The off-roaders and utes that Ford should sell in Australia

Ford already has Australia’s best-selling ute, best-selling large SUV, and second best-selling full-sized pickup – so why not bring over a few more vehicles for these segments?

Perhaps that’s precisely why we haven’t seen the below vehicles from Ford’s global portfolio, with the Blue Oval potentially wanting to avoid cannibalisation of its hot-selling Ranger.

Nevertheless, the vehicles detailed below would – in our eyes – complement them well.

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Bronco

The Bronco is a no-brainer, surely.

The body-on-frame off-road SUV rides the same T6 ladder-frame platform as the Australian-developed Ranger and Everest, but features unmistakable retro styling and a more defined off-road bent, allowing it to take on the Jeep Wrangler directly.

Ford has previously blamed strong demand in North America for the lack of a right-hand drive export model, though it has given Australian journalists the opportunity to drive the Bronco since production commenced in 2021 and hinted right-hand drive could come.

In the US, it’s available in either two- or four-door body styles and with either a 224kW/441Nm turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine or a 246kW/563Nm twin-turbo 2.7-litre petrol V6.

Both are mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission, though you can get a seven-speed manual with the four. Technically it’s a six-speed with a special “crawler” gear.

There’s a choice of four-wheel drive systems, and there are available off-road features like electronic front and rear diff locks and a front stabiliser bar disconnect system.

In 2022, Ford revealed the four-door Bronco Raptor as a Baja-ready flagship. This uses a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 like the Ranger Raptor sold here, but with more power and torque at 312kW and 597Nm. A 10-speed auto is the only transmission.

The Raptor builds on the regular Bronco’s already impressive off-road capability, with standard features like Fox Live Valve 3.1 internal bypass semi-active dampers, 37-inch all-terrain tyres and front and rear diff locks.

Other mechanical changes over the regular Bronco include a stiffer body, different rear axle, greater track width and an upgraded transfer case.

With the Jeep Wrangler’s price tag having continued to increase, that theoretically gives Ford the freedom to charge a decent premium over the related Ranger for a Bronco and help recoup right-hand drive development costs.

But with no RHD production locked in, we may be waiting a long time for it to come here – if it ever does.

Sure, you can get the same basic chassis in a Ranger, but does it look like this? And can you remove the doors and roof? Exactly.

MORE: Ford Ranger Raptor vs F-150 Raptor vs Bronco Raptor comparison
MORE: Everything Ford Bronco

Maverick

First entering production in 2021, the Maverick may look vaguely similar to a Ranger, but under the skin it’s a very different beast.

Unlike the body-on-frame top-seller, the Maverick is underpinned by Ford’s C2 unibody platform shared by models like the Escape and Bronco Sport.

This makes it a more car-like alternative to the Ranger, and would potentially open up a whole new niche in Australia… if it wasn’t built exclusively in left-hand drive in Mexico.

Refreshed for 2025, the Maverick dual-cab is now available in a sporty Lobo trim with retuned and lowered suspension, retuned steering, an upgraded cooling system, and a unique Lobo drive mode with less stability control intervention, plus dual-piston front brake calipers borrowed from the Focus ST.

Like the more off-road-ready Maverick Tremor, it also has torque vectoring via a twin-clutch rear drive unit.

The front- or all-wheel drive Maverick is offered with either a 142kW/210Nm 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain mated with an electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT), or a 177kW/373Nm turbo 2.0-litre four mated with an eight-speed auto (seven-speed in the Lobo).

Payload ranges from 474kg in the Lobo to 680kg in front-wheel drive hybrid and all-wheel drive 2.0-litre models. Braked towing capacity is 907kg, though the 4K Tow Package bumps this up to 1814kg in the XL, XLT and Lariat.

The 2025 refresh brought not only tweaked exterior styling but also a larger 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen in the cabin.

If the Maverick were to come here, it would have no direct competition as Hyundai’s Tucson-based Santa Cruz ute isn’t sold here.

Ford has previously said many Maverick buyers come not from other utes, but from cars and SUVs. That strikes us a new opportunity for Ford Australia…

MORE: 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo sports ute is the Falcon replacement Australia won’t get

Expedition

Ford Australia, via its engineering partner RMA Automotive, started local remanufacturing of the F-150 pickup into right-hand drive in 2024. However, it hasn’t added the related Expedition SUV to the local line.

The full-sized American SUV segment in Australia has been dormant since the Holden Suburban was axed in 2000, but General Motors is re-entering it this year with the GMC Yukon Denali, which it has tapped Walkinshaw Automotive to remanufacture locally to right-hand drive.

The Expedition could shape as a rival for not only the Yukon, but also large SUVs like the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.

You might expect a V8 under the bonnet like in the Yukon, but for a decade now Ford’s largest SUV has been offered exclusively with a twin-turbo petrol V6.

The current generation was revealed in 2024, again sticking with a twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The engine is available in two tunes: one with 298kW and 651Nm, the other with 328kW and 691Nm, with the former able to tow up to 4354kg with a weight distributing hitch (the high-output version tops out at 4082kg).

There’s also a choice of rear- or four-wheel drive, and two different lengths: the standard Expedition is 5331mm long, 2032mm wide and 1984mm tall on a 3112mm wheelbase, while the Expedition Max is 5631mm long on a 3340mm wheelbase.

That means even the ‘short’ Expedition is more than 30cm longer than a LandCruiser.

The new-generation Expedition has not only brought an overhauled interior with a 24-inch panoramic display and a 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen, but also a more rugged Tremor variant.

This comes standard with the high-output V6 and features retuned suspension and steering, a front skid plate, greater underbody protection, 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain tyres, and 269mm of ground clearance.

MORE: Ford won’t take on GM with a large American SUV in Australia

Various F-150 variants

If you love American pickup trucks, the North American F-150 lineup will have you feeling like a kid in a candy store.

Want a plush King Ranch? Ford has got you covered. Twin-turbo V6 hybrid? Sure thing! How about a boggo-spec, single-cab, rear-wheel drive pickup with a 298kW/556Nm 5.0-litre V8? Ford will sell you one over there, too.

It makes the Australian lineup look positively tiny, with its two trim levels, two wheelbase lengths and one engine.

It remains to be seen just how much the F-150 lineup will grow in Australia, but variants like the all-electric Lightning, hot Raptor and even hotter Raptor R would stand out even in an increasingly competitive full-sized pickup segment here.

You can get behind the wheel of an F-150 Lightning in Australia via an independent conversion company, but Ford doesn’t sell a factory-backed version of its electric pickup here.

In the US it competes against the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV and Tesla Cybertruck, while in Australia it would compete with… well, nothing.

The dual-motor all-wheel drive, dual-cab pickup is offered with a choice of 98kWh or 131kWh lithium-ion batteries, with 370km of range with the former under the US EPA test cycle and between 483km and 515km with the latter.

It looks much like the other F-150 models inside and out, but underneath it features a unique frame. Open the bonnet and there’s Ford’s Mega Power Frunk, a 400L dry lockable storage area with a bevy of power outlets including USB outlets.

Handy 2.4kW vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability is standard, with 9.6kW capability optional.

Depending on the variant, the Lightning also pumps out an equally handy 433kW and 1050Nm. It can also tow up to 4536kg with the optional Max Trailer Tow Package.

The F-150 was the first Ford to get the Raptor treatment all the way back in 2010, and it has subsequently been joined by an even hotter Raptor R.

The Raptor has an uprated 336kW/691Nm twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6, while the Raptor R upgrades to a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 with 537kW and 868Nm.

In addition to a meaner look than regular F-150s, both have unique suspension tuning and a locking rear differential.

The Raptor comes standard with 35-inch all-terrain tyres, Fox internal-bypass dampers and continuously controlled damping, with available 37-inch tyres and Fox Dual Live Valve shocks with continuously variable rebound control.

MORE: Ford Ranger Raptor vs F-150 Raptor vs Bronco Raptor comparison
MORE: Ford F-150 Lightning review
MORE: Everything Ford F-150

Super Duty

Finally, there’s Ford’s largest pickup of all.

GM has the Chevrolet Silverado HD here, while Ram has the 2500 and 3500. But thus far, however, Ford hasn’t introduced its rival Super Duty here.

While F-150 sales in the US are dominated by twin-turbo V6 variants, Ford sticks with V8s in its heavier-duty pickup range.

There’s a choice of a mammoth 7.3-litre petrol engine outputing 316kW and 658Nm, as well as a 6.7-litre turbo-diesel V8 offering 368kW and 1627Nm.

With the latter, maximum towing capacity is no less than 18,144kg with a gooseneck hitch.