Ford Ranger Stormtrak Hybrid review
Don't miss out on the headlines from On the Road. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Twigs snap and gravel crunches under the all-terrain tyres of Ford's Ranger hybrid as we climb a rocky slope in the bush. Birds sing, leaves rustle in the breeze, and the calm voice of an off-road expert standing outside the car offers quiet coaching through a particularly tricky trail.
I can hear all of this because there's no sound from the engine. Instead, it glides through the territory on battery power alone, moving with a grace that brings you closer to the surrounding environment.
There's a precision to this hybrid-electric setup rarely found in the noisy, laggy motors of conventional utes. Smooth and silent, it offers fine throttle control off-road, allowing you to carefully apply power to get where you need to go.
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It might be Ford's best option for low-speed off-roading.
And the experience improves when you arrive.
Power points encourage you to plug in appliances and enjoy a touch of comfort when far from home. Ford demonstrated this with afternoon tea powered by a pie oven, kettle, toasted sandwich maker and espresso machine in a remote forest.
2025 Ford Ranger Wildtrak PHEV. Picture: Supplied
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Like taking a powered caravan site everywhere you go, the Ranger's 'Pro Power Onboard' system has two 15-amp outlets in the tray and a 10-amp outlet in the cabin.
It will charge a tradie's tools on the worksite, or keep your home fridge and microwave in action during a blackout.
These achievements are made possible by a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor and battery.
The petrol motor makes 138kW and 411Nm, while the electric motor and battery claim 75kW of power and 11.8kWh of storage.
This combination is good for maximum outputs of 207kW and 697Nm, figures that put it ahead of conventional utes, but behind Chinese rivals such as the GWM Cannon and BYD Shark.
The Ranger is arguably a better car than those though it is definitely more expensive.
Priced from $71,990 plus on-road costs in basic XLT form (think cloth seats and old yellow halogen headlights) to $86,990 plus on-roads in range-topping Stormtrak form (leather, matrix LED lights and loads of accessories), it certainly isn't cheap.
Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV can wade through 800mm of water, claims peak payload up to 973 kilograms, and can do remarkable things off-road. Picture: Supplied
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Customers need to spend about $10,000 more than four-cylinder Rangers, or $5000 more than V6 versions.
Smoother and quieter than those cars, the hybrid delivers effortless progress whether you're accelerating to pass slower traffic, or slogging through stop-start traffic in town.
Ford reckons a fully charged Ranger is good for almost 50 kilometres of electric driving range.
Claimed fuel economy is just 2.7L/100km though like all plug-in hybrids, that figure doesn't reflect real-world use. Short commutes can be completed without using a drop of fuel, while interstate road trips could return double-digit consumption.
Especially if you take advantage of the Ranger hybrid's 3.5 tonne towing capability. That figure is an important one to Ford engineers who insisted the green Ranger should retain the same core capability as its combustion cousins.
That means it can wade through 800mm of water, claims peak payload up to 973 kilograms, and can do remarkable things off-road.
Interior cabin of 2025 Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV. Picture: Supplied
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While some rivals feel as though they were rushed to market accompanied by a promise to improve with running changes, this Ranger feels like the finished article.
Its off-road ability is helped by Ford's decision to place the electric motor between the motor and transmission, which means it can make the most of a 10-speed automatic transmission and a low-range transfer case that give you incredible leverage in the rough stuff.
Simple drive modes work in its favour.
There's no mystery to EV Now, EV Later, EV Charge and Auto EV settings that let you drive on battery power, preserve the current battery level, use the petrol engine as a generator to charge the battery, or let the car sort itself out.
And the core Ranger elements are all here the modern cabin, impressive ergonomics and thoughtful practicality that have made the blue oval's pick-up Australia's favourite car for the last two years.
Verdict
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Hybrid technology makes Australia's best ute even better. The Ford Ranger PHEV shows that the path ahead for pick-ups is cleaner, quieter and smarter than yesterday's diesel models.
Originally published as Ford's latest PHEV is a serious contender
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