2026 Ford Ranger Super Duty revealed: LC79 rival to launch early next year

Ford Australia has pulled the wraps off its Ford Ranger Super Duty 4×4 ute, with the vehicle to launch early in 2026.

The Ranger SD is promising huge capacities including a 4500kg GVM, 4500kg towing capacity, and an 8000kg GCM. That’s big news for business and private owners who need a hard-working ute with increased capacity and don’t want to mess with aftermarket GVM upgrades and other modifications.

Industries like mining, forestry, fire and rescue, and others have stated to Ford they want a vehicle from the OEM with all the capacities in place from the manufacturers, with no third parties involved.

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Ford is looking straight at the LandCruiser 79 Series with the Super Duty, as it will fill the space currently dominated by the venerable Toyota workhorse. However, users have said they don’t want to mess with aftermarket modifications and capacity upgrades, as they’ve had to do with the 79 to make it fit for purpose.

To a lesser extent, the Ranger SD would take the place of the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen Professional, which is used by some organisations and the ADF. The increased capacities should also appeal to recreational four-wheel drivers, especially those who tow heavy trailers and need the increased GVM and GCM capacities.

The Ranger Super Duty promises to be fit for purpose straight off the showroom floor, and this is the first time the Super Duty name has been applied to anything but a Ford F-truck.

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The reveal, conducted globally in line with Ford Australia’s celebration of 100 years in Australia, showed that the Ranger SD will be available in all current body styles including double-cab, extra-cab and single-cab variants.

It also showed some exciting new colours for the Ranger SD including Seismic Tan and Traction Green. These colours will be exclusive to the Ranger SD at first, but we think that demand might prompt Ford to make the colours more widely available across the Ranger line-up.

The Ranger SD maintains the standard Ranger cabins but has all new front sheetmetal including for the guards, bonnet and grille. The bonnet features the Super Duty name across the front, just like it does on the F-250 and F-350 models; while the driver’s side guard has an allowance for the intake snorkel. Ford worked with engine intake specialists, Safari Engineering, to develop the snorkel for the Ranger SD. The Ranger SD also features a steel front bumper and underbody protection plates.

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The cargo tub – on models that have it fitted – maintains the standard Ranger dimensions, which means any tonneau covers or canopies made for the Ranger will also fit on the Super Duty. Many SD variants are expected to be sold as a cab-chassis, ready to accept a specialised service body, tank or other equipment on the back.

The Traction Green double-cab SD also revealed the factory alloy wheels will be offered with Super Duty branding and 275/70-18 all-terrain tyres. The Ranger SD uses eight-lug wheels and will be offered with steel wheels as standard.

The trick-looking alloy wheels will come on the Ranger SD XLT that will arrive mid-2026, and they’re designed for those who want a touring 4×4 and will be exclusively available on double-cab chassis and pick-up variants only.

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Heavy duty

Within the heavy-duty chassis rails of the Ranger SD, a 130-litre fuel tank runs the length of the car, and the Ford team claims it is built so tough you can support the weight of the truck on it. The chassis rails are thicker than those on a standard Ranger, and the suspension mounts, box mount brackets and tow bar mounts have been reinforced to cope with heavier loads.

“These enhancements are key to Ranger Super Duty being able to carry and tow bigger loads than any other factory-built mid-size pickup,” said Dave Burn, chief program engineer, Ford Australia. “These larger, stronger components improve vehicle durability and reliability, which is something we know our customers will appreciate.”

The SD will need every bit of that fuel capacity, as it is powered by the 3.0 litre V6 (Lion) diesel engine currently used in the Ranger and Everest. Backed by the 10-speed automatic transmission, that engine can be thirsty, and with the added height, weight and bigger tyres of the SD, it will be akin to driving a kitted-up model.

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Ford also revealed there will be updates to the Lion V6 engine to enhance durability and help it cope with the increased load limits, but didn’t go into specifics. The engine is being set to run to EU6 emissions standards and as such will use AdBlue SCR.

After consultation with key end-users of the Ranger SD, Ford has fitted the vehicle with a manual DPF re-gen button – so the re-gen can be done when the vehicle is in a safe place, not, for example, when parked on dry grass when the heat generated could start a fire. DPF regenerations in regular Rangers are done automatically when required and are usually unknown to the vehicle operator.

Other heavy duty items under the Ranger SD include uprated axles to give it its added capability. This includes a semi-floating rear differential taken from a Transit, and an HD front diff with all-new control arms and a front locker to go with the rear one. The wider wheel track is the same as that of the Ranger Raptor.

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Another feature of Ranger SD that is taken from the F-truck is the inclusion of on-board scales. These are mounted in the vehicle and the operator is able to check load weights and balance via the multimedia screen. This is also helpful when judging downball weight when towing. The scales will work in conjunction with an updated version of Ford’s Tow Pro technology with Pro Back-Up assistance.

Ford is also working with ARB again to develop bull bars and other accessories for the SD. The OEM is also working with manufacturers of service bodies, canopies, water tanks and other equipment that operators will want to fit to a Ranger SD, so that they will be able to fit them with minimal fuss as soon as the SD goes on sale.

Ford says it has already received firm orders for fleets despite the price and final specifications being unknown. The new model will go on sale early in 2026 in standard trim, with the Ranger Super Duty XLT to follow mid-year.

Considering the bespoke heavy duty hardware under the Ranger SD, we expect the price would have to be around that of the $90,000 Ranger Raptor, or higher depending on the final model and spec.