- Robot driver at the wheel of Super Duty for 24/7 testing
- Silver Creek simulates a decade of rough-road driving
- Super Duty on sale in 2026 as the toughest Ranger
Ford's new Ranger Super Duty made its New Zealand debut last week at Fieldays. The bulked-up ute, due for launch next year, features heavy duty underpinings, a tow rating of 4.5 tonnes and gross combined mass (GCM) of 8t.
Ford Australia has shared video of one of the more novel tests undertaken during development of the Super Duty: a robot driver taking the controls to hammer the ute along the punishing Silver Creek test track at its You Yangs facility.
Silver Creek is designed to resemble a dry creek bed, but instead of smooth pebbles, it’s packed with 300 randomly placed bumps of different shapes and sizes.
“Silver Creek is our toughest man-made durability track,” explains Justin Capicchiano, programme manager for Ranger Super Duty. “It stressed the Ranger Super Duty from the wheels to the roof; simulating the wear and tear you’d typically experience across a decade of driving on the world’s harshest road conditions.”
Although a single run on Silver Creek generates over 2000 suspension movements, the test primarily assesses the durability of engine mounts, body mounts, joints, and connectors.
To ensure consistent and relentless testing, an autonomous robotic test driver took the wheel, running the Ranger Super Duty 24/7 in all weathers.
Ford says the vehicle was also tested on Silver Creek at its maximum gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 4.5t.
