- Target of 850mm wading set for Ranger Super Duty.
- Test prgramme included bespoke bath and real-world river.
- 'Each depth tells a different engineering story', says Ford.
Ford’s new Ranger Super Duty, designed to tackle the toughest landscapes, is set to hit the market in 2026.
“What happens when you need to go from A to B, and B is on the other side of a river?” Ford says this question was on the minds of its engineers during the early development of the new Ranger.
Ranger Super Duty program engineer at Ford Australia, Drew O’Shannassy, says: "We had to prove this truck could go to the next level of capability and decided to target 850 millimetres, it had to be about more than just what looked good as a concept sketch."
The first stop was somewhat unassuming corner of Ford’s You Yangs Proving Ground, near Geelong.
Ford engineers designed a rectangular concrete basin, 50 metres long, that lets the truck move from dry land into water more than a metre deep within minutes.
The truck came through without issue, but O’Shannassy knew they couldn't just drive through deep water and call it validated. "We started shallow – 50mm – because each depth tells a different engineering story," he explained.
By running shallow crossings at higher speeds, Ford was able to test everything under the car, from the alternator and belts, to the turbo housings and exhausts. The added speed also pushed engineers to find ways to prevent water from forcing its way past the wheel-arch liners.
Deeper crossings at controlled speeds were used to test the intake’s sealing and the truck’s overall protection against water intrusion.
"With significant force acting on the front of the vehicle during deep water wading, every seal must perform flawlessly so that not a drop of water gets where it shouldn't," says O’Shannassy.
"Our controlled water bath allows us to repeat our tests for accurate validation, but the real proof comes when conditions become unpredictable."
Months after the controlled testing program, Ford took the Ranger Super Duty to real rivers: into Victoria's High Country, heading for the Crooked River Track near Dargo.
Unlike the controlled water bath at You Yangs, the Crooked River consists of 27 separate crossings, each with varying flow rates and depths.
Vehicle integration engineer, Tim Postgate says: "The first crossing always gets your heart pumping.
"You've done all the maths, run all the controlled tests, but there's something about watching the nose of the truck disappear into rushing water that makes engineering very real."
As it crossed each river, the Ranger Super Duty steadily proved its 850mm wading capability, with key system breathers for the transmission, transfer case, differentials, fuel, and AdBlue tanks.
The snorkel system was introduced early in the Ranger Super Duty’s development, as the team saw an opportunity to enhance the truck's capabilities. It was built by off-road specialists Safari.
"We wanted something that looked like it belonged there from day one,” said Max Tran, chief designer.
With the goal of designing a snorkel that looked like it belonged there, Safari's engineering team collaborated with Ford Design to balance airflow optimisation with Ford's aesthetic requirements.
"Our collaboration with Safari created something we’re all very proud of – a snorkel that maintains peak engine performance while integrating seamlessly with Ranger Super Duty's design language," Tran explains. "This represents purposeful engineering that looks as capable as it performs."
Full specs and release details for New Zealand regarding the Ford Ranger Super Duty will be announced later this year.
