How fast is the 2023 Ford Ranger?

‘Whoa, this thing is quick!” That was the general consensus after driving the new 2023 Ford Ranger this week as part of our upcoming dual-cab ute mega test (keep your eyes peeled for that one).

But just how fast is Ford’s new generation dual-cab? And is the new 3.0-litre V6 engine actually any quicker than the familiar 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder that carries over from the previous generation?

The V6 holds a clear performance advantage. The 3.0-litre unit produces 184kW/600Nm which trumps the 2.0-litre’s 154kW/500Nm by a considerable margin.

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But our initial ‘seat of the pants’ sense was the gap between the two powertrains is a lot closer than you might think. Ford doesn’t offer official acceleration times, so time to break out the timing gear…

The utes we had on test were a 2.0-litre Ford Ranger XLT ($61,190) and a V6 Sport ($66,690). We drove both cars on the same road and in the same conditions. The only notable performance difference is their tyres: the XLT was rolling on 17-inch Bridgestone Dueler H/T while the V6 Sport was fitted with 18-inch Goodyear Wrangler AT/S.

Against the watch the V6 is the quicker ute. It completed the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.2 seconds, which makes it one of the quickest dual-cab utes currently on sale. Check out the table at the end to see how the new Ranger compares with its competitors, which we performance tested last year.

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The 2.0-litre Ranger trailed the new V6 by exactly a second with a 0-100 time of 9.2sec.

Intriguingly both utes were amazingly consistent. We tested both over multiple runs and tried varying launch techniques, rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, and with ESC deactivated, but all attempts fell within a few tenths of one another. The quickest run in both utes was achieved in four-wheel drive and by holding the vehicle against the brake to build revs.

Where the gap closed between the two Rangers was when it came to rolling acceleration. We weren’t able to record 80-120km/h times, but we did complete several side-by-side roll runs and the two Fords were mostly neck-and-neck before the V6 eventually started to creep ahead as the speed built.

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One area where the 2.0-litre holds a clear advantage, however, is braking. In our 100km/h-0 brake test the V6 Sport pulled up in 43.5 metres while the 2.0L XLT managed an impressive 40.4m.

So the V6 Ranger is faster than the 2.0-litre, but it’s not a night and day difference. And both are two of the quickest utes on sale, as you can see from the below table. One key point worth mentioning is that while the two are evenly matched unladen, the V6 is a superior towing vehicle.

A tow test between the two Fords, and all of the key contenders in the dual-cab segment, will be part of our upcoming megatest.

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