Biturbo to make up half of top-spec Ford Ranger sales
BY TUNG NGUYEN | 12th Oct 2018
FORD Australia says it expects one in every two XLT and Wildtrak Ranger utes sold will be fitted with its new 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo-diesel engine that launched earlier this week as part of a model year update to the one-tonne pick-up range.
Speaking to journalists at Motorclassica in Melbourne, Ford Australia communications manager Martin Gunsberg said the popularity of the biturbo engine has come as a welcome surprise for the Blue Oval.
“We’re seeing roughly 50 per cent take up of the biturbo, which is more than we had anticipated knowing that we are a market that loves to tow and a market that loves big engines,” he said.
“But once people drive the biturbo with a 10-speed, and they see the fuel economy improvements and the NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) improvements that come with that high-tech powertrain, more customers are optioning it.”
Powering the entry-level Ranger is a carryover 118kW/385Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine, while the 147kW/470Nm 3.2-litre five cylinder also remains in the updated ute range.
Opting for the Raptor’s biturbo engine adds $1200 to XLT and Wildtrak grades.
The biturbo engine is also exclusively paired with a new 10-speed automatic transmission, instead of the 3.2 litre’s six-speed auto, which cuts fuel consumption from 8.9 to 7.4 litres per 100km in Wildtrak form.
As for the top-shelf Ranger Raptor, Mr Gunsberg revealed the wait list for the off-road-focused pick-up has blown out to about four months.
“If you order one now, I think its January or February before you get one,” he said.
Priced at $74,990, the Raptor gains bespoke Fox Shox suspension, jacked-up ride height, beefed up underbody protection, bigger brakes and a wider body in addition to the powertrain upgrades.
As for the Ranger-based Everest large SUV, Mr Gunsberg would not be drawn on the expected uptake of the biturbo engine, which was introduced as part of the update in August, but said volume was growing.
“We continue to see Everest grow, and it continues to improve month on month. We actually standardised the biturbo on Titanium because the benefits that we get on that engine are absolutely what Everest customers demand,” he said.
Year to date, the Ranger continues to be Australia’s second-best selling model behind the Toyota HiLux, amassing 31,799 new registrations (a 2.5 per cent drop year on year) to the end of September.
Meanwhile, Ford has sold 4104 Everests this year, a 22.1 per cent increase over the same period last year.
