This is something that has always made me wonder. Since the introduction of the 302/5.0L into the Explorer in '95 (?), we've always been stuck with very similar trucks, but with them having the V8 option. Very similar trucks, especially in years past (90s), sharing tons of things, and now not even close.

The 4.0L SOHC is the standard engine on the new Explorer, whereas it's the top of the line option for the Ranger. Doesn't make much sense, seeing that the Ranger is a true "truck" and would do more work.

I guess the argument could be made that Ford wanted to push owners who wanted a V8 to buy a bigger vehicle, but why then not just offer the Explorer with the 4.0L? If they want to push us to the F-150, they might as well push them to the Expy if they need more power.

Just lookin' for a little insight or opinion from anyone.

 

I have often wondered that also. As Dodge put the 318 in the Dakota.

 

A V8 in a ranger!!!! WWWEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOO. They would come straight from the factory with the "Sit Down, Shut Up And Hold On" sticker on the passenger side.
Seriously though, V8's are probably not put in due to fuel usage. Rangers are the "delivery truck" of choice around here, with a V8 fuel ratings would probably be pretty low.

 

The exploder wieghs more than the ranger, also the newer exploders have seating for 7 plus gear, it's a weight issue. It's sorta funny. A lot of people are saying that ford is having such a rough time because they build all these gas guzzling suv's and trucks and then yell to have a v8 in everything, you can't have it both ways. This is not directed at you Zach, but in general. The 4.0 can handle anything you put into a ranger, it doesn't need a v8, the exploder's can haul alot of people and gear, plus pull a pretty large trailor, where as the ranger can't. In the ranger, you can only put to adults and maybe to small children at best. In a compact p/u, they go by power to weight ratio, the power it needs to pull the max weight it can handle, the 4.0 meets this goal. Even the 4.0 in an exploder has more power and torque than a ranger. I test drove an 06 exploder with the 4.0 just to see how it felt compared to a ranger. Even with the added weight of the suv, it pulled strong from 0 to 60, it had plenty of power, I haven't driven one with the v8, but ut would have to be a rocket, if the 4.0 runs that well in an explorer.

 

I also believe it's a price issue to the consumers. The V-8 would drive the price up on the Ranger enough, that many potential buyers would just skip the Ranger and get the bigger F-150 or the Explorer. There are still many Ranger buyers who bought because of the decent price range of a small truck, which the other competitors priced themselves out of.

 

speaking of price...if i'm spending $30,000 (explorer), i'd like a v8. whereas $20,000, i could deal/expect a beefy 6.

 

The Explorers are also a little wider than the Rangers (1.5") which helps make room for the V8, since the 4.0 is a pretty tight squeeze the way it is. The extra weight on the Explorers makes the V8 more of a necessity, especially on the fully loaded ones where people are more interested in performance than in economy.

 

They have to meet the CAFÉ standard, and putting the V8 into the mix would lower the fleet fuel mileage. The Explorer is defined as a car not a truck and thus the higher mileage of the cars keeps the fleet mileage about the CAFÉ limit. So no V8 Rangers..

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is the sales weighted average fuel economy, expressed in miles per gallon (mpg), of a manufacturer’s fleet of passenger cars or light trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs. or less, manufactured for sale in the United States, for any given model year. Fuel economy is defined as the average mileage traveled by an automobile per gallon of gasoline (or equivalent amount of other fuel) consumed as measured in accordance with the testing and evaluation protocol set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Light truck fuel economy requirements were first established for MY 1979 (17.2 mpg for 2-wheel drive models; 15.8 mpg for 4-wheel drive). Standards for MY 1979 light trucks were established for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 6,000 pounds or less. Standards for MY 1980 and beyond are for light trucks with a GVWR of 8,500 pounds or less. The light truck standard progressively increased from MY 1979 to 20.7 mpg and 19.1 mpg, respectively, by MY 1991. From MY 1982 through 1991, manufacturers were allowed to comply by either combining 2- and 4-wheel drive fleets or calculating their fuel economy separately. In MY 1992, the 2- and 4-wheel drive fleet distinction was eliminated, and fleets were required to meet a standard of 20.2 mpg. The standard progressively increased until 1996, when the Appropriations prohibition froze the requirement at 20.7 mpg. The freeze was lifted by Congress on December 18, 2001. On March 31, 2003, NHTSA issued new light truck standards, setting a standard of 21.0 mpg for MY 2005, 21.6 mpg for MY 2006, and 22.2 mpg for MY 2007.

1) Passenger Car – any 4-wheel vehicle not designed for off-road use that is manufactured primarily for use in transporting 10 people or less.
2) Truck – a 4-wheel vehicle which is designed for off-road operation (has 4-wheel drive or is more than 6,000 lbs. GVWR and has physical features consistent with those of a truck); or which is designed to perform at least one of the following functions: (1) transport more than 10 people; (2) provide temporary living quarters; (3) transport property in an open bed; (4) permit greater cargo-carrying capacity than passenger-carrying volume; or (5) can be converted to an open bed vehicle by removal of rear seats to form a flat continuous floor with the use of simple tools.

PS: congress is raising the CAFÉ standard so you will see less power in trucks to get the mileage up..IMHO.
Dave

 

Thanks Dave, that absolutely answered everything I could possibly wonder...and is a good insight to the true reason.

Thank you to everyone for the opinions and facts...quite good points.

 

I've always thought that they put a big v8 in the Exploder so when your tires exploded, the thing wouldn't roll so many times. I wonder if we could order a fleet of custom made 302 rangers. Build it with the FX4 Level II package, but having a big 5.0L and maybe a cool airscoop to throw the whole package together.

I wonder what the minimum order is. Maybe i could sell them on ebay...

 

Wendell, I recently drove a 06 V8 Explorer and it is IMHO very, very, very far from a rocket! I drove a 4.0L V6 and a equally geared/equipped V8 and the 4.0 outperformed the V8 by far. Very disappointing because I too was expecting a rocket.

 

Actually the Explorer only has more power on the E85 fuel. The 210 HP rating was obtained on E85 not on 87 octane regular fuel. If you run the Explorer on regular fuel it has 2 fewer hp than the Ranger coming in at 205HP.

 

I've driven 4.0 and V8 Explorers, too, and the V8 is MUCH faster than the 4.0. The 4.0 in the Explorer is noticably slower than the 4.0 Ranger, and the V8 Explorer is slightly quicker than the 4.0 Ranger.

 

I disagree, the 4.0 exploder felt alot stronger than a 4.0 ranger, and the explorer was an automatic no less. For it's weight, it would move, I was impressed. The ford tech told me that the explorer gets it's xttra power and torque from tunning and a different intake manifold.

 

I've drove the "mighty and rad" 5.0 V8 () Explorer and found it to be nothing more than a few extra ponies that were only needed to propell the added weight of glass, sheet metal, and seats in the vehicle in a manner that the general public is comfortable with. Oh, it's especially worth noting that most insurance companies take a rather dim view of small/young children driving a V8 vehicle, despite how crappy the acceleration of that "ferocious" V8 isn't (5.0 Explorer for example).