A pair of midsize trucks not offered in the US showcase the capabilities of the foreign Ford Ranger.
The vast majority of our “Muddy Monday” videos show Ford trucks racing around a track, smoking their tires, or playing in the mud, but this week’s video is a little different. It’s a 3.5-minute clip of a Mitsubishi Triton struggling to keep up with a Ranger on a muddy path.
Before the action begins, the Mitsubishi Triton is already buried in the mud, with the driver trying to work the truck back and forth to make some progress. Eventually the driver backs the little Mitsubishi back up the hill, where we see the Ford Ranger waiting for a chance to attack the muddy path.
With the help of gravity, the Mitsubishi pickup nearly makes it to the other side of the pit, but the driver gets the little Japanese pickup stuck in the mud once again. This forces the driver to back all of the way up to the Ranger. On the third try the Mitsubishi is able to get enough traction to climb out of the mud.
After watching the Triton struggle for three minutes, the Ford Ranger casually drives down the hill, through the mud, and up to dry land without so much as breaking a sweat. It shows just how much more capable the current Ford Ranger is when compared to other global midsize trucks.
Even though neither of these vehicles are current available in the US, the same team who helped to develop this Ford Ranger will have a hand in the development of the 2019 American Ford Ranger. Based on this video, it looks like the new Ranger will be a very capable little mudder!
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"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
