Photo: Ricardo / edited
Ricardo PLC is a company that often gets ignored by the casual four-wheeled enthusiast. Headquartered in a West Sussex coastal town, the British outfit was contracted by the Ford Motor Company to design the manual transaxle of the first-gen GT supercar.
What's more, the publicly listed company named after Harry Ricardo supplies McLaren Automotive with the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 of the 750S and 3.0L twin-turbo V6 of the Artura. Earlier in 2023, none other than Ricardo announced a multi-year V8 supply agreement for McLaren's next-gen hybrid models.
In the background, Ricardo has also worked its magic on the all-new Ranger. Coming to America for the 2024 model year, the T6.2 is offered with a selection of six- and four-cylinder lumps. The United States won't receive the 3.0-liter turbo diesel V6 of the 6x6 conversion before your eyes, yet Ford actually offered this engine in the F-150 from 2018 to 2021.
So, what's the deal with said 6x6 conversion? Simply put, Ricardo wants to demonstrate how big of a difference an electric rear drive and one additional rear axle can make in a mid-size pickup truck. HEX is the conversion's name. HEX is "an overlay bolt-on system" that doesn't require any alternation to the donor vehicle, namely Europe's best-selling pickup.
The rear-mounted electric drive system utilizes a series-production Ford motor that belts out 210 kW at full chatter. 210 kW is pretty close to the rear drive unit of the Mustang Mach-E, and those kilowatt hours convert to 270 horsepower. The Power Stroke turbo diesel is listed by Ricardo with 186 kW (249 hp) although Ford says it offers 184 kW (247 hp).
Its peak torque rating is 600 Nm (443 pound-feet), whereas the Mustang Mach-E in rear-wheel-drive flavor is good for 430 Nm (317 pound-feet). In other words, the Ricardo-converted 6x6 Ranger makes quite a bit more power and torque than the Raptor.
Gifted with De Dion-style rear suspension because it's robust and relatively light, the HEX setup improves the Ranger's payload to 3,800 kilograms (8,377 pounds). Over in the United States, maximum payload is rated at 1,805 pounds (819 kilograms). Yet in the Oz, it's 2,926 pounds (1,327 kilograms) for the entry-level XL grade in Single Cab Chassis flavor.
Unfortunately, the HEX is nothing more than a proof of concept for the time being. At press time, Ford doesn't appear to be interested in the HEX. The question is, why would FoMoCo even consider Ricardo's hybrid turbo diesel 6x6er when the Blue Oval already has the Ranger Plug-In Hybrid?
Not meant for the United States market, the plug-in hybrid pickup will start production in late 2024 as a 2025 model with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo. Its high-voltage battery pack and electric drive unit offer a targeted range of more than 45 kilometers (28 miles) under WLTP. Since the aforementioned turbo diesel makes 443 pound-feet, chances are the Ranger PHEV will offer close to 500 on full song.
In the background, Ricardo has also worked its magic on the all-new Ranger. Coming to America for the 2024 model year, the T6.2 is offered with a selection of six- and four-cylinder lumps. The United States won't receive the 3.0-liter turbo diesel V6 of the 6x6 conversion before your eyes, yet Ford actually offered this engine in the F-150 from 2018 to 2021.
So, what's the deal with said 6x6 conversion? Simply put, Ricardo wants to demonstrate how big of a difference an electric rear drive and one additional rear axle can make in a mid-size pickup truck. HEX is the conversion's name. HEX is "an overlay bolt-on system" that doesn't require any alternation to the donor vehicle, namely Europe's best-selling pickup.
The rear-mounted electric drive system utilizes a series-production Ford motor that belts out 210 kW at full chatter. 210 kW is pretty close to the rear drive unit of the Mustang Mach-E, and those kilowatt hours convert to 270 horsepower. The Power Stroke turbo diesel is listed by Ricardo with 186 kW (249 hp) although Ford says it offers 184 kW (247 hp).
Its peak torque rating is 600 Nm (443 pound-feet), whereas the Mustang Mach-E in rear-wheel-drive flavor is good for 430 Nm (317 pound-feet). In other words, the Ricardo-converted 6x6 Ranger makes quite a bit more power and torque than the Raptor.
Gifted with De Dion-style rear suspension because it's robust and relatively light, the HEX setup improves the Ranger's payload to 3,800 kilograms (8,377 pounds). Over in the United States, maximum payload is rated at 1,805 pounds (819 kilograms). Yet in the Oz, it's 2,926 pounds (1,327 kilograms) for the entry-level XL grade in Single Cab Chassis flavor.
Unfortunately, the HEX is nothing more than a proof of concept for the time being. At press time, Ford doesn't appear to be interested in the HEX. The question is, why would FoMoCo even consider Ricardo's hybrid turbo diesel 6x6er when the Blue Oval already has the Ranger Plug-In Hybrid?
Not meant for the United States market, the plug-in hybrid pickup will start production in late 2024 as a 2025 model with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo. Its high-voltage battery pack and electric drive unit offer a targeted range of more than 45 kilometers (28 miles) under WLTP. Since the aforementioned turbo diesel makes 443 pound-feet, chances are the Ranger PHEV will offer close to 500 on full song.
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