The vehicles and SUVs that Ford ought to promote in Australia

Slightly below 90 per cent of all new Fords bought in Australia in 2024 had been Rangers or Everests.

The Ranger was Australia’s best-selling mannequin bar none, and the Everest got here in sixth and beat all its massive SUV rivals.

Given Ford overtook Mazda to change into the quantity two model in Australia final yr, it’s arguably clear it doesn’t want an unlimited portfolio of fashions to achieve success, as long as these two domestically developed massive autos proceed to be scorching property.

In recent times, Ford has shrunk its native lineup, leaving it closely depending on the Ranger and Everest and consisting predominantly of sunshine business autos.

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However Ford has a bevy of US, German and even Chinese language fashions in its international portfolio which might assist fill some main gaps in its native vary.

Alas, lots of the autos listed beneath aren’t in-built right-hand drive. However let’s think about they’re, and let’s take a look at how they’d slot into the Blue Oval’s native lineup.

It’s an analogous thought train to a different we did not too long ago, after we checked out which vehicles Holden might supply if it nonetheless existed.

For this instalment, we’ll take a look at Ford vehicles and crossovers; within the subsequent, we’ll study off-roaders and utes/pickups.

Gentle/small SUVs

In axing the Puma small SUV final yr, Ford Australia killed its most inexpensive mannequin (having beforehand axed the Fiesta and Focus). This meant the price of entry into a brand new Ford SUV or automobile shot up by greater than $20,000.

Ford Australia mentioned it discontinued the Puma after round 4 years on sale to give attention to business autos, in addition to Mustang-badged fashions.

However in doing so, it killed off a automobile that would have been the primary new Ford for a wholly new set of consumers, who might have probably upgraded to bigger, extra worthwhile fashions down the road.

Not solely that, however Ford Australia put the Puma down simply as an up to date model was being revealed for Europe.

This introduced a redesigned grille and headlights, the latter with out there matrix LED know-how, plus improved adaptive cruise management, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert programs.

Inside, there’s an overhauled dashboard with a 12.8-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.0-inch infotainment touchscreen working Ford’s newest Sync 4 working system.

The brand new Puma sticks with a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-pot petrolengine, in both 92kW/170Nm or 116kW/190Nm tunes. Sadly, the 147kW 1.5-litre turbo triple and six-speed guide combo supplied within the European ST was axed.

A number of months after formally pulling the plug on the Puma in Australia, Ford Australia additionally introduced it wouldn’t deliver the brand new electrical Puma Gen-E – regardless of having beforehand confirmed this mannequin for our market.

Whereas it appears a lot the identical because the up to date petrol Puma in and out, it’s powered by a 124kW/290Nm front-mounted electrical motor fed by a 43kWh battery pack, giving the Gen-E WLTP vary of as much as 376km and DC fast-charging at as much as 100kW.

The electrical kitty additionally has extra cupboard space than the mannequin it replaces, not solely within the boot but additionally below the bonnet.

The Gen-E would have had an uphill battle in Australia given the sheer quantity of inexpensive Chinese language EVs bought right here, nevertheless it’s genuinely a disgrace it didn’t come right here.

Mid-sized SUVs

It’s outstanding that Ford, as of final yr, now not provides a combustion-powered mid-sized SUV in Australia when it has so many out there globally, and when it’s this nation’s single hottest new automobile sort.

A easy choice could be to only deliver the Equator Sport right here. It’s already on sale in a single right-hand drive market, South Africa, the place it’s referred to as the Territory.

Don’t suppose due to that title that that is some genuine true-Blue Oval product, just like the Falcon-based Territory that was developed and constructed right here earlier than Ford ceased domestically manufacturing in 2016.

As a substitute, the Territory/Equator Sport is a product from Ford’s three way partnership with Jiangling Motors and, whereas it wears styling that matches with the remainder of the Blue Oval lineup, there are telltale indicators this isn’t a “actual” Ford.

That features the absence of an infotainment system from Ford’s SYNC household. The specs additionally scream ‘Chinese language SUV’, from the small-displacement turbocharged engine by means of to the dual-clutch automated transmission.

In South Africa, the place it was launched in 2024 in pre-facelift guise, the one engine is a 138kW/318Nm turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol 4 mated with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, making it good for claimed gasoline consumption of seven.0L/100km on the NEDC cycle.

In China, nonetheless, a facelift introduced a front-wheel drive plug-in hybrid powertrain that mates a 160kW/315Nm electrical motor with a 110kW/240Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and an 18.4kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Claimed electrical vary is 95km on the WLTC cycle.

Sized equally to the Escape, the Equator Sport options MacPherson strut entrance and multi-link rear suspension, and is accessible completely with front-wheel drive.

Then there’s the Bronco Sport, a Mexican-built mid-sized crossover with the powerful appears of the Bronco off-roader however the platform of the road-focused Escape.

It’s extra rugged than most mid-sized crossovers, and relying on the variant is accessible with a singular off-road suspension tune, a unique four-wheel drive system with a twin-clutch rear drive unit,locking rear differential, steel bash plates, a few additional terrain modes (for seven in whole), entrance tow hooks, and all-terrain tyres.

So geared up, you get a wading depth of round 600mm and floor clearance of 223mm. There’s additionally Ford Path Management, which is like an off-road adaptive cruise management system.

The Bronco Sport is obtainable with both a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine outputting 132kW and 271Nm, or a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol 4 with 175kW/375Nm. Each engines are mated with an eight-speed automated transmission.

One thing the Bronco Sport doesn’t supply, nonetheless, is a alternative of a hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain.

[Re-] enter the Escape PHEV. This mid-sized wagon has been supplied right here earlier than with a PHEV powertrain, although unusually Ford Australia by no means bought it as a hybrid regardless of this configuration being supplied in Europe, from the place our Escapes had been sourced.

The Escape (or Kuga, because it’s identified in Europe) was revealed in facelifted guise in 2022, bringing sharper front-end styling, enhanced security tech, and bigger digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreens (12.3 and 13.2 inches, respectively).

As earlier than, the hybrid and PHEV choices characteristic a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and an digital constantly variable transmission.

The hybrid is accessible with both front- or all-wheel drive and has a complete system output of between 132kW and 143kW, whereas utilizing between 5.3L/100km and 6.4L/100km on the WLTP cycle.

The front-wheel drive-only PHEV can run on pure electrical energy for round 60-69km of electric-only vary on the WLTP check cycle because of its bigger 14.4kWh battery pack.

Certain, the Escape PHEV didn’t tear up the gross sales charts right here, however certainly a daily hybrid would give Ford Australia one thing to battle the rising ranks of well-liked mid-sized hybrid SUVs right here, together with the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid – the nation’s hottest SUV and, for the primary time, Toyota Australia’s top-selling mannequin in 2024.

Ford’s mid-sized Mustang Mach-E isn’t tearing up the gross sales charts both, and it’s unclear if the lovable, chunky Explorer EV could be any extra profitable.

The confusingly named electrical automobile (EV) is significantly smaller than the true Explorer – it’s even shorter than the Escape – and beneath it makes use of the Volkswagen Group’s dedicated-EV structure, MEB.

It differs from its Volkswagen cousins with chunky, purposeful styling and distinctive suspension tuning, however nonetheless provides a alternative of single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains.

There’s additionally a coupe SUV relation, the Capri, which enraged legions of followers of the European coupe that after wore this nameplate.

Giant SUVs

Ford Australia already has a three-row SUV within the Everest, however this can be a rugged, ute-based ladder-frame mannequin. It provides the Blue Oval a rival to the likes of the Toyota Prado and Isuzu MU-X, however not a direct rival to seven-seat crossover wagons such because the Toyota Kluger, just like the Territory as soon as was.

When it was final bought Down Beneath in 2006, the Explorer was a standard body-on-frame SUV like as we speak’s Everest, which shares its Australian-engineered T6.2 chassis with the Ranger. For the previous two generations, nonetheless, it has been a unibody crossover.

The American Explorer – a totally completely different automobile to the European Explorer EV – would due to this fact complement the Everest, very like Toyota’s Kluger enhances its Prado.

The present era entered manufacturing in 2019, debuting a brand new rear/all-wheel drive platform that up to now has been used just for it and the fancier Lincoln Aviator.

Throughout its run, it has been supplied with turbocharged four-cylinder and twin-turbo V6 petrol engines, plus V6 hybrid and twin-turbo V6 plug-in hybrid powertrains.

It’s produced not solely within the US but additionally in China, which receives barely completely different exterior styling plus a markedly completely different inside with three out there screens as a substitute of ‘simply’ two. Chinese language Explorers additionally come solely with the 213kW/445Nm 2.3-litre turbo-petrol 4, mated with a 10-speed auto.

US-market Platinum and scorching ST variants get a twin-turbo 3.0-litre petrol V6 providing 298kW/563Nm, mated with a 10-speed auto – Territory Turbo or FPV F6X successor, anybody? You possibly can even get this high-output engine with both rear- or all-wheel drive, with the ST gaining a singular, sportier suspension tune.

It’s not the one three-row SUV that Ford produces in China. By the Changan Ford three way partnership, the Blue Oval has additionally manufactured the Edge L since 2023.

Just like the Explorer, it measures round 5m lengthy on a circa-3m wheelbase. Utilizing a model of the platform underpinning the Escape and Bronco Sport, the Edge L is a substitute of types for the earlier, five-seat Edge that was bought in Australia because the Endura.

Not like that mannequin, it provides hybrid energy. The usual engine is a 2.0-litre turbo 4 producing 185kW/378Nm and mated with an eight-speed automated; that is complemented by a 2.0-litre turbo 4 hybrid system pushing out 202kW and 405Nm, mated with an e-CVT. Each are supplied with front- or all-wheel drive.

A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is commonplace, together with a 13.2-inch touchscreen, with up-spec variants swapping the latter for an enormous 27-inch 4K display screen. In up-spec grades, you’ll be able to ditch the usual second-row bench for heated, ventilated and power-adjustable captain’s chairs.

Ford additionally has the older Equator – to not be confused with the smaller Equator Sport – which is a product of the JMC-Ford three way partnership and entered manufacturing in 2021. It not too long ago gained the Equator Sport’s plug-in hybrid powertrain, too.

In fact, neither of those Chinese language fashions – nor the Explorer – are in-built right-hand drive.

Vehicles

Ford doesn’t promote many conventional vehicles anymore, with the Fiesta lifeless and the Focus exiting manufacturing this yr. Solely the Mustang lives on in its international portfolio.

In a handful of markets, nonetheless, the long-running Mondeo nameplate carries on, utilized to a automobile developed and in-built China by the Changan Ford three way partnership.

Also called the Taurus within the Center East, conserving one other heritage title alive, the mid-sized sedan is obtainable with a alternative of four-cylinder powertrains.

A turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol 4 opens the vary with 140kW and 258Nm outputs delivered by means of an eight-speed automated transmission.

There’s additionally a hybrid model of this with an digital constantly variable transmission (e-CVT). Its engine produces 140kW and 222Nm and is mated with a 96kW/235Nm electrical motor and a ternary lithium battery, for a complete system output of 153kW.

Topping the vary is a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol 4 with 187kW/393Nm, additionally mated with an eight-speed auto.

The Mondeo/Taurus measures 4935mm lengthy, 1875mm large and 1500mm tall on a 2945mm wheelbase, which makes it 64mm longer and 25mm wider than the final Mondeo liftback bought right here on a 95mm longer wheelbase.

It rides on MacPherson strut entrance and multi-link rear suspension, and is underpinned by a model of the identical C2 platform utilized by the Escape and Edge L amongst others.

Inside, it comes commonplace with an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, however up-spec variants improve to a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a whopping 27-inch touchscreen for a pillar-to-pillar impact.

As anticipated, a full suite of lively security know-how is accessible, whereas the translated Chinese language spec sheet additionally lists some cryptic options like Free Secret and Secret Letter of Area and Time. Hey, attempt to discover a Toyota Camry with these!

The Mondeo additionally has a barely higher-riding, liftback model referred to as the Mondeo Sport (previously referred to as the Evos).