Ford Ranger Super Duty And F-150 Will Coexist In Australia

The Blue Oval dropped a bit of a bombshell on the automotive world when it teased the all-new Ford Ranger Super Duty this week, which is designed to offer customers that need enhanced towing and hauling capability precisely that – in a smaller, mid-size pickup package. In fact, the Ranger Super Duty will reportedly offer up 4,500 kilograms (9,920 pounds) of max towing capacity, 4,500 kilograms (9,920 pounds) of gross vehicle mass, and 8,000 kilograms (17,636 pounds) of gross combined mass, which is significantly more than the regular Ranger, and even on par with the F-150 in some cases. However, this also raised an important question – will the arrival of the Ranger Super Duty spell the end of the Ford F-150 in Australia?

It’s a fair question considering the fact that the Ford Ranger Super Duty will offer capability on par with its full-size counterpart, especially when we consider the fact that Ford exports the F-150 to Australia, where a third-party company completes the right-hand drive conversion – which means that it isn’t cheap to procure. In fact, the XLT starts out at $106,950 AUS ($69,998 USD) and the Lariat touts a sticker price of $140,945 AUS ($92,234 USD), prices that will likely far exceed the cost of the more capable Ranger Super Duty. However, according to Drive, FoMoCo sees the Ford Ranger Super Duty and F-150 co-existing just fine.

“F-150 is a very capable vehicle, which is used in Australia primarily for long-distance towing and touring, but not for heavy-duty work,” a Ford spokesperson explained. “It is a full-size truck that has great capability along with comfort and technology that makes it a fantastic option for many customers. Ranger Super Duty offers a unique combination of maneuverability and heavy-duty capability. Its mid-size design makes it ideal for navigating tighter spaces while still delivering the power needed for demanding tasks. F-150 fills an important role in the Ford Australia line-up, in a completely different category.”

Interestingly, while Ford sees the Ranger Super Duty as primarily a fleet vehicle, that doesn’t mean it won’t be available for retail consumers to purchase, either. “While ideal for fleets, the Ranger Super Duty will also be available to any customer who wants to tow more, carry more and do more,” the automaker stated. “We see a strong opportunity for customers who are overlanding, carrying large loads and/or towing heavy loads.” While we don’t know all of the details revolving around the Ford Ranger Super Duty, we do know that it’s far more capable than the regular Ranger, and Ford Authority spotted a prototype of that pickup testing in Michigan earlier this week, too.