A new, tougher version of the fan-favourite Ford Ranger is on the cards for South Africa.
Earlier this year, the Blue Oval unveiled the Ranger Super Duty, which is a heavy-duty version of the bakkie inspired by the larger Ford F-Series sold in North America.
More recently, a local company announced that it would import several American cars to South Africa, which happens to include several Ford bakkies, including the F-250, F-350, and F-450 Super Duty.
In light of this, TopAuto contacted Ford South Africa to ask whether the company is planning to bring any of the Super Duty models to our market in an official capacity.
“The Ford Ranger Super Duty will be manufactured at Ford’s AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) plant and is scheduled to debut in Australia and New Zealand in 2026,” said the company’s product communications manager.
“It will also launch in Thailand and select customer segments in Europe through our Global Fleet Sales operations.”
“As for the South African market, we are continuing to assess customer interest and demand in the Ford Ranger Super Duty. At this stage, however, Ford South Africa has no announcements to share.”
In other words, the Ranger Super Duty is not presently confirmed for our market, but it hasn’t been ruled out either.
The fact that the new Ranger is scheduled to go on sale in Australia is a good sign, as our consumer base is very similar with regards to our appetite for bakkies (or “utes” in the Land Down Under).
Australia often receives new pickups before South Africa does, which means the Ranger Super Duty could make its way here after it goes on sale in Melbourne and Perth.
A prior example is the next-gen Mitsubishi Triton, which launched in Australia in March 2024 and only appeared in South Africa in November.
What’s different about the Super Duty
In America, the Ford F-Series is split into several numbered groups comprising the F-150, F-250, F-350, and F-450.
The F-150 is the full-size counterpart to the midsize Ranger, as it is primarily targeted at private consumers.
The rest of the lineup is a bit different, as they are workhorses meant for private contractors and business owners.
For this reason, they all share the “Super Duty” classification and feature powerful engines and modified suspension that allows them to tow immense loads.
The Super Duty has been around for years, but it has always been limited to the F-Series, which is not in South Africa.
However, this may change with the introduction of the brand-new Ranger Super Duty, giving motorists the option of a hardcore bakkie in a package we are more familiar with.
The body has been extensively reworked to accommodate all the new fittings, giving it a wider track and better ground clearance.
The prototype model features 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain tyres, and the suspension and driveshaft have been strengthened to improve the vehicle’s load capacity.
The Super Duty is rated to tow up to 4,500kg, an improvement of 1,000kg over the standard models.
It also has the strongest rear differential to ever be fitted to a production Ranger, said the automaker.
Other fittings include a 130-litre fuel tank, underbody steel bash plates, and an onboard scale that can assess the weight of the payload in the back.
Powering everything is the brand’s 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 diesel engine, though the brand did not confirm the output.
For the record, the Wildtrak V6 produces 184kW and 600Nm, but there’s a possibility that Ford has bumped up the power to match the Super Duty’s towing capabilities
None of the Ranger’s enhancements have come at the expense of its equipment sheet, as the bakkie still comes with nice-to-haves like a digital drive display, dual-zone climate control, and a portrait Sync 4 infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
It also comes with Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist, which is designed to help owners manoeuvre heavy trailers.
The Ranger Super Duty is scheduled to release in Australia in 2026, which means it’ll probably be at least a year before it comes to South Africa, should Ford decide to bring it over.
Ford Ranger Super Duty
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