2015 Ford Ranger spy pics

FORD’S most popular vehicle in Australia is already out and about in facelifted Series II guise, weeks ahead of its global international debut at the Bangkok motor show.

And in what may be a world-first scoop, here’s the PY (or PZ) Ranger sporting its all-new 'roo bar – a must for every rural tradie in road kill-infested Australia.

Snapped by eagle-eyed Wheels reader Justin Bauer near Ford’s You Yangs Proving Ground, the Blue Oval’s vitally important one-tonne pickup is shown in its renewed full-frontal glory, including the new clamshell bonnet design, slimmer headlight shape, beefy three-bar chromed grille, reprofiled bumper, more integrated foglights and a fuller-width lower air intake.

Interestingly, the prototype Ranger’s aggressive grille treatment seems to be the inverse of what the closely related Everest seven-seater wagon’s is, to differentiate what is otherwise almost identical looking nose cones. Rear-end changes are slight indeed, with different tail-light lenses and paint applications likely to be the only real differentiators between old and new.

Ford is coy about revealing further information about the Ranger, but we hear that an all-new six-speed manual gearbox is in the pipeline to overcome the heavy feel of the existing item found in the 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel.

A revised dashboard with fresh instrumentation, updated multimedia and Ford SYNC connectivity system is thought to be part of the facelift’s drawcards. Look, too, for revised materials and trim fittings.

Stay tuned to Wheels for more information on the 2015 Ford Ranger following the XLT version’s global unveiling in Bangkok on Monday, 23 March.

Expect to see the Ranger in dealerships from late July, some two months ahead of the Everest, with prices pretty much mirroring the existing $19,740 (PX XL Single Cab 2.5 petrol 4x2 manual) to $59,390 (PX Wildtrak Double Cab 3.2 turbo-diesel 4x4 auto).

Have spy pics of your own? We'd love to see them. Just email them to wheels@bauertrader.com.au