If you want your 96 Ranger that bad, go buy one. Look on Craigslist, they're plentiful and cheap as long as you don't mind doing a ton of rust repair and probably some transmission work by now too. I had a 1995 Ranger and it was a great truck! That's why there is still so many left, but the ones that are left all have 2-300k on their odometers now.
I've seen this 2019 Ranger in person and it's much closer in size to the Colorado. I have sat in a Colorado, and a new 2018 F-150 and there is a big difference! The F-150 is a full-sized truck that seems to keep getting bigger with each new generation. That easily explains the growing market demand for a smaller, mid-sized truck. People want a truck that can actually fit in their garage!
I've often wondered if people would have been happier if Ford would have found a new nameplate to put on this mid-sized truck besides Ranger? Everybody seemed to jump to their own conclusions of what a "Ranger" should be when they heard that Ford was bringing the nameplate back to North America. Right now we are barely seeing pre-production models. Wait till it's in the showrooms and you can go drive one. Then decide whether you like it or not. The previous Ranger is not/cannot-be built to 2019 safety requirements because it barely passed 2011 safety requirements when it left the market. That's because when the Ranger left production in 2011, it had essentially been frozen in time since 1998!

 

One reason the Ranger nameplate may cause short circuits is the anticipation time of the truck reaching the US market.

The F150 (which was an F100 with a larger GVW package) grew steadily since the 70's and it was probably like a frog that was put in a pot of cold water and slowly brought to boil...got used to it...as opposed to put in boiling water and jumping out.

In fact, the "Ranger" nameplate was an upper middle trim package on the F series. My first brand new vehicle was a 1978 F100 short bed flareside Ranger. Comparing that truck to a new F series gives me a major short circuit...and even the new Ranger will be much longer and heavier than my old F100.

The new Bronco is also causing size discussions, BUT the transition from the 1977 to the 1978 Bronco was HUGE. The only difference was that one model immediately followed the other one. Forum members want a new Bronco like the old one, but do they want the 1966-77 mini Bronco or a 1978 sawed-off F series truck?

Look at the iterations of the Thunderbird over the years...from a 2 seater to a unique 4 seater to a Lincoln Mark IV to a Torino (aka LTD II circa 1978) to another 2 seater.

Ford has a midsized pickup truck platform that they have developed for other markets. They perceive an opportunity to earn money selling a version of that platform in the USA. In particular, the Wayne, MI plant employs many UAW workers who are in my Detroit metropolitan area and I always hope that Ford and the UAW will help Detroit survive. I come from deep UAW roots and wish Ford the best with the new Ranger and Bronco.

 

The smallest Ford Transits would also be a good small-truck platform, they pass modern safety ratings somehow.

With how much I've complained about the n/a V6 option this is kind of nonsensical compared to what I want from a Ranger.... but a FWD boosted four banger on a Transit unibody with a single cab/short bed, that would be a very interesting fleet/maintenance type vehicle. But as a niche it's even less likely to sell enough for Ford to deal with it.

 

 

Well, there is the Nissan Frontier if that brand name does not give you a problem. That is probably the cheapest and simplest pickup available in the US. The Jeep Wrangler pickup is supposed to hit dealers in April 2019 and is likely to be smaller than the new Ranger, but will probably have the Jeep markup applied to it. If your wife is more comfy in a more carlike vehicle, there is the Honda Ridgeline...

Everyone makes SUV's in 5 or 6 graded sizes but pickups seem to be Huge or Slightly Less Huge...and I agree there should be a smaller pickup as an option; they would be useful for so many business and recreational applications that the old Ranger served so well. The new Ranger is going to be aimed at recreational users in its marketing.

George

 

I looked at a crew cab short bed in person at The Work Truck Show earlier this month. Its much smaller in person then I was expecting, everyone keeps talking about how large it is. It's about the exact same size as the 2006-2010 Explorer Sport Trac, I know this because my grandpa has one and loves it to death, it is CONSIDERABLY smaller then my F-150 crew/short bed. There is no replacement on the market and a Ford as he won't drive anything else. We've been eyeing this new Ranger as a possible replacement. At his age of 81 this year some of the new parking sensors, backup camera..ect might not be a bad thing although he's doing fine.

Can't wait to see pricing and actually test drive one.

 

 

Bad pics but here's the one I saw.

 

I predict that these will sell reasonably well. It's interesting to see how the 1/2 tons have grown and now it's to the point that people are complaining about the shear size of them. A lot of people just want a pick up to drive, grab a few bags of mulch on the weekends and generally enjoy.

The new Ranger will be just big enough that the average guy won't feel that he should have gone bigger. HOAs these days are getting more strict about parking vehicles outside and most 1/2 tons won't fit in a garage anymore.

Many younger people entering the new vehicle market don't feel like they want or need the biggest and baddest and will be more drawn to a Ranger than the F150.

 

Russ, that looks like the same blue Lariat crew cab that was displayed here in Pittsburgh at our auto show a couple months ago. I suspect Ford has only built 2 prototypes so far, this one and a gray XLT Super cab.
JkBrad, I think you hit it spot-on as far as the market/need for a truck this size. I don't think it's about price so much as it's about what does a buyer really need/want in a truck? The obvious answer is that there are many buyers who really don't need a full-size truck. As you said, the newer 1/2-tons are only getting bigger. There are a lot of buyers who simply don't want a bigger truck. We want a truck that we can use for simple household projects or whatever; and use as a comfortably-sized DD. I'd put myself in that category lately. I'm starting to realize that I don't need the big truck anymore, let alone the 8' box. I love my F-150 but its size can be a real handful in the city, especially when trying to park. A smaller truck with a lower profile and a shorter wheelbase would be perfect. I would get the Super cab and the longer bed so that when I do need to haul something, I still have the bed length to do it. I'm past the point of the "my truck is bigger than yours" status symbol thing, and an XL work truck isn't exactly a status symbol anyway! Obviously I don't want to pay $40k+ for an XLT Supercab; but I would pay low-mid $30's. I've priced out a comparable Colorado LT extended cab V6 4x4 at about $35, which would probably equate to low $30's after dealer incentives.

 

I agree strongly that Ford needs a reasonable sized truck for younger buyers, city people, and even delivery type people who don't want to use a ladder to put stuff into the pickup bed. And people who park in structures, want a little bit of room in their garage, etc. People do demand more comfort and features than the compact Ranger from the 1980's.

Ford is said to be aiming the Ranger toward a recreational market as well as the commercial market, and as the prez of a bicycle club, I can see that a smaller pickup with a cap makes so much sense as a daily driver where an F150 is just too large. I have friends with full size pickups and in many cases, their wives refuse to drive the truck. 245" long pickups don't easily fit in parking spaces at the mall or the grocery store. In 1972, when a full sized car could be 230" long, people were more accustomed to the footprint of large vehicles. Today's large cars are 200" long.

 

 

Chrysler is supposed to be working up a Wrangler pickup....not exactly a small RAM, but a small pickup nonetheless. I remember the F100 talk from a few years back also.

 

I'm in this boat; I'm looking to replace a Focus with something that is more useful overall, and my 2002 Ranger is exactly what I want in terms of size power and utility, I'd just want it in a Crew Cab and for it to get better than 20mpg.

I'd like to keep the big truck for big truck things, but I'd be much happier to be back in a small pickup and out of a cracker jack box for daily commuting.

 

We're also in the same boat. We've been looking to replace the Expedition or keep it and add to the inventory. She's been wanting an Explorer, I want an Outback but I think she wants to wait and see what the new Ranger will look like. A crew cab with a cap seems to be the answer that will satisfy us both.