Ford F-150 v Ford Ranger 2024 Comparison
Ford F-150 v Ford Ranger 2024 Comparison
Blue Oval’s full-size and mid-size pick-ups are both talented, but which is the right one for you?
The Ford F-150 is North America’s biggest selling new vehicle and the Ford Ranger is Australia’s top-selling new vehicle. But which is better for your needs – the world’s most popular pick-up or Australia’s? To help you find out, here we’ve selected the most popular F-150 offered by Ford Australia, the Lariat SWB, and the flagship of its mainstream Ranger line-up, the Platinum. Sure they share some fundamental commonalities, such as their blue oval badges, dual-cab configurations and ladder frames that offer substantial towing capability and 4x4 versatility. But there are obvious differences between Ford’s full-size and mid-size dual-cabs, including their dimensions, their price, their engines and their towing and payload capacities.
What equipment comes with the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger?
The equipment lists for the 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB and Ford Ranger Platinum have a lot of similarities.
Externally, both come standard with side steps, 20-inch alloy wheels, zone lighting and bedliners for their cargo boxes (spray-in for the F-150, drop-in for the Ranger).
Internally, leather seat trim (poshly quilted in the Ranger), dual-zone climate control and ambient lighting are standard in both pick-ups.
The Platinum adds roof rails, Ford’s intriguing new Flexible Rack system that doubles as a sailplane when not in use and a roller cover for the cargo box.
It also gets a full-size spare tyre, while the F-150’s measures 18-inches and has a recommended 113km/h top speed. Both spares are mounted on an alloy wheel.
Apart from an enormous amount of chrome, the F-150 alone gets a large twin-panel moonroof, a security keypad on the B-pillar and a power tailgate. The Ranger’s is merely damped, but both are power-lockable.
Inside, they both have powered, heated and vented front seats. The Ranger’s are 10-way with memory, the F-150’s 12-way with memory. The latter also has rear outboard seat heating.
The Ranger has a manually-adjustable steering wheel with heating, while the F-150 has power adjustment for both reach and rake, a power-sliding rear window and a foldaway gear lever that allows a table to be set up between the front seats by flipping the lid of the giant centre console.
Both also features Ford’s unique Pro Trailer reversing system. We did tow during this test (see below) but the system wasn’t set up.
The Platinum has only one no-cost paint choice (Arctic White), while the other five add $700. It also comes with a delete option black roof.
Likewise, the F-150’s only standard paint colour is Oxford White and the other six also add $700.
Both vehicles are covered by Ford Australia’s five-year/unlimited-km warranty and can be supported by up to seven years of roadside assistance if a Ford dealer does the servicing.
How safe are the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger?
The 2024 Ford Ranger Platinum ticks all the expected safety boxes for a new vehicle on sale in Australia, including a maximum five-star ANCAP rating based on 2022 protocols.
While the F-150 also offers a strong safety package, it doesn’t have an ANCAP rating and is unlikely to receive one unless the independent auto safety authority expands its program to include these full-size US trucks, something it has hinted at in the past.
The best we can do is relay the F-150’s IIHS rating in the USA, in which a left-hand drive 2021 F-150 picked up three crashworthiness Good ratings (the top ranking) and one Poor rating – the worst you can do.
However, the F-150 misses out on the Top Safety Pick+ and Top Safety Pick ratings, which are reserved for the best IIHS performers.
The Ranger also outnumbers the F-150 when it comes to airbags. Both have the usual front, front-side and side curtain airbags, but the Ranger adds knee airbags and a head-protecting centre airbag for the front-seat passengers.
Both include a suite of advanced driver assist systems that can autonomously control speed, brake for obstacles front and rear, stay centred in the lane and warn of vehicles encroaching into the driver’s blind spot, including your trailer when towing.
They both can read traffic signs and have the ability to adjust speed autonomously in response.
Ford is among the best tuners of these systems in the automotive world. The subtlety and effectiveness of response in both vehicles and the ease with which they can be turned should embarrass many other brands.
Other shared safety features include tyre pressure monitoring, 360-degree cameras and parking sensors front and rear. Only the Ranger offers hands- and feet-free auto parallel and perpendicular parking assist.
The F-150 offers three top-tether anchors for child seats in the rear seat, while the Ranger has two outboard tethers and both have two ISOFIX mounts.
Headlights in both vehicles are LED with auto high-beam functions. But the Matrix units in the Ranger can also isolate oncoming traffic by turning off individual LEDs to avoid blinding them.
What technology features on the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger?
There’s no doubting the 2024 Ford Ranger Platinum and F-150 Lariat SWB have both embraced the digital age with their huge infotainment touch-screens and instrument panels.
The touch-screens both measure up at 12-inches, but they look quite different. The Ranger’s is portrait-style, rectangular and set quite low in the dash, while the F-150’s is squared and inset higher.
There are more obvious design and content similarities in the instrument cluster, including the way sub-menus are accessed and what they contain (trip computer, off-road, driver aids, towing, etc).
The F-150 also has more hard buttons than the Ranger, which requires drilling into the touch-screen for some air-con functions.
The Ranger has the slightly newer 4A version of Ford’s SYNC multimedia system, versus the F-150’s SYNC4. 4A brings with it adaptive ‘dash cards’ that make it easier to interact with frequently used functions. It’s a subtle but worthy upgrade.
Both vehicles come with cabled Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity.
There are no less than eight USB-A and USB-C ports in the F-150 and five in the Ranger.
There’s also Bluetooth streaming, smartphone charging, embedded sat-nav, AM/FM and DAB+ radio, 10-speaker B&O audio in the Ranger and a smashing 18-speaker B&O system in the F-150.
What powers the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger?
What’s under the bonnet is a key differentiator between the 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB and the Ford Ranger Platinum.
They don’t like diesel in their pick-ups in America, so the F-150 comes with a 3.5-litre Ecoboost twin-turbo petrol V6 that makes 298kW of power and 678Nm of torque – pretty respectable.
It hooks up to a 10-speed automatic transmission, a permanent 4x4 system that allows rear- or all-wheel drive running on the highway, low-range gearing and a locking rear diff.
As the flagship of the mainstream Ranger line-up in Australia, the Platinum is offered only with the Lion 3.0-litre single-turbo diesel V6, which produces a healthy 184kW and 600Nm.
The rest of the drivetrain reads much the same as the F-150, including the 10R80 auto and BorgWarner transfer case.
They both also get on- and off-road drive modes and hill descent control. Only the F-150 has a sports mode that adjusts throttle and gearchange response, swaps into all-wheel drive and boosts the artificial exhaust note.
How fuel-efficient are the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger?
If laboratory figures are to be believed, the 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB has a bit of a drinking problem.
The official claim is 12.5L/100km, which is a lot but understandable for something that weighs in at more than 2.5 tonnes (before payload).
The Ranger claims a much more wallet-friendly 8.4L/100km, with its more frugal diesel aided by a 150kg lower kerb weight.
OK, but what about in the real world? Here, we have three more numbers for you to consider: unladen on a varied 150km drive route including off-roading; a 100km loop carrying 500kg and another 80km loop towing a 2630kg caravan.
The Ranger’s three fuel numbers were 10.2L/100km, 11.5L/100km and 20.7L/100km respectively.
The F-150’s three fuel numbers were 13.2L/100km, 14.7L/100km and 28.6L/100km.
So the trend is clear and the message obvious – budget for a big fuel bill if you buy an F-150. At least it can run on standard unleaded petrol.
It also has a huge 136-litre fuel tank as part of its standard Max Tow Pack (optional in the USA), so even averaging 25L/100km you can cover 500km between refuelling.
The Ranger has an 80-litre tank, so it’s a bit more limited if chewing through 15-20L/100km.
What are the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger like to drive?
The sheer size and bulk of the 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB is the critical aspect that defines driving both it and the 2024 Ford Ranger Platinum.
The Ranger is no shrinking violet when it comes to size and weight, measuring up at more than 5.3m long and weighing in at 2388kg.
But the 5.884m, 2353kg F-150 makes it feel dainty and nimble by comparison. And this is the SWB, the extended-wheelbase version is 6.184m long!
There are places where the F-150 simply shouldn’t go, even with multiple camera views and sensors to help. Hint: the more buildings you see the less suitable it is. This is a vehicle for the wide-open spaces.
And damn it’s good when it’s got room to move!
The Ecotec D35 is just a sensational engine – no surprise it debuted in the 2017 Ford GT sports car. Even that artificial exhaust note is pleasing. The huge exhaust extension jutting out behind the right rear wheel makes its own statement.
It treats the Lariat’s weight with contempt, leaping forward under acceleration. Even during our towing test it was unstoppable, let alone carrying a mere 500kg or unladen.
And it does it all smoothly and sweetly with less obvious shuffling through the gears than the Ranger.
Annoyingly, the F-150 comes without a proper manual mode – just rocker switches on the lever. Sadly, the Ranger employs the same unintuitive system on the side of its gear bun. If they make sense anywhere it’s for towing to help hold a gear.
The Lion V6 in the Platinum is the pick of the bunch when it comes to the popular one-tonne utes, but it can’t match the response and refinement of the F-150.
It feels steadier, building momentum gradually with a few more vibes and grumbles, more obviously shuffling through the lower gears. Towing a van made an obvious impact on its progress. However, the 500kg load was easily handled.
Complementing its great engine, the F-150 displays dynamic behaviour that belies its size and weight. Its independent front double-wishbone, live rear leaf-spring suspension combo produces comfort-oriented progress even with the heavy-duty springs that come with the Max Towing Pack.
It's capable of coping with varying surfaces without much shake and there’s little sign of the 2Hi rear-end skittishness on mid-corner bumps, except on gravel where it becomes a bit more frequent.
Its handling is a bit Queen Mary in the way it likes to follow an arc, but it’s aided by electric-assist power steering that makes manoeuvring this beast along on a country road uncomplicated and predictable.
In town it’s the same story, where EPAS is a big help. The concern here is making sure you’ve got enough room to fit and that far-flung bits of the F-150 don’t make unintended contact with other objects.
Wherever you go on Aussies roads, the Ranger makes far more sense. It is also too big, but we’ve become anaesthetised to some extent because there are so many dual-cab utes now on our roads.
And the Ranger is undoubtedly the best of them. Riding on the same fundamental chassis set-up as the F-150, it’s the closest any one-tonne dual-cab has yet come to offering SUV levels of dynamics and comfort.
Compared to the F-150, it’s stiffer and nibblier in its ride.
How good are the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger off-road?
Just like on the road, the smaller size of the 2024 Ford Ranger delivers it an off-road advantage over the 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB.
Yes, the two vehicles have similar 4x4 systems, but the Ranger is narrower and shorter and has a significantly better approach angle. It can simply get to places that are too squeezy for an F-150.
It’s not all the Ranger’s way. Rampover angle is perhaps surprisingly similar despite the Platinum’s 400mm shorter wheelbase, while the F-150 claims slightly more ground clearance (5mm – 239mm) and a slightly better departure angle.
On our uphill, mogulled test climb, both struggled for enough rear-wheel articulation to stay hooked up. Despite trying various combinations of high- and low-range with rear diff locked and unlocked, neither could complete the climb.
Both vehicles add off-road traction control to their mechanical 4x4 systems, but it struggled to contain wheelspin in these different combinations, bearing in mind the system only operates on the front wheels when the rear diff is locked.
There were potentially a number of reasons for our struggles. Rain had made the surface pretty greasy, the climb had been chopped up and made harder by a lot of recent use and both vehicles were wearing rubber at the more road-oriented end of the spectrum (F-150: Pirelli Scorpion; Ford Ranger: Goodyear Wrangler Territory).
It would have required a more aggressive attack and potential damage to complete the climb.
As it was, both touched down their side skirts and the bolts securing the Platinum’s front-right bracket were damaged.
How much can the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger tow and carry?
Look at the size of the vehicles and the size of the cargo boxes and you’d be forgiven for thinking the 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB eats the Ford Ranger Platinum as a load-hauler.
But drill into the detail and you’ll see it’s not so.
Yes, the F-150’s got a 4500kg braked towing capacity – 1000kg more than the Platinum.
But it’s rated maximum payload is only 685kg, which means that when towing at full capacity it has only 235kg spare. And it only goes up to 385kg while towing 3000kg.
The Ranger’s maximum payload is 912kg. At its maximum towing capacity it can still carry a 512kg payload. At 3000kg it’s up to 612kg.
You won’t be surprised to learn an array of aftermarket gross vehicle mass (GVM) upgrades are soon to hit the market for the F-150. They’ll be appreciated
The F-150’s cargo box is much longer, wider and taller than the Ranger’s, which loses some more space thanks to the storage container for the roller cover.
However, both tubs are wide enough to fit an Aussie pallet between the wheel-arches.
Access is aided by a pop-out step in the tailgate of the F-150 and footholds cut into the rear corners of the Ranger’s box.
They both have illumination in their trays (overlooking from the cabin as well in the F-150), plus 12-volt outlets, tie-down points and other stowage aids.
Both tailgates have clamp pockets, rulers and, in the Ranger, even cup holders.
To test towing performance, we hauled a 19-foot New Age Expedition off-road caravan fitted with a Cruisemaster DO-35 coupling behind both vehicles.
The caravan weighed 2630kg (tare, unloaded), with a tow ball mass of 210kg and our 80km test route included 60km/h urban and 80km/h secondary bitumen, as well as 100km/h freeway including flat and hilly sections.
When hitched up, the Ranger’s suspension dropped 30mm at the rear and rose 15mm at the front, but it remained a relaxed and stable towing platform with minimal yaw or pitching, no unsettling sway movements and consistent composure over a variety of road surfaces.
The Platinum delivered strong performance and easily kept up with traffic. There was some gear shuffling but the transmission remained smooth and decisive, making the ute feel refined and relaxed out on the freeway.
It quickly settled at around 1600rpm – in seventh gear at 80km/h and ninth gear at 100km/h – and held 65km/h up our steep hillclimb test.
The F-150, meantime, stayed level at the front but drooped 30mm at the rear when hitched up.
As you expect from a bigger rig, it delivered impressive towing stability with no hint of sway or yaw, although we did notice some minor and sometimes irritating pitching and body roll at lower speeds – perhaps due to softer suspension set-up.
But the F-150’s towing performance is hard to fault. It relentlessly surged up to 100km/h and beyond, like there was no caravan behind it, and easily accelerated from 65-70km/h on our short hillclimb test.
Overall, both vehicles are very stable when towing, but the F-150 is more confident at higher speeds – probably due to its longer wheelbase and heavier mass.
Both soaked up larger bumps without jarring but we preferred the Ranger’s more composed ride/handling set-up when towing, and its more planted feel especially in faster corners.
The Ranger no slouch but the F-150 wins the traffic light and overtaking races, even if it uses more fuel and needs more space for U-turns.
Both have excellent (and similar) rear camera displays that make hitching up a breeze, but engine braking is superior in the Ranger due to its diesel engine.
The F-150 has slightly wider wing mirrors, so there’s less need for strap-on towing mirrors (although extendable side mirrors should be standard on the F-150 for the price).
What are the Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger like inside?
The sheer size that works against the 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB in so many ways is a boon when it comes to making yourself comfortable in the cabin.
There is sprawling space everywhere and most obviously in the rear seat, which is a weak point for the 2024 Ford Ranger Platinum.
The Ranger and its direct rivals struggle to make passengers in the back comfortable because leg space is limited and the backrest of the bench seat is very upright, even if that’s less so in the Ford.
By contrast, the F-150 offers immense rear legroom, headroom and elbow room. Two 1.8m-plus occupants would be very comfortable in the back and three would fit if they had to.
But it’s not only the amount of space, but the features and the stowage the full-size pick-up delivers.
F-150 rear-seat passengers have access to map pockets in each seat, cup holders and a phone holder in the top of the centre console, adjustable air-con vents, USB-A and USB-C ports, a 12V outlet and both upper and lower four-way partitioned door bins in each door.
The seat-back folds forward and the bench split-flips up, revealing a lockable storage box underneath. There are more cup holders in a fold-down armrest.
Up-front there are more helpful features. The table you can create from the bin lid is more than a gimmick, there are giant door bins for stowage and the sun visors are massive, sliding and extendable. Fantastic for those late afternoons heading south across the desert when the sun is sinking in the west.
In terms of build quality, there are few signs apart from the reversed external mirrors that this vehicle has been swapped to right-hand drive locally. The infotainment system did freeze at one point, but that’s not necessarily related to the local remanufacturing.
However, there have been a series of F-150 recalls that have no doubt been excruciating for Ford and its supplier RMA.
The Thai-built Ranger is by no means underdone in its quality and design. While it doesn’t match the size and scale of the F-150’s stowage provisions, its options are more than adequate, including a double glovebox.
The front seats of both cars are commendably comfortable, sizable and supportive.
In the rear seat the Ranger offers USB ports, adjustable air-con vents, generous single door bins, map pockets on the front seatbacks and a folding backrest and base, with two storage bins underneath.
Should I buy a Ford F-150 and Ford Ranger?
The 2024 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB is a blast thanks to its huge engine, other-worldly chassis tune and spectacular – and spectacularly big – interior.
But there are only a few environments in which it really thrives.
Overall then, the 2024 Ford Ranger Platinum is clearly the vehicle of choice here. It’s more affordable and more useable in a wider variety of circumstances.
Unless you regularly tow heavy loads, the Ranger simply makes more sense. Which helps explain why it’s so popular in Australia, really.