Hey y'all, I waited like everyone else to see the new ranger truck. I've had several rangers I've the years starting with a 1983 up into the mid 2000's. For economy trucks they were all pretty decent no matter the engine or trans, 2 or 4 wheel drive.
Something I liked about them is that they were small trucks. Great for people who don't really need a real truck but can use a once a week dump runner or grab a couple bags of mulch at Lowe's truck.
So I see the new ranger and wonder why they didn't call it a F-100 Ranger. It is a much larger truck than I expected to see. And the pricetag was also larger. How do you justify spending $35-40k on a ranger when you can buy a F-150 for that or less.
Seems like the goal to be bigger than the other smaller trucks has lead to this.
My opinion, they should have added it to the F-150 lineup, I just feel like they over shot.
They appear to be nice trucks, no doubt about it. I think Ford is missing an opportunity by not offering a small truck. Look at how many older Ford rangers and Chevy s10's there are still in the road. Who will fill that void now? Toyota Tacoma and Nissan frontier are all that's left. But what about those who want to buy American??
What do you guys and gals think?

 

Pickups now are almost entirely crew cabs now. How do you make a hood, front seat, rear seat and 5' bed (minimum) small?

The 2007 regular cab Ranger was 188" long and 69" wide. The Supercab was 202" long.

2019 Ranger is 210" and 86".

So yes, quite a bid wider, but length is pretty comparable to the old Ranger.

 

It's a conspiracy by Ford to get us to eventually buy big trucks (because they're more profitable). I call it "creeping gigantism". In another few years the Ranger will be the size of an F-150, and buyers of the F-150 will have the size equivalent of an F-350.

 

Ford is working on the unibody "Courier" small truck. Probably the only way they could make it profitable was to put it on a shared car platform. Could be a nice little personal use small truck if they make it look the part. AS far as the Ranger costing as much as an F-150, I had trouble with this at first also. But, in reality when you compare features, co-pilot 360, emergency braking, etc. the Ranger is about $3,000-$5,000 cheaper when comparing apples to apples. I'd assume the 2021 F-150 will adopt a lot of the same tech as the Ranger making the price difference negligible. If you shop around you can get a Ranger for at least $5,000 under sticker, I did and that was back in June.....Probably better deals now but you might have to go to another state etc. to get them. I love my Ranger thus far. It's the perfect size and very capable, I tow 5,500 lbs like nothing.

 

the back end sits much higher than the previous gen making the reach over into the bed not as easy as it was on my '02. i think the width is the most noticeable thing compared to the older gen.

 

I realize most trucks are crew cab now. That's part of the problem. There's no basic small truck from Ford anymore. As far as tech stuff, I'm not into it. I don't want emergency braking options, lane assist, or any of the other stuff they add now. I just want decent heat and air conditioning, a nice radio, electric windows and locks. And a decent seat. And I will say a backup camera is pretty handy but I can live without it.
I'm just thinking of people you see driving the small trucks on the road today. The older rangers and s10's, small cab Tacoma's, etc. It's older folks who need a truck to take trash to the dump, or high school kids first vehicles, or couples that go camping that want a 4cyl cheap to operate truck. Ford has basically priced people right out of the market. And I realize that it's not just Ford! They've all done it.
And you can't even buy a new Ford truck with a manual transmission if you want it. It's not everyone's cup of tea but it should be available to order if you want it. I tried to get an f150 with a manual transmission. No can do! Also not possible in the new ranger.
If I have to pay $30k+ for a truck, I want it how I want it.
Not saying the new ranger is bad, but it's practically a F series truck. I'm sure for those who like all the benefits of a rolling computer that it is far advanced from the old rangers which is a win.
I guess the ranger will find is place, more out of lack of choices than by being exactly what someone might want.
I guess if Ford had a lower cost simpler small truck they probably couldn't get some folks to pay what they want for the trucks they sell now.

 

There is a simpler option, and one you can get with a manual transmission. It's called the Nissan Frontier. Bare bones Frontiers around me are going for $18k.

 

No civilian vehicle is wider than 80" unless you consider mirrors. This includes full size trucks and vans. The new Ranger is 73.3 inches wide....

Exceptions might be the Hummer and the Raptor with flares, but every other full size truck throughout history has been under 80".

Please compare apples to apples and employ common sense when throwing out statistics.....

 

Going off the information that is available. Info on the old Ranger did not specify with or without mirrors. Reasonable to assume "width" means just that, the width of the vehicle as it sits.

Just like with "height". One would assume that means with air in the tires. Or "length". One would assume that is with bumpers and/or tow hooks.

If I got it wrong, I got it wrong. Sorry if it ruined your day.

 

I've been reading car magazines and spec panels since 1962 and have been aware of how wide cars and trucks are and that they are measured without mirrors. I would expect someone who "knows about cars" to know this too but you obviously didn't. I know that compact cars and SUV's are 70" wide, mid-sized vehicles are 75", and full sized vehicles are 80". Look at some specs of current vehicles for kicks. The new Bronco, sized like the Ranger, will end up around a 74-75" width depending on what kind of wheel flares they use on the mystery body design. About the same as an Edge.

Hint: antenna masts do not count as part of a vehicle's height. Curb feelers and mirrors don't count in width. And a trailer being pulled behind a car does not count for length.

 

I just drive a full size regular cab.
Probably smaller than the new ranger is.
Also gets pretty good gas mileage.

 

It looks that way, no? That’s what happens when you import what amounts to Asia’s version of a full size truck.

Good luck with that. You either want Ford to stay afloat or you want them to pay millions of dollars to certify a manual trans equipped drivetrain through the EPA. The stockholders win here.

As as a result of Ford whiffing on regular cabs, I bought a Ram Lonestar last March. It would take a Lariat (or maybe a 302A XLT?) to load it up how I got this one, but I ain’t selling my ‘03 SCab and I didn’t want a big 4-door this time. Didn’t want an Ecoboost, either, but that’s all that dealers stick around here.

 

Because I can't buy a Ford with a manual transmission, I decided to build my own. No EPA permission needed. Lol
65 f100 2wd 5.0HO with 5spd manual. Crown Vic front conversion. Should be a nice daily driver when it's finished.
No more hoping that Ford will make what I want!

 

I don't think Ford is very concerned about its Ranger customers building their own hotrod trucks instead of buying new ones. Good for you if you like hotrodding, but most people want a new vehicle because it will start on demand when temps are below zero, let them do a 1000 mile trip in comfort with climate control and satellite radio, and let them survive accidents.

I like sticks too and have a '91 BMW 318is in the garage for my toy. But we don't drive old stuff in the winter in Michigan because it turns into a pile of iron oxide. Most '65 vehicles of all kinds are already there and been thru the crusher.

 

My 68 Ranger is about 9” wider than the 19 Ranger and they and my 67XL nest nice in the garage. We had a 2010 F 150 that we really liked, it would fit but the doors were so long that I could barely fit to get out of without doing parking lot damage. I am 5’10” @ 180.
The Ranger is working out good for us, I have 4400 miles on it so far and my only complaint is not being able to fold down the rear seat for flat inside storage.
The 1960 the Ford Galaxies were 80.5” wide . Someone told me that they were in violation because of the .5” with the Federal regulations.