Engineers Pulled a Ford Ranger APART — What They Found Isn't What Aussies Expect

📕 My honest car, ute & 4WD guides — buy the right one, then keep it alive 👉 https://aussiemechanicgreg.com Two Next-Gen Rangers came through my workshop in the same week. Same badge, same shape, same year. I pulled a rear wheel off one and found a drum. I pulled a rear wheel off the other and found a disc. That's where this video starts, because a Melbourne engineering firm — the Auto Innovation Centre — took a Next-Gen Ranger completely apart, body off the chassis, and 3D-scanned every rigid part so the bullbar and suspension makers could design for it. fullBOOST filmed it with them in 2022. What they found is that "a Ranger" isn't one truck. It's several trucks wearing one name, and which one you're standing in front of is written on a plate and visible through a wheel. What I cover: - Rear drums on the XL and XLS, rear discs on the XLT and up — and why the one you can't SEE is the one that costs you - Why "Ranger front springs" returns a list instead of a part number: more than one knuckle, two front rotor sizes, several spring rates - The 30-second tape-measure check that finds a mismatched front end before you buy - The weights nobody reads: XLT V6 2,285kg kerb / 3,280kg GVM = 995kg payload, before a single accessory - What heavy thread-locker and one awkward control-arm bolt do to your LABOUR bill, not your parts bill - The wet-belt correction: it's the 2.0L four-cylinders, NOT the 3.0L V6 — and Ford has now dropped it for a chain - The honest other half: the V6 camshaft recall, twelve recall campaigns since 2022, and how I actually read that - The five free checks I'd do on a used one, in order, on a Saturday FACT-CHECK: The Auto Innovation Centre is a Melbourne facility that strips and 3D-scans new vehicles and sells the scan data to aftermarket product developers; it scanned its XLT Ranger and its Ranger Raptor in detail, and the teardown referenced here was filmed with fullBOOST as "Tearing apart the new V6 Ford Ranger with the Auto Innovation Centre" (autoic.com.au, fullBOOST). That footage dates from 2022 and is described in the video as one firm's findings on one early-build truck. Brakes by grade: XL and XLS run front discs and rear drums, while XLT and above run four-wheel discs; road tests report the XLS braking feel is not a match for the V6 Wildtrak but remains more than adequate (4X4 Australia, Drive). Weights (double cab 4x4, published figures, vary with options): XLT V6 kerb 2,285kg, GVM 3,280kg, payload 995kg; Wildtrak V6 kerb 2,353kg, GVM 3,350kg, payload 997kg; XLS 2.0 Bi-Turbo kerb 2,216kg, GVM 3,230kg; range kerb weights run from about 1,789kg (XL single cab chassis) to 2,431kg (Raptor) (CarExpert, CarsGuide, Drive). Timing drive: the 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel uses a timing chain and was never part of the wet-belt issue; the 2.0L four-cylinder diesels use a wet belt, and from the MY26.50 Ranger and Everest Ford replaced it with a timing chain alongside a new injection system (Chasing Cars, Jarvis Ford). Wet-belt replacement is advertised from about $1,299 through a specialist network, with dealer quotes commonly reported at $2,500–$3,500 — indicative only, and they vary by location and workshop. Recalls: Ford Australia recalled 13,490 Ranger and Everest vehicles built 2022–2025 over a potential camshaft defect in the V6 diesel which it reported could lead to engine failure; the current Ranger has been subject to 12 recall campaigns since its 2022 launch, the most recent covering 13,907 vehicles built 26 November 2025 to 10 July 2026 over side-curtain airbag interaction with the B-pillar trim (GoAuto, CarExpert, Drive, cars24). Ride and handling for this generation was developed in Australia. A GVM upgrade does not by itself raise GCM. Prices and figures are indicative and vary. DISCLAIMER: General information and my honest opinion — NOT purchasing, mechanical, towing, insurance or legal advice. No manufacturer, importer, dealer or repairer named here is accused of any wrongdoing, and nothing here is a claim that any vehicle on the road today is unsafe. Recalls quoted are from published Australian notices and trade reporting; check whether a recall applies to a specific VIN and whether the remedy has been carried out. Confirm your own GVM, GCM, payload and tow-ball limits against the vehicle's compliance plate and owner's manual before you tow anything, and have a qualified mechanic carry out a pre-purchase inspection and a PPSR check before you buy.