The new Ford Ranger Super Duty has been purpose-built to meet the demands of fleet buyers who until now have relied on GVM upgrades and a patchwork of aftermarket modifications to get the payload and capability they need — often pushing existing models beyond their original design.
With the launch of the Super Duty, Ford is delivering an OEM platform designed from the start for the task — with no need for post-purchase modifications to safely carry substantial loads, and crucially, all achievable with a standard car licence.
“What we’re doing with Super Duty is basically we’re giving them the platform to then use these converters to actually work on the customisation part of the truck, and the chassis stays basically intact,” a Ford engineer explained at the Super Duty launch.
“It’s fit for their purpose, and then the truck is tailored to their needs.”
A Core Insight from Fleet Feedback
Ford engineers said this new approach was shaped by direct insights from fleet customers — particularly those who had been forced to invest heavily in GVM upgrades and aftermarket parts.
“This is a core insight,” one engineer said. “This goes back all the way to the original Ranger introduction and seeing what customers were taking the truck that they would buy from us or from other manufacturers, send it to an upfitter, tear the truck apart, put on aftermarket parts, and then put it out to go to work.”
The Super Duty was designed to avoid that cycle entirely, offering a factory platform engineered to meet real-world fleet requirements.
“We designed this vehicle to actually go do the work,” the engineer emphasised.
Built to Take the Load — Without a Truck Licence
One of the Super Duty’s standout features is that Ford has maximised the vehicle’s GVM and GCM within car licence limits — by design.
“If you look at the specs — they weren’t accidental,” a Ford engineer said. “When you look at the GVM of the vehicle at four and a half tonne — any more than four and a half tonne, you need a truck licence to be driving it. So we’ve maxed out our GVM.”
“When you look at the tow capability — four and a half tonne — any more than that, you need air brakes on the trailer. So we’ve maxed out the towing.”
The result? A vehicle that offers a 4.5t GVM and 4.5t towing capacity — delivering a total 8t GCM — all within car licence limits. No additional licences, no aftermarket GVM upgrade process required.
“The ultimate truck to drive on a car licence. You can do more, carry more — it’s awesome,” the engineer said.
A Robust OEM Platform
Importantly, the Super Duty is not simply a “beefed-up” Ranger — Ford has engineered the underbody to handle the higher payload and towing demands.
“When I’m talking powertrain, suspension, frame — 70% of the content of that underbody is all new from Ranger,” a Ford engineer explained.
“It’s all beefed up, bigger, badder… We know how our customers use these trucks — they’re brutal — and we’ve tested them in those conditions.”
Crucially, the Super Duty offers this capability with full OEM warranty and support, and retains the latest driver assist technologies — something not always guaranteed with aftermarket modifications.
“We’re working with those converters and making sure that the conversions integrate seamlessly with the vehicle. All the features work, all of the driver assist technologies work,” an engineer confirmed.
A Game Changer for Fleets
For Fleet Managers seeking a fit-for-purpose work vehicle that can safely carry heavy loads — without the licensing and compliance headaches of moving to a medium truck — the Ford Ranger Super Duty is set to be a game changer.
With a platform engineered from the outset to handle the task, and no need to rely on costly, compliance-sensitive GVM upgrades, the Super Duty offers a new path forward for many Australian fleets.
As Ford’s engineers made clear: this is not an afterthought — it’s a deliberate solution based on what fleet customers told them they needed.
