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I recall reading long ago that Ford was targeting the recreational market, and the promo photos showing the Ranger carrying kayaks and bicycles made that clear. I don't think that many small-midsized SUV buyers will be swayed by the Ranger unless they need to carry gravel or manure, or have real towing needs.
An Escape is 180" long, an Edge is around 190" long, and an Explorer around 200" long. The new Ranger is 210.8" long which is LONGER THAN AN EXPEDITION. It is 2" shorter than my old E150 van.
Urban dwellers who have small garage space, or need to parallel park or park in tight parking structures, will have to note that a Ranger is *not* a compact vehicle at all. Pickup trucks do not make sense as daily drivers unless you need to use the bed on a regular basis. A compact/mid-sized pickup truck with a footprint bigger than an Expedition is not a compact vehicle compared to SUV's. Compact pickups like the original Ranger were relatively short in regular cab form. Adding a back seat necessarily adds significant length.
bigger than an expedition!!! im interested in the courier as well as fleet buyers. hopefully a regular cab option and bed rail height i dont need a ladder to grab stuff out of the bed
I recall reading long ago that Ford was targeting the recreational market, and the promo photos showing the Ranger carrying kayaks and bicycles made that clear. I don't think that many small-midsized SUV buyers will be swayed by the Ranger unless they need to carry gravel or manure, or have real towing needs.
An Escape is 180" long, an Edge is around 190" long, and an Explorer around 200" long. The new Ranger is 210.8" long which is LONGER THAN AN EXPEDITION. It is 2" shorter than my old E150 van.
Urban dwellers who have small garage space, or need to parallel park or park in tight parking structures, will have to note that a Ranger is *not* a compact vehicle at all. Pickup trucks do not make sense as daily drivers unless you need to use the bed on a regular basis. A compact/mid-sized pickup truck with a footprint bigger than an Expedition is not a compact vehicle compared to SUV's. Compact pickups like the original Ranger were relatively short in regular cab form. Adding a back seat necessarily adds significant length.
No one ever said the new Ranger was still a compact sized pickup.........
The Expedition may be one inch shorter overall, but the wheelbase is substantially shorter. Plus they start at $52,000. I'd rather park a Ranger Crew Cab than an Expedition any day.
The Ranger is still shorter than any of it's competitors by 8 inches at least.
I'm hoping the next generation will have more options as far as wheelbase and powertrains.
I don't disagree that the Ranger may be easier to deal with than an Expy due to being marginally narrower and not as tall. The Expy is absolutely not a valid comparison vehicle on price--just approximate footprint.
The article says that Ford is targeting SUV buyers as potential Ranger buyers. And the Ranger is priced in the area of the Escape or Edge. I am an SUV fan and find the Edge, at 190" long, to be reasonable for passenger comfort with 2 rows (same as the Ranger) and still compact enough to park easily--and more important, compact enough for my wife to feel comfortable dealing with. If I had towing needs the Ranger would be the hands down winner.
I have no doubt that the Ranger will be successful and am personally waiting for the Bronco, which I expect will be much shorter in length (kind of like the '78 Bronco compared to the '78 pickups). Due to being longer, I expect the Ranger will also tow better than the Bronco.
It's all good...I'm just thinking about the SUV->Ranger comparison.
i got a feeling there wont be a shorter 2 door bronco frame and bronco will have the exact same frame as ranger
The Everest (based on the world Ranger) is about 190" long with 4 doors and the new Bronco will not be longer than the Everest even though it will likely have much different styling. The 4Runner is based on the Tacoma and is also about 190" long. The 4-door Jeep Wrangler is 188" long. The Grand Cherokee is ~190" long. The old body-on-frame Explorer was also at that 190" length mark. (see a pattern here?) No way will the new Bronco be as long as a crew cab pickup or Expedition.
Note that the 1978 full size Bronco, based on the 1978 F150 pickup, was only 180" long despite being based on a full size truck platform! The same-generation Blazers were about that same length. They both shared pickup truck frames but those frames had a few feet cut out of the centers, just like the Everest frame is a shortened world Ranger frame.
The Expy starting price is crazy high. I wouldn't want to drive it versus the Ranger due to blindspots so far behind you. It's like comparing my SD Crew cab to an Excursion...
The Edge is one of the best vehicles Ford makes.
No comparison between the Expy and Ranger except for the length and the RWD and full frame construction.
The article that started this thread was about the Ranger snagging recreational SUV buyers but IMO it's very much apples and oranges between the Ranger and the Edge. And the Expy is kind of huge and pricey for the recreational market unless you're pulling big trailers.
I agree that the Edge is a very nice SUV--and another thing that helps most SUV's maximize interior space within a given length is the transverse engine...what the Ranger has compared to most SUV's is off-road chops. The Bronco should fill that slot perfectly--THAT is the SUV that outdoorsy people will want if they don't want the extra length of the Ranger and want some interior space for their gear.
