Outside of America, Ford Sells a Ranger Hybrid. Here's What It's Like to Drive

• What's new: I drove a Ford Ranger with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that isn't available in America.
• Why it matters: Ford has said it plans to offer hybrid versions of many of its core U.S. models in the future, including the Bronco and possibly the Ranger.
• Edmunds says: An extra-efficient Ranger would be a great alternative to a Toyota Tacoma hybrid. Just ditch the plug-in setup.

EcoBoost engine meets plug-in power

Compared to the U.S.-spec Ranger, the plug-in hybrid model is significantly more powerful. Ford's turbocharged 2.3-liter inline four-cylinder engine is paired with an 11.8-kWh battery and an electric motor, and the result is 278 horsepower and a whopping 514 lb-ft of torque. In America, the four-cylinder Ranger only offers 270 hp and 310 lb-ft, and stepping up to the 2.7-liter V6 — something we don't recommend — gets you 315 hp and 400 lb-ft. Cool, right?

Well, not really. The downside of the hybrid system is that it's super heavy. The 2.3-liter Ranger we had in our One-Year Road Test fleet tipped the scales at 4,585 pounds. The Ranger Wildtrak PHEV I drove in Australia? Ford says it weighs 5,766 pounds. That's a nearly 1,200-pound difference. You're gonna need every one of the hybrid's extra 204 lb-ft of torque to lug around this mass.

On the bright side, the hybrid setup doesn't hurt the Ranger's excellent hauling abilities. In fact, it makes this truck stronger. The PHEV's bed can carry 2,145 pounds of payload, compared to 1,767 pounds in the U.S.-spec Ranger. The hybrid can also tow as much as 7,717 pounds, while our Ranger tops out at a still-excellent-for-a-midsize-pickup 7,500 pounds.

Because it's a plug-in hybrid with an 11.8-kWh battery pack, the Ranger can operate as a fully electric vehicle, but only for short distances. While Ford Australia estimates an EV range of 49 kilometers — that's about 30 miles — I never came close to seeing that while tooling around Sydney. Oh, and you can only plug in to Level 1 (household) or Level 2 (wall box) chargers, and with a max charging rate of 3.5 kW, it takes four hours to fully replenish the battery.

At least Ford's nifty Pro Power Onboard outlet in the Ranger's bed can offload energy at a rate of 3.5 kW to keep small appliances or job-site tools fully juiced. So go on, bring that Margaritaville blender to your next tailgate party. (Though, fun fact: Aussies don't really tailgate like Americans. They have more decorum. Well, unless you're in Queensland.)

What's it like to drive?

Overall, the Ranger hybrid is pretty sweet. Start it up and the truck defaults to Auto EV mode, where it relies on battery power at slow speeds or while coasting, firing up the turbo engine when your throttle input demands more oomph. When the engine wakes up, it does so without much fanfare. There's a teensy bit of noise and vibration, but no more than what you get in any other modern plug-in hybrid. The whole system works smoothly and seamlessly, and you don't need to stomp on the accelerator to coax the Ranger into providing adequate thrust.

EV Now mode, as its name suggests, only uses the battery-powered electric motor, and this is really best suited for slow-speed commuting around town. I do love the way the Ranger feels as an EV. It reminds me of a scaled-down F-150 Lightning. But you'll need to keep the battery topped up as I only reliably saw between 20 and 25 miles of range per charge.

You can put the Ranger into EV Charge mode, and it'll run the 2.3-liter engine continuously, sending supplemental energy into the battery while on the go. I actually enjoyed using this while driving at higher speeds on the freeway, because I could then switch to Auto EV or EV Now mode when I was back on city streets to make the most of my electric range. (EV Now mode won't work at highway speeds anyway.) A fourth EV Later setting works in a similar manner, letting the gas engine do the heavy lifting so you can save your battery's state of charge for another time.

Ford Australia's official fuel economy claim is a combined 2.9 liters per 100 kilometers, which is some weirdly engineered test case that equates to what we'd call 81 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) in America. Over two weeks of mostly city driving, largely driving in Auto EV mode, I saw 6.8 liters per 100 kilometers, or about 35 mpg; other Australian media outlets observed similar consumption in their testing. Considering the most efficient four-cylinder Ranger in the U.S. has a 23 mpg combined rating, 35 mpg is a pretty significant upgrade.

Nothing about the Ranger's steering, brakes or suspension feels markedly different from the U.S.-spec model, though considering this generation Ranger was actually designed and developed in Australia, that's not exactly a surprise. The ride quality is delightfully trucky but refined enough that you aren't just bouncing around all the time. The Ranger has great outward visibility, making it easy to place on the road, and it feels smaller from behind the wheel than its 211.3-inch length and 75.7-inch width might suggest.

It's comfy, too, with nicely cushioned seats, plenty of headroom, and a rear bench seat that can easily accommodate average-sized adults. (Your taller friends might complain about legroom.) All of the U.S.-spec Ranger's tech carries over as well. My Wildtrak tester — think Lariat FX4 in America — had the 12-inch digital gauge cluster and 12-inch vertical multimedia touchscreen that wirelessly supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus useful safety tech like adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, and a 360-degree camera system — the whole lot.

OK, but what about America?

Right now, if you want a hybrid midsize truck in the U.S., your only option is the Toyota Tacoma. Ford would definitely be smart to try and steal Toyota's lunch money. But a plug-in hybrid is not the way to go.

Instead, a plugless Ranger hybrid would really be the bee's knees. Ford already proved it can build an excellent hybrid pickup; we loved our F-150 PowerBoost long-termer so much we kept it for three years. Create a downsized version of that powertrain and put it in the Ranger. No plug? No problem.

Photos by Jake Williams