Date set: Ford Ranger Super Duty showing itself on 4 April

Confirmed as becoming a reality towards the end of last year, Ford’s Australian division has approved 4 April as the date of reveal the first-ever Ranger Super Duty.

Known so far

Described at the time as “the toughest Ranger ever made” since the nameplate became a model of its own in 1982 and no longer an F-Series trim grade, the Super Duty will plug the gap between the conventional Ranger and F-150 with confirmed specification being a 4 500 kg towing capacity, a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 4 500 kg and gross combined mass (GCM) of more than 8 000 kg.

The former being 1 000 kg more than any current Ranger, the Super Duty will, speculatively, also have a greater payload than any double cab model which, in workhorse grade, stands at 1 063 kg.

Spied in January undergoing testing in Australia, the depicted model, posted by carexpert.com.au, sported an Australian-style single chassis cab with a dropside loadbin, snorkel and eight-stud 18-inch steel wheels wrapped in 33-inch all-terrain tyres.

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Since then, other examples have also been spotted in the United States, this time as a double chassis cab, and most recently, last month in Europe in SuperCab configuration.

According to the latter images posted by the FordAuthority online forum, the lightly disguised prototype sported black door handles – the same as the single and double cab – a chunkier front bumper and what appears to be a wider front and rear track similar to the Ranger Tremor.

Same engines, but which?

While the Super Duty’s official date-of-reveal by Ford Australia on X didn’t receive any additional information or images bar the original November teaser, projections point to an increase in ground clearance and, as a result of the revised tow rating, a reinforced chassis.

Up front, the Super Duty is likely to retain the same engines as the standard Ranger, though likely not the single turbo 2.0-litre Panther diesel rated at 125kW/405Nm.

Remaining options therefore include the 2.0-litre bi-turbo producing 154kW/500Nm, and the 3.0-litre Lion V6 that makes 184kW/600Nm.

Highly unlikely though is the Raptor’s 292kW/583Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo EcoBoost V6.

Stay tuned

As it stands, no further details are known, however, don’t be surprised if select details and/or images do emerge over the coming days.

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