Ford Ranger vs Toyota Hilux BEV in Malaysia: Price, specs, and towing comparison

Before pick-up buyers put their money down, they usually have a very specific checklist in mind: the cargo bed must haul, the tow hitch must pull, long-distance runs cannot break down halfway, and heading into construction sites or plantations cannot mean running out of juice with nowhere to top up.

The Ford Ranger Platinum 3.0 is priced at RM205,888, while the Toyota Hilux BEV retails at RM226,300. The fully electric model is RM20,412 dearer, but in terms of workhorse capability, it is in a completely different league compared to the diesel.

This is not a case of a truck being "pricier because it has more kit". It costs over RM20,000 more, yet takes a step backwards in the core aspects that define a pick-up. Whether that compromise is justifiable depends entirely on what goes into the cargo bed, whether you tow, and how many kilometres you clock in a day.

Performance

The Ranger Platinum's 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel delivers 250 PS and 600 N·m, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4WD. It boasts up to a 1,000 kg payload, a 3,500 kg towing capacity, and an 800 mm water-wading depth.

With that 600 N·m pulling hard right from low revs, tackling steep inclines with a one-tonne load in the bed and a 3.5-tonne trailer hooked up requires neither burying your right foot nor waiting for the gearbox to drop multiple cogs to build revs.

The Hilux BEV's dual-motor setup generates a combined 196 PS, courtesy of a 112 PS / 205 N·m front motor and a 176 PS / 268 N·m rear motor. Instant electric torque means off-the-line response from traffic lights is undeniably sharper than any oil-burner.

However, its payload is rated at 750 kg, while towing capacity is capped at just 1.6 tonnes.

To accommodate the rear drive motor, the traditional rigid axle with leaf springs had to make way for a De Dion rear suspension, which directly compromises payload and towing figures. As a result, the BEV falls well short of the standard Hilux's legendary "one-tonne" workhorse benchmark.

What does a 1.6-tonne towing limit look like in practice? Hitch a small boat or a mobile trailer filled with tools, and you have already eaten up most of your allowable capacity. The diesel Ranger's 3.5 tonnes, on the other hand, is built for people who genuinely need heavy-duty pulling power.

Range

The Hilux BEV packs a 59.2 kWh battery, rated at 315 km on the NEDC cycle and 257 km under WLTP testing. Driven unladen around town and the suburbs, even a derated real-world figure will suffice for a few days.

But in real-world truck duties, driving empty is the exception rather than the norm. Hauling cargo in the bed, towing, sustained highway cruising, and hill climbs all suck massive amounts of juice from the battery pack.

The 257 km WLTP figure is already much closer to real-world driving than NEDC; anyone who has driven an EV knows all too well how quickly that range plummets when towing a 1.6-tonne load at highway speeds.

Fill up the Ranger's diesel tank, and it easily does over 700 km even with highway cruising and towing duties factored in. Given the abundance of petrol stations along the North-South Expressway, a five-minute diesel top-up requires neither route planning nor queuing for charging bays.

When it comes to DC fast charging, Toyota Malaysia's official portal quotes a 150 kW peak rate, taking roughly 30 minutes from 10% to 80%; half an hour may not sound like much, but juxtaposed against a five-minute diesel pump run, the gap is glaring.

If your truck earns its keep on a per-trip basis, 30 minutes tethered to a charger represents real downtime and lost revenue.

Warranty Coverage

The Hilux BEV costs RM20,412 more than the Ranger Platinum. If you pit it against the Ranger Wildtrak V6 at around RM193,888, that premium swells past the RM32,000 mark, making the price gulf even harder to ignore.

On the warranty front, both trucks offer a standard 5-year / 150,000 km manufacturer vehicle warranty. The Hilux BEV backs its high-voltage battery, inverter, and power electronics with an 8-year unlimited-mileage package, extendable to a 10th year for RM5,700.

Running an electric truck on daily electrons is certainly cheaper than burning diesel, and routine servicing does away with engine oil, oil filters, and diesel fuel filters. But with a showroom price that is over RM20,000 higher, amortising that premium purely through fuel and routine service savings will take a very long time under demanding commercial usage.

Crucially, the downtime spent charging represents an actual hit to revenue in commercial fleet operations—a cost penalty that "cheaper electricity" cannot easily offset.

Off-Road Capability

The Hilux BEV maintains a 212 mm ground clearance and 700 mm water-wading depth, complete with underbody armour to shield the battery pack, preserving its core 4x4 hardware. The electric motors' instantaneous low-end torque is also a massive asset during technical crawls and off-road recovery, delivering drive without lag.

However, off-roading rarely coexists with convenient charging infrastructure. Deep inside oil palm estates or along jungle trails, a diesel truck can be easily refuelled from jerry cans, whereas an EV must limp back to where a charging point exists. In these remote areas devoid of infrastructure, the Ranger's diesel powertrain is, in effect, its own self-sustaining infrastructure.

When It Comes to Work, It Still Has to Be the Ranger

The Ranger Platinum is built for long hauls, heavy loads, heavy towing, and venturing into areas where charging piles simply do not exist. That effortless 600 N·m wave, 3.5-tonne towing threshold, and five-minute splash-and-dash rhythm are operational realities pure electric powertrains cannot match today. While its cabin kit and tarmac refinement are plush by truck standards, its primary value proposition remains that it "can take on any job".

The Hilux BEV, conversely, caters to a very specific operational envelope: dedicated home or depot charging, daily commutes within urban and suburban perimeters, occasional light cargo in the bed with no heavy payloads, zero towing, and a daily travel radius under 100 km. Within those boundaries, its immediate throttle response, whisper-quiet cabin, and low running costs are genuine selling points.

Step beyond that line into outstation runs, heavy hauling, or rural outposts, and its range anxiety and charging tempo will dictate your entire schedule. If you are buying a pick-up primarily as an urban lifestyle statement and cannot stand the diesel engine clatter, the Hilux BEV makes plenty of sense. But if you are buying a truck to get proper work done, stick with the Ranger.

(Image source credit: wheelsage.org)

Specification Comparison