2006 Ford F250 Reviews

Why tough new emissions laws face a reckoning the world over.

US pick-ups are all the rage in Australia and with a full-sized Toyota Tundra a fresh arrival, fans of these big utes are about to be even more spoiled for choice.

Seven reasons why the Ford Focus is one of the Blue Oval's most respected models ever - and one reason why it's time to say goodbye.

News this week broke that Standards Australia have begun a push to have our parking spaces enlarged to better fit the giant, mostly American vehicles now crowding our roads.

Holden’s first big blunder, launched 60 years ago, was serious enough to reverberate right through to the very end in 2020. And beyond.

The saga of the Toyota LandCruiser Prado’s unorthodox boot may have resulted in one less rival. Ford has ruled out a Ford Everest PHEV indicating the packaging compromises seen on the Prado’s seven-seat boot has played a major part.Despite the obvious connection between the SUV and its new Ranger plug-in hybrid, Ford is focused on not compromising practicality in its SUV, with Toyota forced to install a drawer in the boot of the Prado due to the mild-hybrid system underneath the rear end of the vehicle.The problem Ford faces is the introduction of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which requires it to cut average CO2 emissions. This will be challenging as the approximately 90 per cent of total Ford sales are the Ranger and Everest, which naturally produce more emissions than smaller, petrol or hybrid vehicles. Ford has already ditched the Everest 4x2 models, as they are classified as a ‘passenger car’, while the 4x4 models are ‘commercial vehicles’ and therefore have a higher emissions target. Seemingly, then, an Everest PHEV would be a logical option to try and cut emissions, but Ford doesn’t want to face the same feedback the Prado has garnered.The Everest and Ranger are based on the same underpinnings and share engine options, but Ford Australia has admitted some key differences make an Everest PHEV nearly impossible. Obvious differences are the rear packaging and suspension between the seven-seat SUV and dual-cab ute. Seeming the Everest’s more complex rear suspension gets in the way of the PHEV batteries, but there are multiple factors.“ Yeah, so there's a lot of considerations that go into future power packs and cycle plans, as you can imagine,” explained Ford Australia marketing chief, Ambrose Henderson. “One of them's about who's taking the program globally, the plant it's coming from, what the business case looks like ultimately.”While not naming the Prado, Henderson made it clear that Ford’s ‘no compromises’ approach to the practicality and capability of the Everest is a major factor in the decision to not push ahead with an Everest PHEV.“For us as an Australian market and what we look for and what we're pushing the globe for is products that deliver for the customer’s needs. And as we talked about… we will not compromise on the key things that our customers are seeking. Some others have gone and started doing some things in this space and they've taken significant compromises to the package of the car. And when we look at our car and we look at the customer research and what we need to deliver. We don't think that that delivers for Australian customers where they need the space in the car, they need the power and torque. They want the full 4x4 and they wanna be able to tow, and right now that package and the technology that's available doesn't support that.“So, number one, before you pass go, we need to deliver what customers want. And that's our absolute guiding line. So that's how we approach it.”

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) applies to new cars sold in the Australian market and is aimed at keeping Australia on track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, so said the Federal Government.NVES rules came into effect on January 1 this year but the accumulation of units and penalties won’t start until July 1 this year.Carmarkers are already rethinking their line-ups in order to meet the NVES guidelines, with Ford ditching some of its 4x2 variants of the Everest and Isuzu rumoured to be deleting some 4x2 variants from its MU-X range.The upcoming Kia Tasman will have a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and the likelihood Isuzu and Mazda will replace any of their 3.0-litre ute offerings with a smaller 2.2-litre unit to save on emissions and avoid any NVES-related strife, are we about to say “hoo-roo” to V6 utes?Read on.They may not elicit the same heart-thumping excitement as a V6 or V8, smaller engines have for a long time now proven their worth in utes. They’re refined, fuel efficient, and produce more than adequate amounts of power and torque to be able to haul a load, tow a caravan, horse float or power boat, and go off-road.Throw in impressive high- and low-range gearing, seamless driver-assist tech, a well-calibrated traction control system, and diff locks, and utes with small engines onboard, rather than being outgunned by V6s, are setting the gold standard for effectiveness in tough environments and being able to meet strict new emissions laws.Utes with smaller engines have been around for donkey’s years, but the new-ish wave of them – including the Isuzu D-Max’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (120kW/400Nm) and the Toyota HiLux’s 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel (150kW/500Nm) with mild-hybrid technology – look poised to ensure V6 utes are consigned to the history books.The new Isuzu engine is 10kW/50Nm better then the brand’s 1.9-litre engine (110kW/350Nm) but 20kW/50Nm down on the 3.0-litre unit it is set to replace – no big deal though because those lesser power and torque aren’t deal-breakers for most. Besides, its 120kW/400Nm outputs match those of the GWM Ute (120kW/400Nm) and put it right in the mix with the Jac T9 (120kW/410Nm) and KGM Ssangyong Musso (133kW/400-420Nm).The HiLux’s 2.8-litre set-up doesn’t seem to have hampered its appeal with fans of Australian utes, certainly not in terms of sales.What’s more, the much-loved LandCruiser 79 Series benefits from its 2.8L four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (150kW/500Nm), which produces plenty of low-down torque. Add in a 44:1 crawl ratio and, depending on the spec, front and rear diff locks, and this 79 is near-unstoppable off-road.Don’t forget the even newer wave of utes either.Beyond its polarising looks, the Kia Tasman already has tongues a-wagging – not the least because of its 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (154kW and 441Nm), that’s equivalent to the Ford Ranger’s 2.0-litre bi-turbo (154kW/500Nm) in terms of power but 59Nm of torque less.Word is the Tasman will be able to tow the ute industry standard of 3500kg (braked) and will likely have a payload of 1000kg or over, depending on the variant. So, nothing to sniff at there.The Tasman is due to be launched in Australia later this year and is tipped to be, if not a game-changer, a ute that will help move the crowd forward into a hopefully less-polluted future.And how about hybrids?The BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrid ute – a first for Australia – has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with dual electric motors: a 170kW/310Nm front motor and a 150kW/340Nm rear motor (total: 320kW/650Nm).This BYD ute has a claimed driving range of 100km (electric only), and about 850km (hybrid).The Shark has a listed payload of 850kg and braked towing capacity of 2500kg. It doesn’t have the 1000kg payload or 3500kg market-standard towing capacity of non-hybrid utes, but it can still take on a weighty load and clock up big distances before it needs to be refuelled/recharged.In terms of robustness over time, it’s largely unproven as yet – because it hasn’t been on the market long enough for anyone to make an informed judgement. On paper at least, the Shark 6 has plenty of potential to give the ute realm a healthy nudge into the future as part of a new wave of utes equipped with smaller engines, hybrid systems and new technologies aimed at improving performance and efficiencies and reducing emissions.

Utes have been up there with the most popular vehicles bought by Australians for years, but sales have dropped significantly in 2025 signalling a huge change in buyer behaviour.

Ford has hit back at Toyota’s suggestions that the ute market is softening, claiming the addition of the all-new Ranger PHEV (plug-in hybrid) and Ranger Super Duty should keep the Blue Oval’s ute on top in 2025.

Here are the changes that we would like to see on the 2026 Ford Ranger facelift.