These pictures we have provided show a new 2019 Ford Ranger during its tests at Ford’s You Yangs proving ground in Victoria. As you probably know by now, this new Ranger is supposed to be hosting all-new engines, upgraded chassis and the addition of more driver assist technologies.
The debut of this new UTE is set for sometime in 2019 in Australia, and the one we have here in the pictures is being tested hard, which is obvious thanks to the significant metal cross member supporting the front suspension under the front-end. If you have a keen eye, you will also see a lot of wiring that runs beneath the Ranger which only suggests additional testing equipment. Nobody in Ford is willing to comment on this early test mule, but they have all confirmed, once again, that the development is well under way. What is even more interesting is that this new Ranger is just one of many ongoing projects that are funded with the $450 million budget for the Melbourne-based Ford Asia-Pacific Product Development team.
The news regarding the powerplant state that all-new turbo-diesel engines (co-developed by Peugeot and Land Rover) – 3.0 L Powerstroke V6 and a 2.0 L EcoBlue four cylinder will bring death to the old 3.2 L five-cylinder and 2.2 L Duratorq four-cylinder units. The first one (3.0 L Powerstroke V6) is supposed to have its debut in the Ford F-150 pick-up later this year which will make this America’s best-selling vehicle the first one with a diesel unit inside.
Even more interesting is the fact that, if this Powerstroke V6 mirrors the outputs from the latest Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover models, it could produce 255 HP and 443 lb-ft of torque. If this actually happens that the new Ranger would easily become a segment leader, as far as power is concerned, and it would be placed ahead of recently released Volkswagen Amarok V6.
We know that Ford will pair this engine with the 10-speed automatic transmission, but it is unknown whether the UTE will do the same, or simply grab and hold on its current six-speed option. The second engine option – the 2.0 L EcoBlue four cylinder is 13% more fuel efficient than its predecessor, the 2.2 L one, and that is all thanks to God know how much of innovative technologies. Those same technologies will help boost up the torque 20% more while reducing noise and emissions to Euro 6 standards.
Since the list of markets where Ranger will be available was enriched by the North America, engineers will also have to add at least two petrol turbo units to the lineup. One of the candidates for that role is the 2.0 L EcoBoost four cylinder that can be found in Ford Mondeo, Escape and the now-defunct Falcon for the Aussie market. The other one is definitely a mystery, but we presume that the 325 HP and 375 lb-ft of torque from the 2.7 L twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 that sits in the 2015 F-150, could be a really good choice.
There are some reports that say that this new Ranger will be packed with new technologies, but one, in particular, stands out and it is the self-driving tech. This is partially confirmed by the special track that is currently being built at the You Yangs facility, and which will support testing for up to Level 2 autonomous standards. What is more in store for the 2019 Ford Ranger nobody knows for sure, but we promise we will report as soon as we find out something new so stay tuned!
