The Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series has been the go-to tough-truck for Australian miners, farmers, tradies and adventurers for more than four decades, but the trusty Japanese workhorse may finally have met its measure.
It’s no secret the first-ever Ford Ranger Super Duty was developed in Australia specifically to target the popular 70 Series, which dates back to 1984 and now faces its strongest competition yet.
According to Ford, the new locally developed Ranger Super Duty has attracted thousands of customers since its release in November 2025, and proved more popular than the 70 Series in the first quarter of this year.
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“It’s been an incredible success for us, and many of you came to our Super Duty launch at the end of last year and got to experience for yourself how it is in a class of its own. There’s simply nothing that can deliver the combination of capability that Super Duty does,” Ford Australia marketing director Ambrose Henderson told media in a press briefing last week.
“We’ve now delivered thousands of those vehicles since we launched at the end of last year, and in fact, for the first quarter of this year – the first quarter that Ranger Super Duty was on sale – it outsold LC70.”
Toyota delivered 1287 Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series utes in the first quarter of this year, per VFACTS industry sales reports. However, it bundles sales of the 70 Series wagon range in with the much newer LandCruiser 300 Series, and it’s unclear how many of this 2857 tally consisted of 70 Series wagon and Troop Carrier variants.
Ford wouldn’t reveal exact sales figures for the Ranger Super Duty, but you’d expect a new model to be more popular than an equivalent vehicle that largely dates back 42 years.
However, apart from single-cab and dual-cab derivatives, the 70 Series is also available in five-door wagon and Troop Carrier body styles, for which the Ranger Super Duty has no answer.
The Ford has also so far been available only in entry-level cab/chassis guise, with first deliveries of pickup variants taking place from last week, in both standard and new, more upmarket XLT forms.
“We’re very proud of its performance so far, and this week marks the next historic step on Ranger Super Duty, and that is the arrival of the pickup version and of the XLT version,” said Mr Henderson.
“So, you’ll note the sales that we’ve achieved so far, and delivering more than LC70 in quarter one this year, was just with the cab/chassis version. So, by the end of this week, our dealers around the country will have the pickup version and also the XLT version in their showrooms for customers to experience.
“We know we have a lot of pent-up demand for those cars, which we’re really excited about. So we’re excited to see customers in them and using them to tow and haul and carry around the country.”
As we’ve reported, Ranger Super Duty sales could be further bolstered in future by potential contracts with defence and law enforcement customers.
The Australian-developed model could also be re-engineered for sale in left-hand drive markets including the US, and an Everest Super Duty spin-off could also eventuate, giving Ford a rival for wagon versions of the 70 Series.
The Ranger Super Duty is now being rolled out to other markets such as South Africa, and Ford has begun campaigning for defence contracts in North America and Europe, positioning it as a global military vehicle.
“Beginning last year, several governments in North America and Europe engaged with Ford to discuss how our highly capable commercial vehicles and cutting-edge technologies could support their modern defence needs,” said Ford in late 2025.
“Traditional, purpose-built military hardware takes years to develop and costs billions. By using commercial, off-the-shelf solutions from Ford, governments can access world-class technology at a fraction of the time and cost.
“Security is a collaborative effort, and our international operations are central to this vision. The Ford Ranger, for example, is built and sold around the world, making it an ideal candidate for international defence cooperation.”
A Ford Australia spokesperson told CarExpert separately at the time: “The Ford Ranger Super Duty was designed with a diverse customer base and use case in mind. If the defence and security sector sees a benefit in its increased payload, towing, and off-road capability, we would be happy to work with them.
“Ranger Super Duty comes to market as a result of extensive customer feedback from heavy-duty fleet operators revealed a gap in the market for a vehicle that met their needs without compromise.
“Customers told us they wanted the size, dependability, safety, and agility of Ranger with the heavy-duty capability that comes with Super Duty, resulting in a new mid-size truck engineered to conquer extreme conditions and demanding workloads straight from the factory.
“We are open to conversations with any and all organisations and customers who require a vehicle with this type of capability.”
If militaries in other parts of the world choose the Ranger Super Duty for service, it could increase the chances of the Australian-developed ute being used by the ADF here.
Defence organisations often prefer equipment that has not only been proven elsewhere, but is also in use by allied nations, due to efficiencies with parts supplies, repairs, training, and transport during military exercises and operations.
“We are still in the early stages of this work,” Ford told CarExpert at the Super Duty launch. “While we have not finalised any specific projects in the defence market, the dialogue with governments in North America and Europe remains productive.”
Conceived, designed, engineered, developed and tested in Australia, the Ranger Super Duty receives thicker chassis rails with reinforced steel, cast aluminium suspension arms, and strengthened leaf springs, as well as heavy-duty differentials, driveshafts, and wheel hubs.
Brakes and cooling have also been upgraded, while a new long-range fuel tank is protected from punctures by 4mm of armour plating.
Under the bonnet is Ford’s 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 producing 154kW and 600Nm, matched as standard with a 10-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive with selectable low-range gearing.
Aimed at retail buyers, XLT versions add leather-accented upholstery, power-adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation, carpeted floors, all-weather front floor mats, and 18-inch alloy wheels with all-terrain tyres.
Ranger Super Duty pricing starts from $82,990 before on-road costs for the single-cab/chassis, with an extra-cab body adding $3500 to the price, a dual-cab body adding a further $3500, a pickup tray adding another $4000, and XLT trim adding another $6000, with the XLT Double Cab Pickup topping the range – for now – at $99,990 plus ORCs.