The 2023 Ford Ranger has been spotted in the wild as it prepares an all-new model that will be paired with the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok.

Picture credit:S. Baldauf/SB-Medien. We have paid for these photos and at the photographer’s request, have watermarked them.

While the body is covered from head to toe in blackvinyl, it actually gives a somewhat better perspective of the size and design than the previous camouflaged versions we spied months back.

What we now see on the 2023 Ford Ranger is a squarer more wide-body style bakkie that’s more chiselled than the current, rounded Ranger that’s on sale at the moment. More detail is shown as the vinyl cover clings to the front fascia of the Ranger showing some headlight and grille interplay as well as the basic front bumper design. It still looks like the Ranger’s sturdier design will take cues from the latest Ford F150, the world’s best-selling pick-up truck.

Ranger with Fox dampers

Interestingly, this covered 2023 Ranger was out testing with a Ranger Tremor, which is a US-only version of the Ranger that is half Ranger, half Raptor – it features2-inch Fox dampers on each corner and a 20mm raise in ground clearance. The Vinyl covering hides the suspension componentry so it’s difficult to tell, but does suggest that Ford is back-to-back testing new dampers for the 2023 Ford Ranger.

There are exposed mounting points on the rear of the Ranger suggestthat this could be a Wildtrak version as these points normally mount the black sports or rollover bar seen on the Wildtrak version.

The 2023 Ford Ranger will be built in South Africa at Ford’s Silverton plant in Tshwane. The ranger will also be built alongside the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok as the two brands globally join forces on bakkies and commercial vehicles in order to cut costs.

What will power the all-new Ranger is still to be revealed but considering Ford’s 2-litre bi-turbodiesel engine is still relatively new, (it was introduced in 2019) it will likely continue for at least the next 5 years before being replaced. That doesn’t mean we won’t see it being improved to produce more power and torque upon the new Ranger’s official release. There is still a slight chance that the American spec Ranger engine (2.3L Ecoboost turbopetrol) could make an appearance as well, but in all likelihood that engine will be used for American spec Rangers only.

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