Would you like a Mustang engine in your Ford Ranger?

Thursday, 13 December 2018

This is what ute 4WD systems are actually designed for: see the 2019 Ranger 'tough testing' in Australia.

We are well used to the Ford Ranger here in New Zealand; after all, it has been out top selling vehicle for the last three years (and easily on track for a repeat this year).

While you get a smaller 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine in the low-spec workhorses, the vast majority of Rangers on our roads are powered by the 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo diesel engine that pumps out 147kW of power and 470Nm of torque.

While there have been a few petrol variants available from different manufacturers over the years - most visibly the petrol V6 Toyota Hilux that comes and goes - diesel is pretty much the default fuel for utes.

The 2019 Ranger now gets a more powerful and more frugal 2.0-litre BiTurbo diesel in the Wildtrak, but what about a petrol?

But what if you could get a petrol-powered Ranger that uses marginally more fuel than the diesel, but punches out significantly more power and only slightly less torque? Would you be interested in ditching road user charges and stinky diesely hands after filling for that?

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I am referring to the US version of the Ranger, which is largely the same vehicle we get here, but powered by Ford's 2.3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo petrol engine. Yep, the same one we get in the Mustang and the Focus RS.

In the US Ranger the EcoBoost four produces 201kW of power and 420Nm of torque and has recently had its fuel consumption certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the USA, and the results are impressive.

The Ford Focus RS uses a more powerful 257kW/440Nm version of the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine.

The 2WD is rated at 21 mpg urban, 26 highway and 23 combined, which converts to 11.0, 9.0 and 10.2L/100km respectively; not miles away from the 2WD 3.2-litre XLT's claimed consumption of 10.9, 6.7 and 8.2L/100km, particularly that urban figure.

Sure, you can still get the 2WD 2.2 that sips at 9.7, 6.7 and 7.8L/100km respectively, but its comparatively meagre 118kW and 385Nm are well shy of the US petrol Ranger's outputs.

Moving into 4WD, the US Ranger scores 20 mpg urban, 24 highway and 22 combined, which is 11.8, 9.8 and 10.7L/100km, compared to the 4WD Wildtrak 3.2 diesel at 11.4, 7.4 and 8.9L/100km.

Of course, there is now the BiTurbo 2.0-litre diesel four available in the Wildtrak (and the Raptor), which produces a healthier 157kW of power and 500Nm and drinks at the rate of 8.4, 6.8 and 7.4L/100km respectively, diminishing the petrol's potential appeal here somewhat.

But while diesel is great for towing and, more importantly, is far easier to translate the claimed consumption figures into real world figures, we reckon there is still quite some appeal to a frugal yet powerful petrol ute, particularly with those relatively close urban consumption figures - how many town-based ute owners would happily dump the extra hassle of RUCs and the messiness of diesel for relatively minor increase in fuel usage.

Then there is the obvious environmental concern - wouldn't you suburban ute drivers feel a bit better not belching diesel particulates into the air?

It is most likely all theoretical anyway, as Ford in New Zealand and Australia has shown little interest in petrol for the Ranger in the past.

In fact, at the launch of the Ranger Raptor, Ford's vice-president of product development for Asia Pacific, Trevor Worthington, was asked if a petrol engine had been considered for the off road performance pick up, either a V6 or the 2.3 EcoBoost.

His response was simple and direct; 'because no-one would buy it'. And he probably isn't wrong - not enough people would buy it for the effort and cost to make good business sense.

But now with the development of the petrol-powered US Ranger, slipping the EcoBoost engine into our RHD model should a far more affordable option (theoretically, at least, there could still be a number of obstacles that make it not worthwhile), and we already know the 10-speed automatic transmission the US Ranger uses fits; the 2.0-litre BiTurbo Wildtrak and Raptor already use it.

But is it one buyers would take to? What do you think; would you be keen on a 201kW/420Nm petrol Ranger? Take the poll above or let us know in the comments.