Review: 2025 Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV
As I write this, it's 3am, the sun is piercingly bright and our Ford Ranger is being refuelled via hot water and steam from deep below the earth's surface.
What madness is this?
It's mid-June in Iceland — Land of the Midnight Sun — and I'm on this frozen island in the new plug-in version of Ford's Ranger, driving up a volcano on battery power alone.
Why? Firstly, to display the benefits of electrification without compromising a hairy-chested Ranger's abilities.
Yes, it's a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) able to travel over 40km in e-motor silence, but like its diesel-drinking stablemates, these greener pick-ups still tow 3.5 tonnes, haul up to 973kg, cross 800mm-deep waters and handle gnarly off-road trails.
In the PHEV ute playground, that's a two-fingered Ford salute to flavour-of-the-month BYD Shark.
Secondly, it's a celebration of Australia's best-selling vehicle. These Rangers saw much of their design and engineering happen on our patch, so we must take patriotic pride they're sold in over 180 countries, including Iceland.
Fun fact, cost of a Ranger Wildtrak in this land of ice and fire is $155,000. When the Ford PHEV arrives, local Vikings won't see much change from $200k.
The Ranger boasts 44 per cent of the European market share, and is the best-selling pick-up in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Finland, Vietnam and New Zealand.
But it must evolve amid ever-stricter global emissions rules. Hence the PHEV's arrival, and a price jump: roughly $10,000 over four-cylinder Rangers, and $5000 above the V6.
We may pay half as much as Icelanders, but they're not cheap in Aussie terms. A cloth-trimmed Ranger PHEV XLT's $71,990; the fancier Sport's $75,990; a Wildtrak $79,990; and loaded launch edition Stormtrak $86,990.
But there's no shortage of Aussies willing to drop almost $100k to drive-away luxurious, go-anywhere dual cabs: plenty of tradies with plenty of disposable.
But will they embrace this greener version, which allies a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol with an e-motor and battery?
A combined 207kW and 697Nm is a decent start, even if Chinese rivals like the Shark and GWM Cannon outgun our Ranger's numbers.
Performance is more than ample as we roll out of Reykjavik — the world's northernmost capital — towards distant snow-capped mountains.
The petrol-electric is surprisingly smooth; the absence of diesel rattle and roll bringing a new refined high-point in a Ranger.
The driver's in control of what turns the wheels. I select Auto EV and the system chooses between petrol or battery (or a combo) — my right foot dictating if power or efficiency is prioritised. Impressively, we return 3L/100km this way.
I want to electrically off-road, so I select EV Later to maintain our near-full battery while highway cruising. If you forget, an EV Charge mode uses the petrol engine to (slowly) recharge the battery.
Handy, as this Ranger's plug-in stats aren't great. It can't DC fast charge, and a domestic 10 amp socket takes seven hours to brim the 11.8kWh unit.
That's a titchy battery, hence an EV-only range of 43km (WLTP), or about 40km in our real-world test. A BYD Shark packs 29.6kWh, but Ford couldn't compromise its Ranger with that sort of extra weight and towing/payload penalties.
We pick our electric moment well. The lava plateau of Hellisheidi is lunar landscape-like, and home to one of the world's largest geothermal power stations. This ensures bargain electricity for locals, and that last night our Ranger was charged with zero environmental impact.
Into EV Now mode and the only sounds are rocks moving and rivers parting under our General Grabber all-terrain tyres. These PHEVs lose nothing of the Ranger's impressive ride comfort and control (for a ute), but the electric drive adds a special something. More mature, modern and eco responsible.
I'm not about to go all Greta Thunberg, but Iceland being voted both greenest and most peaceful nation on earth is rubbing off on me. A Ranger PHEV feels a positive change.
The 800 metre mountain ahead is classified an active volcano, despite not erupting for 2000 years. Happily – if a dash disappointingly – there's no lava show today, but our Ranger makes short work on Hengill volcano's loose, steep sides.
A Slippery mode lets us competently climb in EV silence, but Low Range for the treacherous stuff fires up the petrol to ensure maximum available wheel torque. Safety first.
Our volcano-top vista reveals the vast steam-spouting geothermal setup, and I get the fuzzies thinking we've climbed here with probably zero carbon footprint.
Still not convinced? As we lunch on fresh fish by a sparkling river, the electrified Ranger reveals its party trick.
The PHEV bit allows Ford's 6.9kW Pro Power Onboard; a high output system with 10-amp 2.3kW socket in the cabin and twin 15-amp 3.45kW sockets in the tray.
I feel very Viking testing a circular saw powered by PHEV alone. Or it could handle a log splitter, spotlights, small cement mixer or charging all your tools.
See it as a mobile generator for powering remote work sites all day, or an off-grid powered camping site. It takes a lot to drain the battery, but if you do, the petrol engine fires to give it juice.
As the sun goes down (although not literally) on our adventure, this Ranger PHEV's advantages appear as clear as the pollution-free chilly Icelandic skies.
2025 Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV
ENGINE 2.3L four-cylinder turbo petrol hybrid, 207kW/697Nm
ELECTRIC RANGE 43km (WLTP)
THIRST 2.9L/100km
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