No doubt the smallest vehicle to carry the Super Duty tag and possibly a bit weird to some in the US but this vehicle could be a game changer for many commercial vehicle buyers here. US pickups are available here but pricing is horrendous due to rhd conversion. Only announced last week, so details are still scarce but the big appeal is the payload and towing capacity of a ute this size. Designed and engineered here, probably built in Thailand and only for Aus. and NZ. initially. https://www.ford.com.au/showroom/trucks-and-vans/ranger/super-duty/
Think if they put the steering wheel on the proper side of the cab, it might sell quite well in the USA.
So they made a quarter ton into a half ton?
They can put whatever tag they want on anything they want. And if they want to ruin their reputation, so be it.
There’s no way that truck, or similar models like the Toyota Hilux, would ever be imported into the US for the simple reason that it would put the local manufacturers out of business. Oh wait, isn’t that what happened way back in the last century when the imports put paid to the gas guzzlers.?
I thought the Hi-lux is simply the Tacoma here in the states ? Only difference I can see is no diesel option available.
Unfortunately it isn't. The Tacoma is a completely different animal. What Toyota built as their (pale imitation) of a Hilux for the North American market. The ads for the Hilux never take themselves too seriously.
Thanks Nige. Funniest thing I've seen in a long time. d.d.
There are dozens of them around, but I think you'll like tis one.
The goal in the US is to make all vehicles as expensive as they can. Never again, will it be like in 1995, could get a brand new little puddle jumper car for around $5k. All pickup trucks are now luxury 4 door station wagon's with the rear roof removed. Instead of removing the 2 rear doors and all that extra space Ford used aluminum to try to offset that weight. Even a thought of a small fire in those trucks melts em to the ground. Then there is the mess of working with Al at a body shop.
Then there is the classic Top Gear attempt to kill one, three parts in total. These utes are extremely popular here, not only with commercial users but also with weekend warriors. The Hilux was Australia’s best selling vehicle for many years but has recently been outdone by the Ford Ranger. No details yet, but the new Super Duty is bound to be bigger than the current Ranger, certainly heavier chassis, but not as big as the F150. The F150 only sells in very small numbers due to only having petrol motor as well as ridiculous price. I believe the new Ranger will have the 3.0 V6 diesel that was in the F150 stateside for a while.
Would not be surprised if half the reason is to get around emission rules, as it would be classed as a commercial vehicle, but still able to be driven on a standard car licence. I can see the point of these larger "cars" for people needing to tow large trailers or carry heavy loads in comfort. Taking over the role of the solid suspension rough as guts small jap trucks, where you bounce your way to your destination. Unfortunately as we have seen with the likes of the Dodge Ram in this country. They are bought by cashed up mine workers and the biggest loads they see are a bag of groceries in the back.
It is very rare to see a regular cab with an 8 foot box.
I know a guy who had to special order a std. cab 8 foot box F150 a few years ago. Actually had a reasonable price... probably why you don't see them on the lot. They'd rather try to entice you into a bunch of options you don't really need. Some are nice to have though.
Impressive the GVW rating is over 9K lbs. My 350 with all the crap on it comes in around 10K. That little SD would sell very well in North America with the 3.0 Powerstroke. I guess it's the same 3.0 they put in the F150's here?
Wow 33" tyres. The soccer mums will not even feel the other kids as they run over them as they drop their kids off at school.
CM, I think it is the same motor..any thoughts?, good or bad. I get the impression that Ford are aiming this vehicle firmly at fleet buyers such as mining, govt, construction and ag, as well as those wanting to tow big vans. They already have the Hilux size market covered with the Ranger, now they want the Landcruiser 79 buyers. I reckon if the Ford execs. had any concerns about the future for this vehicle they quickly evaporated when Toyota ditched the V8 in the Cruiser.
Yea it is bizarre Toyota never learned from the stupidity of the Patrol when it went to the piddly 3 litre 4 cylinder from the old 4.2 six cylinder. They were horrible to drive in the paddock. You would endlessly stall it when trying to take off at an idle. Then you would do fishtails from 3000rpm onwards.
Really ? I bought a brand new 2020 f-150 standard cab 8' bed with crank winders.
Well I don't have any experience with the smaller Powerstroke however I have owned 3- 6.7's that have been great engines. Never heard anything bad about the 3.0's though. Ford discontinued the 3.0 diesel in '21 in favor of the Ecoboost gasser. Bad decision IMO but I'm no auto executive.
My 350 came standard with 33's. Interesting.
In 2007-2008 I was working on a uranium project in the Puna region of Argentina, we had a whole fleet of crew cab Hilux’s they sure got around great on untracked terrain. Super reliable…not a lot of power at 15,000’ elevation though! The company shipped in two Dodge rams from Miami, they were pretty nice as turbos largely compensated for elevation. They were brand new at the time… Seems like that Ranger super duty could fill a useful purpose!
Believe it or not, there are aftermarket conversions available for the Hilux that take the GVM from 3050 kg to 4250 kg….I would not want to drive that too far unladen. Iam guessing the new Ford will be something similar, hence not targeting the recreational market too heavily at this stage.
I could order one, but the dealers are mostly interested in bringing in luxury trucks. Thinking about it, the ford dealer here never has any cars on the lot besides a few Mustangs. Everyone wants a 4 door truck.
Here's an experiment: -Write down all the car models (not SUVs or cross overs but actual sedans and coupes) offered for sale by American car manufacturers. I'm talking about Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Ford, Chevy, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Lincoln, etc. Heck, even toss in Rivian and Telsa to boot. -Add up all the car models. -Is it that number greater than the number of American manufacturers? I don't think so List of automobiles manufactured in the United States - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org In short, "Murica" wants trucks and SUVs.
"Everyone" ? Mine came off the lot. Dealers around here order in a few bare bones ones for work trucks.
Two things I never want to do again in my life, drive a standard car or truck (excluding big trucks) and roll a window up ever again.
Can't remember which car magazine in the early 2000s did a comparison of a 1985 Toyota Tacoma, or whatever they called them in 1985. They compared it to a new Ford Super Duty. In event after event the aging Toyota stacked up well against the Ford. Final category, "Does it attract women?" Ford: Yes Toyota: Not the kind you'd want
See I could drive around the big 3 lots here, and it is a sea of similar 4 door 4x4 short box trucks. They can order anything you want, but they just bring in what they know will sell quick. My work truck is a 2018 f150 2 wheel drive ( another rarity ) it has the 6 box instead of 5. Power windows carpets, would have preferred rubber. They were ordered into another dealer, and the customer wouldn't take them. We bought the 3 of them because they were company colors, and I guess the price was right.
is this ^^^ "Everyone" ???
I might be showing my age here but Iam afraid I can’t come to terms with the trend for black wheels on everything nowadays. Shiny mag wheels were high on the list of priorities after I bought my first car and I used to spend hours every second weekend polishing the bloody things. Alloy wheels are available on this Ford but they are solid black, just like the steel rims, so why would you bother?
Worse than black wheels are the kind that many cars come with now that have a machined face.
Were they Argentinian-built.? I know up to the point I left in 2007 there was an assembly plant in BA but it was building the "old-style" (at that time) Hilux as shown in the first photo. The engine options were a 2.4 petrol and a 2.8 Naturally Aspirated diesel which was not good at altitude. The diesel also had problems with cold starting when the air was thin. Around 2006-ish a newer generation of Hilux (2nd photo) appeared with the D4D common rail 3.0 turbo diesel engine. We had them and they performed fine at altitude, or at least mine did. Highest job site I used to visit was a hair under 16,000ft ASL
Hang on this is 2025. That sounds like racist talk to me and you must be one of those bad white colonisers. That will be ten acknowledgement of countries you have to do as penance.
Simple. Paint them gloss white and get some chrome moon caps. L
Yes, I think I’ld have to have them sandblasted and powder coated silver, even before I took delivery.
Obviously anyone that matters yes.
My wife picked out the truck we have now. Painted bumpers, black wheels and grill. I'm a chrome person myself. Another trend I hate are huge rims and low profile tires. Give me a 15 inch chrome wheel and a 44 inch tire any day
Your spine will thank you for it.........
I used to only like chrome wheels however the Ford Tremor package only comes with black wheels. Gotta admit I've grown to like them. Car magazine...go figure. In no real world scenario would a Tacoma stack up well against a Superduty carrying a load or towing. I'll put my 2001 F250 7.3 against any 2001 Tacoma towing or hauling or both.
The Hilux has earned its stripes for reliability carrying moderate loads over tough terrain. It might be capable of carrying a tonne but wouldn’t last long doing it on a daily basis. The Landcruiser 79 is a better option for a job like this but would still need an aftermarket GVM up grade. This is the market Ford are hoping to snatch from Toyota.
Man I wish we could buy a real Landcruiser in the US. Diesel, manual - bullet proof. My father retired to Costa Rica. He had a 2007 IIRC Landcruiser wagon with the inline 6 diesel and manual trans. Wonderful SUV to drive around in Central America. Unfortunately he totaled it in a crash with another vehicle. Now he has a 2013 IIRC Toyota Prado diesel and 2 year old Hilux diesel. I haven't been down since he bought the Hilux but looking forward to taking it on a spin.
They may just do it seeing as Toyota have dumped the V8. With the woke and stupid executives at Nissan running the company into the ground especially after getting Cummins to develop the 5L V8 which could have been slotted into the Y61 Patrol and taking the market lead. Darned if I know how those idiots can hold their hands out for the pay they get.
A former work colleague of mine had a theory about management - "**** floats"
A big problem with 70's and 80's Toyota trucks here is they were very prone to rust and Alberta doesn't use a lot of salt on the roads. Know of one that was in great shape mechanically and very pampered but the frame was full of holes. Thankfully they noticed the rear shock mounts had very little support before it collapsed on the road. The boxes would also rust out prematurely and many times faster than N. American built trucks. Trucks from Eastern Canada where they use more salt were just a big piles of cottage cheese. It doesn't matter how good the powertrain is if the body and frame are rusted out prematurely. I'm hoping my aluminum body 2015 F150 lasts at least another 7 years. Trucks are just too damned expensive now.
My first pickup was a 1987 Toyota Xtra cab 4x4 with 22R engine, 5 speed trans and the pull out parking brake to the right of the steering wheel. It was a great little truck to learn how to drive a manual trans since it was underpowered and low geared. Not that truck but one very similar. Great little truck, had a lot of fun times riding the forest and mine roads back in the day. Only amenities were A/C and a radio. Got lucky a few times in it too.
I dunno, the problem (other then the later 4 cyl engine) with the Y61 ute was the cab and exterior sheetwork was extremely poor design. Unless you are 6ft+ tall you are flat out seeing over the steering wheel, but there is no room in the cab as all the dash is jammed back at you. Add onto that the curved plastic dash and you cannot put anything on it as it will just slide back off into your lap. They put these large curved sheetmetal covers over the wheels and visibility was reduced even more, plus it made working on the thing harder as you try to lean over to get into the engine bay. The doors are massive and thus stupidly heavy and after a while the hinges cannot cope and the door drops. That is my opinion anyway.
They might have had the rust issues sorted by 1987.
@RC, I'm under 6ft and never had a problem with visibility or working on it but a bread crate helps. Owned mine since new(03) and the RH door is just starting to sag but then I'm not forever getting out to open and close gates.
We don't have to worry about rust down here in AL except for the few counties down on the Gulf of America. The salt air from the gulf will corrode pretty much any ferrous metal.
How darn true.
Who said you need an F250 to attract the ladies? Likewise, we don’t have salt on the roads to worry about here. We bought this Cruiser about six years ago from a dealer in Sydney who used to advertise regularly up here. It is ex Qld. National Parks and Wildlife, was four years old and had done 45,000kms. Only paid $23000 for it when similar vehicles would be worth 2 1/2 times that. The catch was that it been used to patrol beaches on Fraser Island and it is Govt. policy to turn them over at 4 years old as statutory write offs because it had been regularly wading in salt water. We might of spent 3 or 4 k on it replacing bits and pieces that had rusted out in the first few years we had it but it’s been fine since. The sheet metal is perfect .. it has one of these electronic gadgets fitted, so that may have helped. Also has upgraded gvm and will happily carry a tonne or more around every day.
Ah yes, now I understand.
"Got an 8' bed that never needs to be made..."
Not familiar with the electronic anti-rust system. Does it work?
Looks interesting. CouplerTec Electronic Rustproofing couplertec.com.au
Seems to work well. As a rule, rust is something we don’t have to worry too much about where we are. As I said above, the panel work on this vehicle is very clean, with no sign of rust, despite being on the beach for four years. The underside has had a heavy coat of rustproofing, which helped no doubt, but there was still plenty of surface rust under there. Frame appears to be still in good order. The biggest item we replaced was the front axle housing. The hubs, axles and diff were OK but all the tabs for shocks, springs and radius rods were severely corroded and threatening to let go. Also replaced the thin metal around the rear disc brakes, park brake setup and some metal tubing on the rear fuel tank. Surprisingly, the exhaust system has held up Ok for something made of lightweight metal.
Wonder if you could find an apple to apple comparison on a set of vehicles with that rust proofing deal. For what they are asking for new trucks around here, that would be a sound investment, if it actually works. I have been looking for used 3 and 5 year old trucks lately and for what is out there vs rust, there is no way I’m paying 30k for a 4 year old truck with the rear quarter or rocker already rusting out.
I remember seeing advertising for electronic corrosion protection several years ago but then it seemed to vanish. Wonder if maybe it screwed with the vehicle electronics and/or computer systems?
Company had one on a Toyota truck. There was a wire off the rear bumper. Mechanic couldn't figure out what it could be for. Like a ground strap. Never put it back on. It was the only spot on that truck that ever rusted. I remember when they bought back a bunch of Toyota trucks that the frame rusted out on. There were a bunch at the dealer. Mint with the frames gone. I think they installed the rust inhibitors after that. Probably cost them a fortune
Not sure where they were built...Most of the units we had were the older non-turbo style. They were definitely hard to start as we occasionally had mornings of -8 to -9c. The other problem was that although we requested and tried to get 'winter' diesel; that never happened...the result was as expected on those cold morning! Gelling, stalling etc We also had 2 of the newer styles, just as shown in your picture. They were flawless at elevation, good power really smooth runners! We also had 6 or 8 Yamaha Grizzly atvs. They were jetted (as best as possible) for elevation. But were extremely underpowered, on steeper hills we occasionally had to walk beside and help push the unit. I took one as high at 17,250' Don't seem to have any close ups of the crew trucks, a couple here at a drill/trench site..
Come down to Texas and buy a nice rust free pickup. No, it won’t be cheap, but it will be rust free.
Those vehicles look almost stock standard. This is typical of what the safety nazis have decreed that we need to have on site here.
Here in the USofA.....they replace the frames at the dealership, under an extended warranty. Mine is long out of the 60k warranty, yet they extended the frame replacement scheme to include my 2016. One tech said they average 5 a month.
I had a white SRV with a D4D turbo engine just like the one in that photo new in 2008. I handed it back in 2015 with close to 200k on it, and even at the end of 2020 it was still going with 300k or so on it. Not bad for a mine truck. Despite being as aerodynamic as the average building brick it would do a genuine 120mph and run at 35mpg, including at altitudes above 10,000ft.
Thank BHP for that. They were the ones who started it all........
A Toyota Hilux here in the UK I had.Bit underpowered,but very nice. Reliable and comfortable
My current Hilux. Got the largest 3 litre moter that’s available here in UK. Very happy with it
However,the most superb work truck I’ve ever owned by a mile was the Diahatsu Fourtraks. I owned 3 of these and I loved them.Super strong,loads of power and never broke down. I’d buy another tomorrow if they still made them. P.s The lovely Landy in the picture belongs to TC Tractors.It’s full of D8 final drives
My first Fourtrak,had a white one too. Loved them.
They were called a "Rocky" here in Australia. I bought one second hand in 1989 as my first vehicle , it was an 84 model. I've still got it as a farm vehicle today, been out of rego for probably 10/15 yrs. Gearbox had bearings replaced, as did front and rear wheel bearings. Everything else is original including clutch. 2.8L diesel when hilux only had the 2.4L. Speedo stopped at 470k, doesn't do many miles as farm vehicle, but they're hard miles. Just a tough well made vehicle. But with leaf springs front and rear and a really short wheelbase, about the roughest riding thing I've ever been in.
They did the same thing to the Aussie Falcons and Commodores down here too. XR6 Falcons and SS Commodores were cool once, then they capitalised on that in the next model and then every second car on the road became one. Just history repeating itself.
That's quite the list. Just putting in the roll bar would be a challenge, are there companies set up that build/ sell that kind of equipment? I bet they have to pull a lot of the interior just to put it in, if its a real roll bar.
Most of those utes are leases, certainly ours were. If they were told it was a "mine spec" truck then the leasing companies (e.g. Hertz, Europcar, etc, etc.) generally installed all that fruit before the customer collected it.
Fleet Crew is one such company, they supply mine spec vehicles for sale, lease or rent. This looks like a Toyota Prado wagon looking forward from the rear door.
That’s what I was thinking…most of the other kit is “add on’s” But an internal roll bar? Seems like a large & expensive undertaking.
So when a fully loaded 797 runs over them, I guess the occupants will be perfectly safe. Unlike this poor landcruiser when a Wabco 3200 from some crappy australian futuristic movie decides to reverse up. And if you are interested in harmless Aussie movies... Here is a better semi comedy one about Sapphire mining. Got some D9G and Hough and Dresser action.
I like old mate’s fire fighting technique in the opening scene. I stumbled across this old ad recently. In 1971 Ford Australia claimed that the GTHO Phase 111 was the fastest production car in the world. There were only 300 produced to satisfy homologation rules for racing in the Australian Touring Car Championships. Today they are making $1M +. Another interesting fact is that Harold Hastings Deering was once the largest Ford dealer in the world, sometime in the late 30s-early 40s, one year selling 7000 new cars and 12000 used. In 1947 he acquired the Caterpillar dealership in Alice Springs and later expanded into Qld, PNG and a few others. Today Hastings Deering employ over 3000 staff and is a major Cat dealer. https://www.drive.com.au/news/one-of-one-ford-falcon-xy-gtho-phase-iii-for-sale/
Oh, that scene is not in the TV version of the movie I remember.
Wow. I've driven past that intersection in Lidcombe probably hundreds of times and never knew that.
Deering also built this impressive building on Riley St Darlinghurst in 1936. Apparently it still stands today, complete with an internal ramp system so that vehicles could be driven right to the top for servicing etc.
Local BMW, Porsche and Landrover dealer had a building like that here. Sales on the first floor with 2 floors of service above.
So it's now a hospital... Servicing humans instead of cars... East Sydney Private Hospital
Interesting…I just had a look on google street view at what is probably now the rear of the building. Seems that someone cared enough not to obliterate all reference to it’s past.
So Ford have just released some pricing and payload specs. Payload for the bare single cab chassis is only a few kg shy of two tonnes. After subtracting the weight of a tray it should still be able to legally carry at least 1.5 tonnes.
2 metric tons is 4400#, so that is a crap load of payload
$85 k upside down dollar bucks
A 3 litre diesel is a bit off putting.
A 5litre Cummins v8 would be real nice.
$65K USD but still a lot for a small pickup.
They are pushing the 7.3l gas engine here pretty hard. Better hope fuel stays cheap
Bought a brand new 1999 F250 with a 6.8 V10. Strong truck that could pass everything but a gas station. Bought a diesel in every new Superduty since then.
My 6.0 diesel gets around 14 My 6.8 v10 gets around 14, but I don't tow with it
Some Chinese Ute's aren't far off that price here in Ozzie dollars .
Yes and CAFE is screwing the working man, the tradies, the small guys! There's something about in the regulations that includes overall length and track in the MPG calculations which is why all the damned small trucks are relegated to 4 door suv's be nice to get out from under that game and get a 2dr ranger and toyota back in the fray
Unfortunately, that’s just the starting price. Add a tray and on road costs and the price gets up to the 98k quoted above. Then, not many aussies would drive a bare ute like that, so adding a decent bar, lights, towbar if it’s not included, and a few other bits and pieces could easily see a final price of 120k. Sounds a lot, but probably no more than the competition here, which would still need a gvm upgrade to get close to the payload of this vehicle.
I wonder where my F550 would land!
Dunno, but this what you could expect for an F350. Keep in mind that all American pickups have to be converted to rhd at huge expense.
2017 F550 (8845kg)and proper 1999 F350 My Aussie friends pick on the 350 calling it a tub and top or something
Wow I thought Canadian prices were high!
$275K AUD for a 350!