Lucas Bell 
When it comes to the pickup truck market here in the United States, the Ford Motor Company is rather dominant. While GM’s dual-branded effort has managed to outsell the Ford trucks on occasion, the Ford F-150 in its own right has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for decades. But as the full-size truck segment continues to balloon in size and price, mid-size trucks like the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Ford Ranger have helped move the pickup war down market. And while Ford’s offering has only been on sale in the U.S. since 2019, it’s global sales debut in 2011 means its getting a bit long in the tooth. This isn’t going to be the case for much longer, however. Thanks to CarAdvice, we have some new footage of the upcoming 2023 Ford Ranger out testing on the streets.
It isn’t all that surprising to see the next-gen Ford Ranger prototypes out for a drive in Australia. The T6-platform that underpins the current mid-size truck, as well as the Ford Bronco, was initially developed by the automaker’s team Down Under. The short video clip captures four prototype trucks out for some testing, all of which are wearing very thick camouflage. That said, this won’t stop you from picking up a few key design features found on the new Ford Ranger. Right off the bat it is easy to identify that the truck is much more upright in its shape, more closely mirroring the look of the larger Ford trucks. This is particularly evident in the lighting elements, which look fairly similar to those found on the F-150. Two of the trucks feature what appears to be a roll hoop, which could suggest what is to come with the Ranger Raptor.
Outside of the upcoming off-road variant, not a whole lot is known about the 2023 Ford Ranger at this point. Rumors have suggested that we will be getting a hybrid variant, which we know is currently in development for Europe. The hybrid is said to be powered by the 2.3L EcoBoost, and will produce 362 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. That’s quite a lot for a mid-size truck by today’s standards. Other reports state that the 2.7L EcoBoost found in the Bronco will also join the powertrain lineup in the Raptor variant. It is also expected that the truck will arrive with Ford’s SYNC4 infotainment system, which will power a 12.8-inch display. A large digital instrument cluster is also expected, which is becoming par for the course in the segment.
The 2023 Ford Ranger isn’t going to exclusively be a Ford truck. VW will get a variant of their own due to an agreement with Ford, which is known as the Amarok. Don’t expect the trucks to share much beyond the base platform however, as the two automakers have ensured us that the trucks will feel like independent projects. Both models should debut in 2022, with sales starting to kick off for the 2023 model year.
