Ford Australia have just announced new Ranger options packs and a Special Edition XL model along with their new FordPass Connect
Ford has just confirmed that the Ford Ranger now has new updated model and options packs, including the Ranger XL Special Edition, Ranger XLT Fully Loaded, as well as a ‘Heavy Duty’ options package, while also making the new FordPass Connect standard across the range.
The new Ranger XL 4×4 Special Edition, based on the 3.2-litre Double Cab Chassis, offers three core additions which ford says increases its usefulness and dependability. The new Ranger options package, which is tied to a $49,990 recommended drive-away pricing, offers a factory fitted steel bullbar, integrated LED light-bar in the bullbar, and also includes a factory-fitted snorkel.
The new XLT Fully Loaded options pack offers a range of aesthetic and tech upgrades. These include 18-inch alloy wheels finished in gloss black, adaptive cruise control, leather-accented seating trim, and semi-automatic parallel parking. The XLT is available in the 3.2-litre automatic, and the 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo 10-speed Auto power trains. The Fully Loaded pack is priced at $1500 over the equivalent XLT double-cab pricing, which ends up being a touch over a 50 per cent saving if you were to add these options individually.
The new Heavy-Duty pack which is available across a range of Single Cab, Super Cab and Double Cab body options in both the Cab Chassis and Pick-up configuration will cost between $1600-$2000, depending on the specific variant. The new Heavy-Duty pack includes heavy-duty suspension, 17×7.5-inch black steel wheels, 17-inch Continental ContiCrossContact All-Terrain tyres, solid wheel nuts, black side steps (excluding single-cab chassis models), and a rear view camera for the cab-chassis models.
For a tech upgrade across the entire Ranger model range, FordPass Connect has now been introduced as a standard feature. Through connectivity from your smartphone to the Ford Ranger, the FordPass App allows the Connect system to access remote locking/unlocking, vehicle status upgrades, and of course the ability to start the vehicle remotely.
“Ranger has been designed and engineered in Australia, and our harsh continent is an ideal place to develop, test and test again to ensure Ranger meets the Tough Done Smarter mantra,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand. “We’re working hard to ensure that tradies and their teams across the country, and businesses pushing to get back on their feet, have the right equipment and support to get on with what matters to them most.”
The new suite of Ranger upgrade options and the addition of FordPass Connect are said to “maximise Ranger 4×4’s award-winning on-road and off-road capability”. While Ford maintains its grip on the sales top-spot in the dual-cab ute market, these new upgrades and options may well be enough to stave off Toyota and the renewed push we’re seeing from Isuzu with their new D-Max that has just launched.
