Originally ruled-out for South Africa, Ford has officially approved the hardcore Ranger Super Duty for the local market from 2027.
Single or double cab
Developed by the Blue Oval’s Australian division, the Super Duty is assembled in Thailand and as such, won’t be produced locally at the Silverton plant outside Pretoria.
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The first non-F-Series Ford model to wear the Super Duty name, and the first outside the United States, the South African-spec Ranger Super Duty will follow the Australian example by being offered as either a single cab or double cab.
A no-no, though, is the SuperCab variant as is the chassis cab derivative available Down Under.
Macho-ed up
Billed as a “purpose-built truck designed for heavy-duty use” by Ford Australia, the Ranger Super Duty comes with a 4 500kg tow rating – 1 000kg more than any other Ranger – a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 4 500kg and gross combined mass (GCM) of over 8 000kg.
Compared to the standard Ranger, the Super Duty’s exterior revisions comprise wider wheel arches to accommodate the 33-inch all-terrain wheel, a steel front bumper, wider mirrors, a new grille and a restyled bonnet with Super Duty lettering.
Super Duty has revised suspension, 33-inch all-terrain tyres and 295 mm of ground clearance in the case of the double cab. Picture: FordNot stopping there, Ford has also fitted a snorkel as standard, along with a steel underbody protection bashplate.
Finally, the Super Duty also boasts special mounting points within the bumper to accommodate Ford accessory-approved driving lights and a 130-litre long-range fuel tank.
According to Ford Australia details, the Super Duty has an 850mm wading depth, ground clearance of 299mm for the single cab and 295mm for the double cab.
Inside
Inside, the interior has been left largely unchanged, sans Super Duty lettering on the upper glovebox and a scale display, plus readouts, within the 12-inch SYNC 4A infotainment display thanks to sensors built into the suspension.
Main change inside is the Super Duty script on the dashboard. Picture: Ford AustraliaThe six auxiliary switches on the overhead panel remains, as does the same features of the standard XLT the Super Duty is based on.
Detuned Lion, maybe?
Up front, the Super Duty uses the 3.0-litre Lion turbodiesel V6 engine, but detuned from 184kW to the same 154kW as the now discontinued 2.0-litre Panther bi-turbodiesel.
It remains to be seen, though, whether this will also apply for the South African-market version.
Unchanged is the 600Nm of torque as well as the General Motors co-developed 10-speed automatic gearbox.
More later
Priced from the equivalent of just over R972 000 in Australia, the Ranger Super Duty is expected to eclipse the R1 million mark when it goes on sale next year.
While still to be confirmed, speculation points to it possibly slotting-in between the Platinum priced at R1 179 500 and the Raptor at R1 299 000.