towing weight of 4500kg.
Sensors mounted in the suspension on all four wheels let Ford’s Onboard Scales help customers estimate their payload as they add items to their vehicle, it also allows for customers to specify additional load for inclusion in payload estimation. Customers can monitor the weight being loaded into the load box via the SYNC screen.
Carry more
While its overall chassis dimensions might be the same as a Ranger, the Ranger Super Duty runs a TT frame that provides significantly increased strength, performance and load carrying capacity. The frame is thicker, while suspension mounts, box mount brackets and tow bar mounts have been reinforced. This allows the Ranger Super Duty to achieve its incredible 4500-kilogram GVM rating.1
For enhanced durability, the Ranger Super Duty runs stronger front and rear driveshafts while a new heavy-duty rear axle provides enhanced load carrying capacity. The new rear differential is the biggest and strongest to ever be fitted to a production Ranger.
To help spread the load, the Ranger Super Duty gets eight-stud wheel hubs with larger bolts.
The Ranger Super Duty has been developed with upfitting in mind. The reinforced frame and readily accessible mounting points make it easy to integrate a variety of accessories and specialised equipment through Ford Converter. This versatility means that the Ranger Super Duty arrives ready to work from the factory.
“These enhancements are key to the Ranger Super Duty being able to carry and tow bigger loads than any other factory-built mid-size bakkie,” said Searle. “These larger, stronger components improve vehicle durability and reliability which is something we know our customers will appreciate.”
Do more
Under the Ranger Super Duty’s sculpted bonnet is Ford’s 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6 calibrated for heavy-duty emissions standards. It produces 154kW and 600Nm with a 10-speed automatic transmission, ensuring smooth and responsive performance. Improved cooling ensures optimum temperature management under load and during sustained off-roading in difficult terrain.
To ensure extended off-road range a 130-litre long-range fuel tank is standard, while thick steel shielding is designed to protect the tank from damage caused by impact when driving off-road.
Indeed, the Ranger Super Duty’s underbelly is armoured with a series of high-strength steel bash plates. Everything from the engine, front differential and transfer case, transmission and fuel tank are shielded.
“With enhanced capability and developed for hard work, we know the Ranger Super Duty will be pushed to the limits on some of the toughest terrain on the planet. That’s why we made sure the underneath had high strength protection,” added Searle.
Knowing the Ranger Super Duty will be pushed harder than most off-road vehicles and driven in more extreme locations, engineers ensured differential, transmission, fuel and transfer case breathers are all mounted up nice and high. The Ranger Super Duty also boasts an improved water wading depth of 850mm while ground clearance is almost 300mm.
The Ranger Super Duty’s two-speed transfer case features larger, stronger components than other Ranger variants for enhanced durability. To ensure the vehicle can handle life in low-range in extreme terrain, the low-range gearset has been upgraded.
Boasting front and rear locking differentials as standard on all variants, the Ranger Super Duty has been set up to perform in the toughest terrain. The front differential has been modified for enhanced load capacity.
“The Ranger Super Duty really is the sum of all its parts, and we’re confident that whether your job is extreme or you’re an adventurer who likes to go off the beaten track, Ranger Super Duty will get you there and back again,” concluded Searle.
Pricing (includes VAT):
Pricing is yet to be finalised, but current market conditions indicate a potential recommended retail pricing band starting at approximately R1,100 000 for the Ranger Super Duty Single Chassis Cab ranging to approximately R1,300 000 for the Ranger Super Duty Double Cab. It is important to emphasise that final pricing will only be released in 2027.
