2022 Ford Ranger Sport 2.0L Bi-Turbo Review

We tested the new 2022 Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6 recently and came away very impressed. Released this year as arguably one of the most anticipated new models of the year, the new Ranger offers a lot to ute buyers: excellent capability, a great driving experience, a quiet and comfortable cabin that’s filled with lots of technology and a long list of standard equipment. But that was the top-spec Wildtrak we tested, which knocks on $80,000 drive away. Are lesser Ranger specs as good? We tested the 2022 Ford Ranger Sport Bi-Turbo to find out.

Consistently in the top 10 best-selling cars locally, the Ranger is definitely one of those cars that Australians love – in fact, instead of Ford Falcon versus Holden Commodore, it’s actually Ford Ranger versus Toyota HiLux on the streets – and both products are seemingly everywhere.

Price & Equipment: 8.5/10

The 2022 Ford Ranger Sport kicks off at $63,690 plus on-road costs for the bi-turbo engine we have here in our test car. Opting for the new 3.0-litre V6 brings the price up to $66,690 (a $3,000 premium). The previous shape Ranger Sport with an auto transmission used to be priced at $55,740 – a $7,950 price rise for the new model.

For the coin you get 18-inch alloy wheels with a full-size spare wheel, automatic LED headlights, auto wipers, a leather steering wheel and gear selector, leather upholstery with an eight-way electric driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, a 12.0-inch portrait touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation with live traffic updates, digital radio, an 8.0-inch digital driver’s display, keyless entry with push button start, heated and auto-folding mirrors, rear privacy glass, a tow bar with wiring, wireless smartphone charging, and access to the Ford MyPass smartphone app, which allows you to access various functions of the car from your phone.

Safety equipment includes nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality and active lane centering, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (with braking), automatic rear braking, traffic sign recognition, auto high beam, driver attention monitoring, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors.

Our test vehicle was fitted with the optional Touring Package, which includes integrated trailer brake controller, a 360-degree camera, puddle lamps and zone lighting for $900. Also fitted to our Ranger Sport was the optional spray-in bed liner for $400 and the 18-inch alloy wheels fitted with 255/65 Wrangler all-terrain tyres, which add another $500 to the price.

The only standard paint option is ‘Arctic White’ while ‘Shadow Black’, ‘Blue Lightning’, ‘Sedona Orange’, ‘Aluminium’ and our test car’s ‘Meteor Grey’ add a further $675 to the price. All up our test car was priced at around $72,000 drive away.

The Australian ute market is full of different options meaning the Ranger has some stiff competition. The direct Rivals for the 2022 Ford Ranger Sport are the $55,690 Mitsubishi Triton GSR, the $61,230 Nissan Navara Pro-4x, the $61,930 Toyota HiLux SR5, the $66,390 Mazda BT-50 SP, the $63,500 Isuzu D-Max LS-U+ and even the $73,450 Jeep Gladiator Night Eagle. The Ranger Sport seems to fall in the middle of the pack pricing wise but has more equipment than all of its rivals.

Engine & Performance: 8.5/10

The entry-level engine option for the 2022 Ford Ranger range is the familiar 2.0-litre bi-turbo four-cylinder diesel unit that has been used in the Ranger for a few years now. It has been revised for the new model and now produces 154kW of power (at 3,750rpm) and 500Nm of torque (between 1,750rpm and 2,000rpm). The only available transmission is a 10-speed torque converter automatic.

In isolation, the bi-turbo engine is great. It’s smooth and refined, while also being quite grunty. It is still slightly vocal when accelerating but not as loud as the previous model. The bi-turbo engine has more than enough grunt to get you going, with more power than all of its rivals. It’s a good unit, but the $3,000-optional 184kW/600Nm 3.0-litre V6 is a better engine because it’s not only stronger, but it’s also more refined. But if the four-cylinder is all you can afford, you won’t be disappointed.

The standard 10-speed torque converter automatic transmission is smooth and actually rather good considering how many cogs there are. It can skip gears to aid in fuel economy and on the freeway or at higher speeds it can sit in tenth gear at low revs. Unfortunately, unlike the previous shape Ranger, there is no manual transmission option – just buttons on the gear selector for part-manual control.

Strangely enough for this new model, Ford has removed the start-stop feature, which was used to help fuel economy. The 2022 Ford Ranger Sport’s claimed average fuel consumption figure is 7.2L/100km, which is impressive for a 2,224kg ute. Our time behind the wheel of the Ranger saw an average fuel economy figure of 9.2L/100km with mostly urban and some freeway driving. It has an 80L fuel tank.

Ride & Handling: 8.5/10

The ride characteristics of the 2022 Ford Ranger Sport are unlike any other ute we have tested. It is comfortable and rides more like a large SUV than a ute. The optional all-terrain tyres do make the ride a little choppy, but apart from that, the ride is well balanced and is comfortably the best riding ute. It’s also quiet from behind the wheel, with hushed engine noise and good visibility as well.

Four-wheel drive utes are never keen handlers and while there is some body-roll in the Ranger (which we would expect due to the size) we were quite impressed with how well the Ranger handled. Again, the all-terrain tyres inhibited the Rangers ability to corner at speed but the standard tyres do a great job. The steering is light and makes manoeuvring at slower speeds easy, it also offers a nice amount of feedback. The active safety is rather impressive as the 2022 Ford Ranger gets the full suite of safety systems.

For those who like taking their utes off-road, you will be happy to hear that the new Ranger Sport has a 30-degree approach angle and 23-degree departure angle (a HiLux’s equivalents are 29-degrees and 25-degrees respectively), while its 800mm wading depth is class-leading. The ground clearance is 234mm.

The XLT, Sport and Wildtrak variants of the 2022 Ford Ranger come standard with a tow bar and the braked towing capacity of the Ranger with the bi-turbo engine is 3,500kg, which is the same as the HiLux, D-Max and BT-50.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

One aspect that has really improved in this generation of Ford Ranger compared to the last is the interior. Not that the last model’s cabin was bad, but it felt its eight-year vintage by the time it was replaced. The cabin of the 2022 Ford Ranger is modern, well laid out and it also has more than enough toys to keep you entertained. The quality is very good for the segment and there are plenty of storage solutions.

The wireless charging tray that sits in front of the gear selector is handy, as it the digital driver’s display that can show a decent amount of information, as well as add an expensive feel to the cabin. The Sport misses out on the two tiered glove box that the Wildtrak has and the pop up cup holders on either side of the dashboard, which we think should feature on the Sport at least – the holes left in the dashboard are a constant reminder that you didn’t spring for the WIldtrak.

Sitting in the dash of the Ranger Sport is a 12.0-inch portrait touchscreen that uses Ford’s new infotainment system known as ‘Sync4’. It has an inbuilt SIM for connectivity features such as weather and live traffic updates. It’s a huge screen that can take some getting used to thanks to its sheer size, but once you’ve learnt it, it’s intuitive and easy to use, plus it also has physical AC controls and a proper volume knob for extra usability. It’s also fully featured with wireless smartphone mirroring, satellite navigation, digital radio and a drawing pad.

It’s here that makes the Ranger feel most modern against the dated and cumbersome touchscreens of pretty much all the Ranger’s rivals. There is also one USB-A port and one USB-C port in the dashboard for charging options.

The rear seats of the Ranger are more comfortable than you may think. There is plenty of head and knee room for adults, while there is also storage under the base of the seat and the backrest of the seat can fold down to fit more cumbersome items. Rear passengers get air vents, a USB-A and USB-C port, large door bins and a centre arm rest with cupholders.

Opening the tray of the Ranger Sport reveals a larger tray than the model it replaces. We do wish the tailgate was soft opening, but it’s an otherwise positive story. As we mentioned earlier, a spray in bed liner is optional (we would recommend ticking that option), while there is also a 12-volt power outlet in the tray as well as tie down hooks, a sports bar, LED lighting and clamping points. The tray is 1,200mm long and 800mm wide (between the arches) and can now fit a Euro-sized pallet.

Service & Warranty: 8.5/10

Like all other Ford products, the 2022 Ford Ranger Sport Bi-Turbo comes with a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty – the same length that is offered on the Toyota HiLux, Mazda BT-50 and Nissan Navara, but less than the six-year/150,000km warranty of the Isuzu D-Max and the Mitsubishi Triton with its 10-year/200,000km warranty (if serviced at a dealer). The Ranger comes with 12-months of roadside assistance that’s topped up to seven years in total, if serviced through a Ford dealer.

Servicing the Ranger comes around every 12 months or 15,000km. The cost of servicing over the span of five-years or 75,000km on the Ranger Sport Bi-turbo is $1,696 (an average service cost of $339.20). Compare this to the $2,356 it costs to service the Mazda BT-50 and the Ranger is very good value to service.

2022 Ford Ranger Sport Bi-Turbo 4×4 DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.6/10

We are huge fans of the 2022 Ford Ranger here at DiscoverAuto. Its mature driving characteristics, modern interior and extensive equipment list is impressive but do we think the Sport bi-turbo is the one to go for? Well, the Wildtrak has more equipment but we don’t feel that it’s a necessary $3,500 extra spend on top of the Sport’s extensive list of standard kit. We would rather put that money towards the excellent V6 turbo-diesel engine because of its extra performance and refinement.

Is the Ranger the ute to buy at the moment? Definitely. Without a doubt, the Ranger is best in class for a variety of reasons but the biggest is that it’s just so mature to drive. It’s so refined, so nice to drive and even though it’s not cheap, for these reasons, we think it’s good value for money. The ute segment continues to evolve and for now, the new Ford Ranger is the king.