2022 Ford Ranger FX4 Max review

The Ford Ranger line-up isn’t short of variants, from the work-ready XL to the prerunner-esque Raptor, so when another one bumped onto the scene in 2020, we all thought the same thing – is it really necessary?

In the case of the Ford Ranger FX4 Max, the short answer is yes. The baby Raptor, as it appears, actually offers many benefits over its brawny big bro.

UPDATE, July 2022: New Ford Ranger review – it's here at last

The new 2023 Ford Ranger is now on sale in Australia, and the local media launch has been run. The Wheels and 4x4 Australia teams have both driven the new Ranger, and you can find their stories at the links below.

Story continues...

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Price, for one, is far more reasonable. Then there’s Ford’s decision to retain the leaf-sprung rear, offering payload and towing benefits the Raptor can’t match. But more on that later.

Now yes, there’s a new Ranger line-up coming this year but stick with us here. The FX4 Max might be the perfect off-road-ready adventure ute for you if you can’t justify 80-odd grand for a Raptor and you don’t want to wait for the new range to land later in the year.

Ford went after the factory customised off-road market with the FX4 Max, taking the fight to Mazda's BT-50 Thunder, Toyota’s HiLux Rugged X, and Nissan’s Navara N Trek Warrior.

In reality, all of these tough(ish) ute options offer punters the common mix of better rubber, more clearance, sliders or beefier steps, better suspension and cabin upgrades.

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It makes perfect sense, given how many dual-cab ute buyers rush straight off to get a lift kit, flares, beefier tyres and other accessories.

While the Ranger Raptor has proven popular, it’s in a class of its own and costs a fair chunk more than the rest of the top-spec off-roaders. Enter the FX4 Max, Ford’s like-for-like competitor to the Rugged X, N Trek Warrior, and Thunder.

Outside and in

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The FX4 Max is every bit a specced-up Ranger XLT, with various visual and mechanical upgrades, but it does also borrow design cues from the Raptor.

Its most Raptor-esque upgrade over a standard Ranger is Fox 2.0-inch monotube shocks all round, compared to its big bro’s 2.5-inch units, featuring trick remote reservoirs in the rear.

With this upgrade comes revised coil springs up front and a staggered leaf set-up in the rear, as well as a 29mm front stabiliser bar, offering a cushy ride on-road and strong off-road compliance.

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The suspension upgrades equate to 20mm of additional ground clearance, which isn’t much by lift kit standards but for a stocker it all adds up.

Ford clearly wanted strong off-road capability while retaining stout carrying capacity, which they have achieved with the FX4 Max.

Beefy 32-inch BF Goodrich K02 off-road tyres on 17-inch alloys provide a little extra ground clearance and a wider track, too, while critically improving the off-road performance of the FX4 Max straight off the showroom floor.

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The Raptor-inspired upgrades do extend to visual tweaks, like a blacked-out F O R D grille, full-length sports bar and tough hoop-style side steps. I say 'visual' because none of those things really help the FX4 Max off-road.

In fact, the steps hindered us the moment we found the ramp-over limit (it wasn’t hard) and we’d far prefer sliders than a swanky set of pointless steps that will inevitably end up bent.

The Raptor-inspired upgrades do extend to visual tweaks. I say 'visual' because none of those things really help the FX4 Max off-road

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Inside, the first thing you’ll notice is a centre-mounted Upfitter switch bank wired to a beefier 250A alternator, making accessories as close to plug-and-play as you’re going to find.

Interior finish is a big step up, most notably the seats that feature carbon accents and suede inserts with FX4 Max embroidery. How easy they’d be to scrub mud out of is questionable, but they do look great.

A leather-wrapped steering wheel and Raptor sports pedals complete the package. There are various other black inserts throughout and overall it’s a significantly revised interior, visually at least, over XLT models.

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Front and centre there’s the 8.0-inch SYNC3 infotainment system we have come to know and love in Ranger and Everest variants, with all the usual Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a great GPS, and an exceptional interface. Ford really nailed it with the SYNC3 system.

Safety, as is the case across the Ranger line-up, covers off just about everything you’d expect for a dual-cab ute and the FX4 Max carries the same five-star ANCAP rating as the rest of the Rangers.

The FX4 Max comes standard with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist, reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors, auto high beam, emergency call function, six airbags, trailer-sway control, and tyre pressure monitoring.

If you want adaptive cruise control or semi-auto active park assist, you’ll have to fork out $550 for the Tech Pack.

Under the Hood

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Unlike other Ranger and Everest models, still offering the dated but tough-as-nails 3.2-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel donk, the FX4 Max is only offered with the newer 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo with 10-speed automatic.

This is a good thing because it’s a more refined powertrain and will still be offered when the new Ranger line-up lands.

The 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo produces 157kW/500Nm and Ford claims a somewhat optimistic 8.0L/100km. Perhaps this is achievable but we hovered between eight and nine litres per hundred when cruising, with a final figure of 9.8L/100km after a mix of moderate on- and off-road use.

The FX4 Max scores the same part-time 4x4 system as other Rangers, with a good ol’ transfer case and locking rear diff – all the standard kit needed to keep you out of trouble.

Nitty Gritty

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Where the FX Max outshines its Raptor sibling, is carrying capacity. A leaf-sprung rear gives the FX4 Max a GVM of 3200kg which, with a kerb weight of 2,219kg, leaves a tradie-ready 981kg payload.

And better yet, the FX Max scores a full 3500kg braked towing capacity, making it as capable a work ute as an off-roader. It gets a tow-bar as standard but do expect to have to manually shift and hold gears when towing, because the frenetic ten-speed likes to shift a bit too willingly and the little 2.0-litre doesn’t like to lug.

The FX4 Max has an overall height of 1852mm, up a little over the XLT’s 1821mm, thanks to suspension upgrades keeping you further off the ground.

And speaking of, ground clearance is 256mm, up from the XLT’s 237mm, which is plenty for light to moderate off-road use.

Approach angle comes in at 31 degrees, rampover angle is 25 degrees, departure angle is 23 degrees and wading depth is 800mm.

These numbers aren’t extreme, but all are better than the Ranger XLT and validate the FX4 Max’s off-road credentials.

And for off-road adventurers concerned with range, the fuel tank capacity is 80L, which is pretty standard across the 4x4 dual-cab ute segment.

What's it like to drive?

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We had the FX4 Max for a little over a week, straight off the back of a ‘21 Everest, and after picking it up a summer storm on the way home gave us a good idea of how the 32-inch BF Goodrich K02s went in the wet.

They're great off-road, but just expect a bit of tail-wagging in the wet and some tyre noise over 80km/h. Chunky off-road tyres are a diligent traction control system’s worst nightmare, but it’s the price you pay for grip out in the wild.

That aside – and it was fun anyway – the FX4 Max is probably the most capable out-of-the-box Ranger I’ve tested. No, it isn’t a Raptor that makes you feel like a Finke racer, but it’s pretty damn good at everything.

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On-road it’s just a Ranger with, in the case of our tester with the optional decal pack, a lairy paint job and aggressive styling in line with what Aussies go for.

Straight out of the dealership, it looks like it should and has most of the extras weekend adventurers fit weeks after buying a 4x4 ute; steps, switches, off-road rubber, and plenty of blacked-out items both inside and out. At least the blacked-out bits on the FX4 Max aren’t Plasti-dip, like half the utes out there!

I can’t fault the way it looks but probably wouldn’t opt for the decal pack that add racing stripes along the sides. It felt a bit ‘look at me’. But it does distinguish the FX4 Max from other Rangers, so I can understand it as an option.

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Inside, it looks and feels the part too. The seats look and feel premium, with suede and carbon, as does the rest of the cab.

The Upfitter switch bank mounted on the dash gives you six accessory switches hooked up to a higher output alternator, which is one of the first things I noticed. It feels like a customised fourby and that appeals to many people. Hook up your light bar/spotties, winch, anything you want and it’s all there ready to go.

Straight out of the dealership, it looks like it should and has most of the extras weekend adventurers fit weeks after buying a 4x4 ute

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It drives like a Ranger, but the suspension is better and you can feel the more aggressive tyres from the onset.

Around town, the Fox shocks, with the revised coil and leaf set-up, feel soft but not hugely different to a regular Ranger.

They become far more apparent off-road, when on rougher terrain or fighting for traction on undulating trails.

I’d rather have the Fox suspension than not have it, as it offers no downside on-road but feels better off-road and handles big hits far better.

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The 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo is a strong unit, pulling hard and keeping torque on tap thanks to ten cogs that, despite getting confused at times, keep grunt available.

Ford's 10-speed auto shines around town too, skipping gears and keeping fuel use down, while offering on-the-go power when needed across such a wide range of ratios.

Off-road or when towing, manually shifting gears does seem to be the go, and in general driving, its confusion seems to be mitigated by deliberate throttle inputs. Again, it’s grown on so many of us, because while it seems a gear or two too many, it does work well once you’ve wrapped your head around it.

The infotainment system is a joy to use and, I've said it before and I'll say it again, the SYNC3 system just works. It’s responsive, logical and nothing about it gets annoying.

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Safety tech on the Ranger is up there with the best, although adaptive cruise control as standard would be nice for the price you’re paying.

The various lane-keep and warning systems are unobtrusive and don’t fight you for control unless you’ve made a big ol’ doozy and in that case, it’s what they’re there to do.

Steering feels great with a more aggressive tyre and, as is usual for Rangers, that electric steering set-up is spot on.

Off-road, the tyres shine and the Fox shocks keep them grounded over anything you could throw at this FX Max, with stock clearance becoming the limiting factor.

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We went to the Ormeau 4x4 tracks just outside of Brisbane to give this thing a belting off-road and due to rain, we didn’t get far.

The FX4 Max handled the trails we could drive bloody well. It certainly didn’t feel like a stock 4x4 and made easy work of some pretty washed out tracks. Tyres are probably the biggest contributor, as much as we’d like to think it's the Fox gear.

The FX4 Max handled the trails bloody well. It certainly didn’t feel like a stock 4x4, though tyres are probably the biggest contributor

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Where we ran into issues was when we started bottoming out on a couple of tracks that saw the side steps limiting us from going any further. We reversed out unscathed but had it not been for the low-hanging side steps we’d have been able to tackle the worst of the tracks.

This is where we’d prefer to see sliders on a dedicated off-road model like this. The HiLux Rugged X gets heavy-duty rock sliders, as well as a steel front bar and bumper to take knocks – which we suspect would hold up better in the bush than the FX4 Max if attacking gnarly tracks.

Value and ownership

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The FX4 Max offers much of the same upgraded kit as the D-Max X-Terrain and HiLux Rugged X and sits right between the two in terms of price. A lot of it, though, will come down to buyers’ visual preference, particularly between the exxier Rugged X and FX4 Max.

Could you buy a Ranger XLT and modify it to a similar spec to the FX4 Max for less than the price difference? You probably could. But you pay for convenience and all of it falls under the manufacturer warranty, which is a big selling point for these upgraded off-roaders.

You could buy a Ranger FX4 Max on Friday and be on the beach or deep in the bush on Saturday. It’s capable, looks the part and offers plenty of premium kit to justify the price.

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The as-tested price for this vehicle is $68,140 before on-road costs, made up of the base vehicle price of $66,190 plus prestige paint at $650, the tech pack at $550 and FX4 Decal Pack at $750. Like we mentioned earlier, we’d probably ditch the decals, but that’s a personal preference.

Ford offers a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty for the FX4 Max, like all other Ranger models, and servicing comes around every 15,000km/12 months.

You could buy a Ranger FX4 Max on Friday and be on the beach or deep in the bush on Saturday. It’s capable and offers plenty of premium kit to justify the price

2022 Ford Ranger FX4 Max specifications