Detroit 2018: 2019 Ford Ranger

It looks pretty big, which makes me wonder still if there is a market for smaller size trucks.  If this didn't have a Ford badge on it, I probably would have thought it was a Toyota.  Ford needs this though, they are missing out by only having the F150, I think they will sell a lot of these for people that find the F150 too big.

Nice.. it looks like they haven't changed the styling much from the international Ranger that's had a similar face since 2015.   Glad they resisted the urge to go for F150 styling with giant lights and grille.   Key dimensions are within an inch or two of the Colorado, it looks like.    The bumper is different front the current international model, but the body and interior look pretty much unchanged. 

I would expect the international model to follow the look of this one pretty quickly.

This is the current international Ranger, styling looks much the same except for the front bumper/fascia details below the grille.  I wonder if we will have a trim similar to the Wildtrak (black one). 

  On 1/14/2018 at 5:54 AM, Drew Dowdell said:

I would expect the international model to follow the look of this one pretty quickly.

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Yep- and it won't need that much updating either...

Curious to see the prices on this....as they have to be careful a bit there. As the new trucks to getting nice rebates, it's not helping the smaller trucks at all!

If might not hurt to have a small bit of cash on the hood/good leases when it rolls out. With a loving push-think the Ranger should do quite well....

Not bad, I like what Ford has done, I still believe there is a market for the Mini Pickup truck done right over the mid size pickup.

This, at first blush after the spectacular debut of the new Silverado, was a bit underwhelming... but after the hysteria wears off, it is actually a pretty good looking rig.  And I'm not mad that it is not aluminum   Steel bumpers on a truck will always have my vote as well.  The turbo 2.3 might give Chevy lovers an excuse to make fun, but if it delivers reliable power in a truck-like fashion it should be fine once driven and compared.

I want to see an FX4 Supercab in other colors... I am assuming Ford will not have this truck in the flesh at Detroit?  Plus I wonder if the FX4 package will be available on XL and XLT like the F-150.

P.S. if it is 71 inches tall it will fit in my garage!!!  P.P.S. - that full frontal view reminds me an awful lot of the Colorado, with similar headlamp shape, and the tumblehome of the fenders... features I find a little soft for a truck, whether on the Chevy or this Ford.

  On 1/14/2018 at 1:30 PM, ocnblu said:

This, at first blush after the spectacular debut of the new Silverado, was a bit underwhelming... but after the hysteria wears off, it is actually a pretty good looking rig.  And I'm not mad that it is not aluminum   Steel bumpers on a truck will always have my vote as well.  The turbo 2.3 might give Chevy lovers an excuse to make fun, but if it delivers reliable power in a truck-like fashion it should be fine once driven and compared.

I want to see an FX4 Supercab in other colors... I am assuming Ford will not have this truck in the flesh at Detroit?  Plus I wonder if the FX4 package will be available on XL and XLT like the F-150.

P.S. if it is 71 inches tall it will fit in my garage!!!  P.P.S. - that full frontal view reminds me an awful lot of the Colorado, with similar headlamp shape, and the tumblehome of the fenders... features I find a little soft for a truck, whether on the Chevy or this Ford.

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Yeah, there is nothing wrong with the Ranger... but it is just a mild visual refresh of the truck we've seen for years.  No V6 is a no-go for me though... I don't care if its faster 0-60, I don't want to have to constantly be in the boost just to keep moving. 

Yes it will be in the flesh in Detroit. It will be shown tonight.  William and I won't be there though. 

Maybe the 3.3 is viewed as not fitting what the demographic wants... and the 2.7EB might not fit or is seen as too powerful for insurance reasons.  I don't know.  But I agree on the lag thing.

  On 1/14/2018 at 6:42 AM, daves87rs said:

Curious to see the prices on this....as they have to be careful a bit there. As the new trucks to getting nice rebates, it's not helping the smaller trucks at all!

If might not hurt to have a small bit of cash on the hood/good leases when it rolls out. With a loving push-think the Ranger should do quite well....

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That's what I'm wondering as well. If Ford prices it right, they could have a real winner. 

I went over to Ford's preview site for the new Ranger, and it seems like they're just as flexible with the trim package availability as they are on the F-150.  Good news for truck buyers of varying budgets.  So it's either XLT Sport FX4 Supercab 4X4 or even an STX FX4 4X4 Supercab in Lightning Blue or Magnetic since there is no green on the list.

I was looking at the Australian site, they also offer 4- and 5-cyl diesels, a regular cab, and regular cab and chassis variations.  Since they don't have the F-series, they have a broader range of configurations. 

Here's an STX FX4 4X4, based on the XL... I mean, it looks plenty sporty to me, except I'd want the Supercab for the more usable bed length.  And YES, it is a shame Ford won't sell the regular cab here.

I'll say it again,.  Ford needs to price this (at least a couple decently equipped models) in the Frontier range. The Frontier has been mostly unchanged since forever. But people still buy because of the price of entry. If they offer a couple decently equipped models at a low entry people will line up. They can do a King Ranch Ranger (or whatever a top of the line Ranger is) for the others that want a 50K small truck. 

I bet the price range will match the Colorado and Taco ranges pretty closely...

Nice, lack of V6 is an issue.  But Ford seems to be getting rid of nearly all NA v6's so unless there is a new NA v6 coming out, this won't see one.  4 cyl only may just be a way of keeping this from stepping on F150 toes.

When i was selling used vehicles, one of the most popular pickups was the old Ford Explorer based truck.  People loved those because they were trimmed out much nicer than typical rangers.  This new Ranger has a seemingly posh interior design which will appeal to fans of that old Ford Explorer pickup.

Some strong selling points for this truck lover:  the 2.3L EB, being the only engine, means I have no temptation to spend $1200 for a V6, like the Colorado, and it will have good power figures.  Also on the Chevy, in typical GM truck fashion, you have to go up to the Z71 to get a moderately sporty looking off-road package... something Ford offers on even their cheapest XL.  Ford also offers a Sport trim as an add-on to the XLT, for a darker, non-blingy alternative to the normal (and nice) chrome.  They give the customer choices.  This will definitely help ppl spec out a Ranger exactly the way they want it without going over budget.  Except for a stick and a regular cab.

  On 1/14/2018 at 4:27 PM, Scout said:

I'll say it again,.  Ford needs to price this (at least a couple decently equipped models) in the Frontier range. The Frontier has been mostly unchanged since forever. But people still buy because of the price of entry. If they offer a couple decently equipped models at a low entry people will line up. They can do a King Ranch Ranger (or whatever a top of the line Ranger is) for the others that want a 50K small truck. 

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Yet many DO NOT need a Full size or Mid Size truck. This is a great looking truck with plenty of great options, but like @Drew Dowdell no V6 is a NO GO for me.

I think Ford missed the Boat, they could have cleaned up with a modern Mini Pickup that offered all these configs. I do believe that many people especially in the City want a mini pickup for their various projects.

The current international Ranger (the T6 dates back to MY 2011) isn't offered with a  V6 in any market that I can see...maybe they would have had to do costly platform re-engineeering to offer a V6...time will tell whether no V6 is a good or bad idea...

I think saying no V6 is a deal killer is a bit extreme.   Isn't the point of small trucks for people that don't want/need a full size, and economy. The "mini" truck market killed itself when they all got so darn porky the line between full size and small became blurred. It became a comparison between near economy and size of the big brother for about the same price. I'd say at best the small trucks are midsize to large compared to what the popular small trucks used to be.

So isn't the real question, is the Ranger going to offer economy in both efficiency and value for those that don't want/need a full size?

On that note, I'd also love to see speachal edition performance options like days gone by. But that's not the bread and butter of this particular market. 

Well, this Ranger is a midsize, though, which are usually V6...definitely not as small as the old Ranger. This is Colorado/Canyon sized. 

It's funny, I just realized the simple, clean front of the Ranger matches up more with the 2019 Ram than the overwrought dreck of the F series and Super Duty front ends....similar light clusters and grille shape to the Ram. 

  On 1/14/2018 at 4:24 PM, ocnblu said:

Here's an STX FX4 4X4, based on the XL... I mean, it looks plenty sporty to me, except I'd want the Supercab for the more usable bed length.  And YES, it is a shame Ford won't sell the regular cab here.

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I love that color....and I was hoping they would follow the trims of the f-150 somewhat. It's pretty much all I need in a truck....

  On 1/14/2018 at 6:07 PM, dfelt said:

Yet many DO NOT need a Full size or Mid Size truck. This is a great looking truck with plenty of great options, but like @Drew Dowdell no V6 is a NO GO for me.

I think Ford missed the Boat, they could have cleaned up with a modern Mini Pickup that offered all these configs. I do believe that many people especially in the City want a mini pickup for their various projects.

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If it still has the get up and go it needs and can do light towing, I am more than fine with that....

Will Ford even bother to move the shifter over to the left side (driver's side in the US) of the console?

  On 1/15/2018 at 4:35 AM, regfootball said:

Will Ford even bother to move the shifter over to the left side (driver's side in the US) of the console?

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Well, the T6 Ranger was engineered in Australia, so it was RHD before LHD.....though in the first version of the T6 ('11-14)  the shifter looks centered in the console.

 But if you look at the '15-18 interior, the shifter seems to have moved towards the passenger, and the new NA version is kind of the mirror image of the this. 

2019 NA version:

in the truck, the shifter to the passenger side should leave some more room to splay the legs and let it all hang out. 

For automatics, the shifter should be on the column rather than wasting console space that could better be used for storage cubbies. 

Ram trucks have gone to the shift knob. And after using it in our new van. I like it. It frees up space definitely. The days of the big shifter knob may be coming to an end. 

  On 1/15/2018 at 3:49 PM, regfootball said:

Ram trucks have gone to the shift knob. And after using it in our new van. I like it. It frees up space definitely. The days of the big shifter knob may be coming to an end. 

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I haven't driven anything yet w/ that knob, but I'd probably like it.    I'm surprised Jeep hasn't used it yet.  My Jeep has the funky small shifter that stays in place (move forward and back to shift then it returns to the center). 

I like this.  i like the fact they seem to be giving it some actual ground clearance and no ground dragging lower front spoiler.  the interior looks nice.  The side view is Very Colorado and I am not feeling the 2.3 turbo as the only engine option.  Was hoping for the option of the 2.7T

  On 1/15/2018 at 4:12 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

I haven't driven anything yet w/ that knob, but I'd probably like it.    I'm surprised Jeep hasn't used it yet.  My Jeep has the funky small shifter that stays in place (move forward and back to shift then it returns to the center). 

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GM has used that shifter for a while too, I like it in my sons jeep.

  On 1/15/2018 at 5:42 PM, dfelt said:

GM has used that shifter for a while too, I like it in my sons jeep.

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I think his is a '17, though?  They changed the shifter in '17.   My '14 has this shifter:

While the '17-18 has this shifter:

  On 1/15/2018 at 5:46 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

I think his is a '17, though?  They changed the shifter in '17.   My '14 has this shifter:

 

While the '17-18 has this shifter:

 

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Yup, His is a 17 and I see the difference in shifters. Cadillac XT5 shifter looks more like his but seems to me to have that move it and always come back to center position mode.

  On 1/14/2018 at 6:50 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Well, this Ranger is a midsize, though, which are usually V6...definitely not as small as the old Ranger. This is Colorado/Canyon sized. 

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Perhaps I misspoke, wasn't clear, misused punctuation, or in some way failed to get the point across here,,

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 The "mini" truck market killed itself when they all got so darn porky the line between full size and small became blurred.

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Although I did think this covered the point,

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 isn't the real question, is the Ranger going to offer economy in both efficiency and value for those that don't want/need a full size?

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  On 1/14/2018 at 6:07 PM, dfelt said:

 

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  On 1/14/2018 at 6:07 PM, dfelt said:

  On 1/14/2018 at 10:07 AM, dfelt said:

Yet many DO NOT need a Full size or Mid Size truck. This is a great looking truck with plenty of great options, but like @Drew Dowdell no V6 is a NO GO for me.

I think Ford missed the Boat, they could have cleaned up with a modern Mini Pickup that offered all these configs. I do believe that many people especially in the City want a mini pickup for their various projects.

 

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I'll debate what is in bold if you would like. 

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If it still has the get up and go it needs and can do light towing, I am more than fine with that....

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And the above quoted sums up what a "small truck"  job is. 

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It is what it is...Ford just federalized a vehicle they have built and sold in other markets since 2011.  Probably a very small investment.  Also this generation of Ranger has always been 4/5 cylinder.  Presumably not engineered for a V6. 

 With the 'One Ford' playbook the Ranger is their global small truck, too big of a risky investment to do something smaller and cheaper. 

I'm curious what the towing capacity will be.  And how that number with compare with the Coloyon and Taco .

It can be viewed as a very tentative entry in the segment, but at the same time it hits a lot of buttons.  It can also be viewed as "just right", but pricing will be the ultimate test.

  On 1/14/2018 at 6:07 PM, dfelt said:

Yet many DO NOT need a Full size or Mid Size truck. This is a great looking truck with plenty of great options, but like @Drew Dowdell no V6 is a NO GO for me.

I think Ford missed the Boat, they could have cleaned up with a modern Mini Pickup that offered all these configs. I do believe that many people especially in the City want a mini pickup for their various projects.

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You want a smaller truck and a V6. Those things do not go hand in hand. If it was even smaller it would have been a guarantee a year ago it would have been a 4 banger only. 

I think it looks good. I was afraid it would have looked like the international version which I don't think looks good. Even though it is only a small change the bumpers made a huge difference. 

i wonder what it would cost to lease something with the FX4 package because it looks sweet. 

I'm still not sure if it looks any better than the Tacoma but it easily looks better than a Colorado. The Colorado just looks too soft. If I got one of those twins I'd have to go with the Canyon for its boxier/tougher looks. 

  On 1/16/2018 at 3:03 PM, ccap41 said:

You want a smaller truck and a V6. Those things do not go hand in hand. If it was even smaller it would have been a guarantee a year ago it would have been a 4 banger only. 

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Clarification grasshopper, in the mid size truck class, to me V6 is a requirement and should be there.

In the Mini Truck class, 4 bangers only with and without turbo is fine.

When you look at the mini trucks of the late 70's and 80's the Chevy Luv, Ford Ranger, S10, etc. they all did the job they were needed for which for many people was going to Home Depot type stores, small jobs.

I still believe a mini truck market can exist and even be a EV truck that handles 500 to a max 1000lbs.

  On 1/16/2018 at 3:14 PM, dfelt said:

Clarification grasshopper, in the mid size truck class, to me V6 is a requirement and should be there.

In the Mini Truck class, 4 bangers only with and without turbo is fine.

When you look at the mini trucks of the late 70's and 80's the Chevy Luv, Ford Ranger, S10, etc. they all did the job they were needed for which for many people was going to Home Depot type stores, small jobs.

I still believe a mini truck market can exist and even be a EV truck that handles 500 to a max 1000lbs.

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Ehhh a modern turbo 4 can easily do the job and with much better torque output. I agree they should probably have one for those who feel it is necessary but I don't think they need to offer one. 

Noooooo no n/a 4 banger in a tiny truck. Even those would likely weigh in the ballpark of 3500lbs with all the modern safety tech and I know what it's like driving a n/a 4 cylinder. It's "okay" but I wouldn't want that in anything that I carry weight around regularly. 

Also, 500lbs payload is almost literally 2 Americans, LOL. The 1000lbs is more what one would need. 

  On 1/16/2018 at 3:14 PM, dfelt said:

 

When you look at the mini trucks of the late 70's and 80's the Chevy Luv, Ford Ranger, S10, etc. they all did the job they were needed for which for many people was going to Home Depot type stores, small jobs. 

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Is there still a market for such trucks anymore, though? 

  On 1/16/2018 at 3:38 PM, ccap41 said:

Ehhh a modern turbo 4 can easily do the job and with much better torque output. I agree they should probably have one for those who feel it is necessary but I don't think they need to offer one. 

Noooooo no n/a 4 banger in a tiny truck. Even those would likely weigh in the ballpark of 3500lbs with all the modern safety tech and I know what it's like driving a n/a 4 cylinder. It's "okay" but I wouldn't want that in anything that I carry weight around regularly. 

Also, 500lbs payload is almost literally 2 Americans, LOL. The 1000lbs is more what one would need. 

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My thinking is that you can have a mini pickup truck that can hold 3 adults in base cabe config plus another 500 to 1000 lbs in the bed.

I think with EV mini pickup truck you could easily have AWD of a performance monster with up to 1000 lbs payload capacity in the bed and have a quiet sleeper Syclone pickup.

Yup loved the GMC Syclone pickup, just think the fun that would be for hauling around 5 kegs in the bed!  

  On 1/16/2018 at 3:46 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Is there still a market for such trucks anymore, though? 

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Yes, it is amazing to see in Seattle how many people still have mini pickups as they do not need mid or full size trucks even with owning a house and the tight parking on streets, etc. Inner City living I still believe people want a truck for various chores without all the size and bulk.

First Auto OEM to build a 200 mile range EV Mini Pickup will catch considerable market share.

  On 1/16/2018 at 3:46 PM, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Is there still a market for such trucks anymore, though? 

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i think they're just too small. I mean a Escape-sizes vehicle could do the same job and is likely similarly priced(because trucks are expensive). 

I know there are people that still buy used small trucks, my older brother is on his 3rd Ranger in 20 years now (recently bought a clean '09 Super Cab 4x4).    He doesn't haul much beyond dog food.   I couldn't see him buying the new one--too expensive and fancy for him.