Ranger isn’t as capable as the F-150, but it this commercial shows that it is still Built Ford Tough.
This week’s Throwback Thursday video comes to us from the Classic Car Channel on YouTube and it features a commercial for the Ford Ranger from the 1990s. While this small truck shares only a name with the pickup coming to American dealerships next year, we can expect that the new models will be marketed in the same manner as the models from the 1990s.
Rugged Marketing
The odds are good that many Ford Ranger owners never went swimming, hiking and off-roading in the Grand Canyon, the Motor Company wanted to stress the fact that their mid-sized truck could satisfy the needs off a hardcore outdoorsman. This commercial shows one such person who is enjoying the terrain of what appears to be the Grand Canyon with his 1990s Ford Ranger.
The outdoorsman explains that he can fit everything that he needs into a weekend, followed by footage of him conquering the wilderness. In addition to swimming and hiking, we see the Ranger doing its own conquering of the land while carrying the items needed for a sweaty weekend in the wild.
Expect Similar in the Future
The Ford Ranger will return to the US market later this year and when it does, we can expect similar marketing campaigns to this one. While the majority of new Ranger buyers will only ever use the truck for their on-road daily drive and perhaps some local dirt roads, the new mid-sized Ford truck will surely be even more capable than the vehicle shown at work in the video above.
In the end, Ford builds trucks for those people who use them for the most extreme activities and in the 1990s and today – the Ranger is built to go anywhere.
"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.
