2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 Review

In recent memory, we don’t think there has ever been a new car launch that’s been as hotly anticipated as the 2022 Ford Ranger. An already immensely popular product in Australia, where it regularly battles its Toyota HiLux arch rival for the sales chart gold medal, the newest generation Ranger already has new car buyers lining up for its key features, like a V6 turbo-diesel engine, segment-leading safety equipment and a wider lineup than before to suit more buyers. But is there substance behind the hype? We tested the top-spec 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 to find out.

Despite the sad absence of Australian-made cars, Ford’s Australian development crew was the team behind the new Ranger. It may not be manufactured here, but in our opinion, it’s as Australian as cars can get these days and it will be sold in over 150 countries worldwide. Will the world like our homegrown hero as much as Australia seemingly does? Let’s find out.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

Sitting underneath the off-road performance Ranger Raptor, the 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak is the top-spec Ranger in Australia. It’s available with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel engine for $67,190 plus on-road costs, but our test car was fitted with the $3,000-optional 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine for a total of $70,190 plus on-road costs (or around $77,000 drive away, depending on location).

It’s not cheap, but the Ranger Wildtrak is loaded with standard equipment. Highlights include 18-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, auto wipers, roof rails, an electric roller shutter, a leather steering wheel and gear knob, leather upholstery with eight-way electric and heated front seats, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, a 12.0-inch portrait style touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, online services such as weather, satellite navigation with live traffic, digital radio, an 8.0-inch digital driver’s display, keyless entry and start, LED interior ambient lighting, heated and auto-folding mirrors, 360-degree exterior lighting, rear privacy glass, a tow bar with wiring and integrated electronic brake controller, a wireless phone charger and the Ford MyPass smartphone app, which allows you to access various functions of the car from your phone.

Safety equipment includes nine airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go and active lane centering, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (with braking), automatic rear braking, traffic sign recognition, auto high beam, driver attention monitoring, semi-automatic parking, front and rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera.

Just one option is available for the Ranger Wildtrak: the $1,500 Wildtrak Premium Pack, which adds Matrix headlights with adaptive high beam, LED tailights, overhead interior auxiliary switches and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. We think it should be standard for this price but if you’re buying a Wildtrak, make sure to tick the box.

Available colours for the Wildtrak include the no-cost ‘Arctic White’, as well as the $675 extra ‘Shadow Black’, ‘Sedona Orange’, ‘Meteor Grey’, ‘Aluminium’ silver and our test car’s ‘Luxe Yellow’. Black leather with orange stitching is the sole interior choice.

In Australia, there are a plethora of rivals to the Ranger from the Mitsubishi Triton to the Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Jeep Gladiator, Nissan Navara, Volkswagen Amarok and, of course, the top-selling Toyota HiLux. More specifically, we consider the Mazda BT-50 SP (around $72,000 drive away) and Toyota HiLux SR5 Premium Pack (around $69,000 drive away) to be the Ranger’s closest rivals.

The Ranger looks more expensive on paper, but researching more reveals that it has quite a lot more standard equipment. $5,000 more than the BT-50 and $8,000 more than the HiLux the Wildtrak may be, but take off $3,000 for the V6 engine to match the others’ four-cylinder units and it’s a much smaller price gap. Then there’s the standard kit – the Ranger has more safety kit than the BT-50 and particularly the HiLux, while its infotainment screen is larger, it has a surround camera and it has a standard tow bar and electronics, as well as a sliding tonneau cover, tub liner and tray power socket. Adding those features to the BT-50 and HiLux add significantly to the cost, yet they’re standard on the Wildtrak.

Performance & Economy: 9/10

Under the bonnet of the 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 is a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine that produces 184kW of power (at 3,250rpm) and 600Nm of torque (between 1,750rpm and 2,250rpm). It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission as standard, as well as a full-time four-wheel drive system that has selectable modes: 2H, 4H, 4L and 4A, which is a fully automatic mode. While the new twin-under-the-skin Volkswagen Amarok will also use this engine, that’s a lot more grunt than any current rivals can muster.

We’ve said for years that more utes of this size – the Ranger included – need V6 engines and finally, Ford has delivered one. Put simply, we were quite impressed with the Ranger’s engine – it’s grunty, reasonably quick, quiet, refined and just an overall great engine – and we think it suits the character of this Ute very well. With a full 30kW and 100Nm more than the bi-turbo four-cylinder engine below it, we think the extra $3,000 is a well worth it, though it doesn’t get you more towing ability – both engines pull up to 3,500kg braked, which is still healthy for the segment. But the V6 gives class-leading refinement and drivability, unlike the louder and slower four-cylinder turbo-diesels in the BT-50 and HiLux.

The only available transmission on the Ranger Wildtrak V6 is a 10-speed torque converter automatic, which uses a joystick controller that does take a bit to get used to – expect to accidentally select park when going for reverse a lot initially. The transmission itself is excellent, with excellent gear spacing to keep the engine in its torque band, an intuitive nature and a very smooth feel. Only the strange manual mode selector buttons annoy – some paddle shifters or a proper manual mode selection gate would be a big improvement for those wanting to shift manually.

Ford claims that the 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 will use 8.4L/100km on a combined cycle, and we achieved 10.6L/100km in mostly urban driving – around the same of four-cylinder rivals in our urban testing. It has an 80-litre fuel tank and doesn’t use AdBlue. While we’re yet to try the four-cylinder Ranger – stay tuned for that – we predict the V6’s economy won’t be a huge extra outlay, especially when towing.

Ride & Handling: 9/10

The previous-generation Ford Ranger was widely regarded as the best-driving ute thanks to its excellent locally-developed ride and handling balance which gave it more of a car-like feel than any rival. Thankfully, the new-generation Ranger occupies the exact same space in the ute segment, but this time around, it’s even more sophisticated to drive. If you were to sit in it and be driven blindfolded, you’d think that you were in a large German SUV because the ride comfort and overall refinement are that great.

Mid-size four-wheel drive utes were never designed to be keen handlers – unless you’re talking about the new Ranger Raptor, of course – but the 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 drives quite well. The steering offers a reasonable amount of feel, and the four-wheel drive system is excellent. While we weren’t able to try this Ranger off-road, other outlets’ testing reveals that it’s a largely very capable ute when the going gets tough. While some utes may have more off-road ability, they don’t come close to the Ranger’s on-road excellence.

If you do plan to take your Wildtrak off-road, its 30-degree approach angle and 25.6-degree departure angle are reasonable (a HiLux’s equivalents are 29-degrees and 25-degrees respectively), while its 800mm wading depth is class-leading – though off-road accessories company ARB still offers a plethora of factory-backed accessories for the Ranger, and if you’re likely to do a lot of water crossings, a snorkel would likely be a good investment.

For those looking at towing with the Ranger Wildtrak V6, it’s all reasonably good news. It has a standard tow bar kit with electronic brake controller, while its 3,500kg braked towing capacity is up there with the best in the class. Its gross combination mass (GCM) is 6,400kg, minus a 3,500kg caravan and the Wildtrak V6’s 2,400kg kerb weight leaves you with just 500kg to pack.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

Like the previous generation Ranger, the 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak’s cabin is definitely at the top of the mid-size ute class for quality, design and overall ambience. The quality is excellent for the segment, with a soft touch dashboard and front door tops, while the switchgear feels great as well. The seats are comfortable and the leather quality is reasonable too, though we’d like to see under-thigh angle adjustment added for the eight-way electrically adjustable front seats for an extra layer of comfort.

There are lots of practical touches in the Wildtrak’s cabin, from large cup holders in the centre console to a large wireless phone charging pad under the dashboard, large door bins and a big glovebox – plus there’s even cup holders on the dashboard and a second glovebox for extra practicality. Two front cabin and two rear cabin (with both one USB-A and USB-C port feature in each) charging ports help keep devices charged.

Standard on the Wildtrak is a 12.0-inch touchscreen that runs Ford’s latest ‘Sync4’ infotainment software with an inbuilt SIM card for connectivity features. It’s a huge screen that can take some getting used to thanks to its sheer size, but once you’ve learnt it, it’s intuitive and easy to use, plus it also has physical AC controls and a proper volume knob for extra usability. It’s also fully featured with wireless smartphone mirroring, satellite navigation with live traffic, digital radio and a drawing pad. It’s here that makes the Ranger feel most modern against the dated and cumbersome touchscreens of rivals and gone are the days where the ute receives a downgraded version of a touchscreen found in cars from the same maker.

Special mention must go to the 360-degree camera, which really impresses with its picture quality. It really helps in parking situations and also when you’re venturing off the beaten track. There’s also a 360-degree exterior lighting feature that Ford calls ‘zone lighting’, which is activated by the touchscreen when you’re parked. It’s pretty useful, and we can imagine it being great if you’re camping.

The rear seat of the Ranger is reasonably roomy for the segment, with good leg and headroom, even for taller occupants. It’s also a well featured space with air vents, a USB-A and USB-C port, large door bins, a centre arm rest with cupholders and the ability to fold the backrest down or the seats up. Under the seat is more storage as well.

The tray of the Ranger Wildtrak has grown compared with the last-generation car, and can now fit a Euro pallet thanks to a 50mm width increase. A tray liner is standard equipment on the Wildtrak, as is a electric-sliding cover, LED lighting and clamp points on the tailgate, while there are also lots of tie down points and even a 12V socket for powering up equipment – we think a proper household socket would be even more useful, however. We’d also like to see the tray fold softly too, which would add another premium touch to this high end ute. However, the tray is large and very useful with its thoughtful inclusions, and one of the best in the segment.

Service & Warranty: 9/10

Like other new Ford models, the 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with 12 months of roadside assistance that’s topped up to seven years in total if serviced through a Ford dealer. The Ranger is as good as utes get for service and warranty – while both the Triton and D-Max have longer warranties, the Ranger has 15,000km service intervals too and relatively cheap servicing for the first four years/60,000km: just $329 per service.

Over in Mazda Town, the BT-50 has the same warranty length, though it has five years of roadside assistance included in the price – the HiLux also has a five-year warranty (which can be extended for the mechanical parts up to seven years if serviced through a Toyota dealer) but it has no roadside assistance at all. Servicing the BT-50 over three years costs $1,551 (or $517 per service), while doing the same for the HiLux costs $1,560 ($260 per service). The Ranger and BT-50 only need to be serviced once yearly or every 15,000km, whichever comes first, but the HiLux needs servicing twice a year/every 10,000km.

The 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.8/10

It’s not hard to be very impressed by the 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 as it’s just so wonderfully capable. It’s great to drive, it’s loaded with equipment, it’s safe, the interior is a big step up on the old model and with the optional V6, the Wildtrak is effortless to drive with bags of torque and a smooth 10-speed auto. There genuinely isn’t much to dislike about it – it’s not cheap, the Premium Package should be standard equipment and it’s not perfect to drive, but if there were a premium section of the ute segment in Australia, until the new Volkswagen Amarok arrives, the Wildtrak would be there by itself.

While it’s an excellent all-rounder, what impressed us the most about it is its excellent engineering. Everything – from the ride and handling balance to the cool features in the tray to the slick new touchscreen to the subtle integration of its various active safety features – feels well-designed and thoroughly well tested for everyday people looking to get the best out of their ute. Put simply: if you’re looking for a new ute and you don’t test drive the new Ranger, you’re definitely missing out. It really is just that good and we can’t wait to try the rest of the range in the coming weeks.