I know we have talked about this before but are they coming out with a four door ranger anytime soon. Did anyone hear anything about one at the auto shows this year?

I would love to have a 4 door ranger because they are the perfect size truck for me but I want to be able to haul 4 adults without the crowbar to put them in the back.

I wonder if I will have to go to a toyota or nissan next time(NNOOOOOO!!!) The Super crew is just a bit to big in size and $$ for me. Any ideas guys?

 

It would surprise me if they did considering the Explorer Sport Trac seems to be pretty popular. I would think the two would be in direct competition with each other. Usually not something automakers want to do.

 

I read in the Consumer Guides review of the '03 Ranger (which garymake's recent post put me on to) that Ford's R & D on any kind of redesigned Ranger has been scaled back considerably, a decision driven by current economics at the company and in the marketplace. And I agree 100% that a "true" four door Ranger would compete directly with the Explorer Sport Trac.

 

The Sport Trac is a four door Ranger. Heck, it even uses the same computer, unlike the Explorer which now uses the PTEC.

 

I think a 4 door ranger would compete with the Sport Trac to some extent, but not too much. (by the way, the Sport trac is not a Ranger, it's much more like the Explorer Sport. (hence the name '<b>Explorer Sport</b> Trac'))
If they made a 4 door Ranger with a regular 6-foot bed, it would be much more attractive to me than the Sport Trac. For one, the Sport Trac's bed would be almost useless to me. I don't always haul a lot, but I do often sleep in the back, which I couldn't do comfortably in a Sport Trac. The Sport Trac is just ugly (to me). I hate the way the back end of the cab slopes forward on the bottom, and the rear-end design (I <b>do</b> like the roll down back window though).
I think Ford should compete with Nissan, who makes the compact Frontier with four doors and a 6 foot bed. The Sport Trac would definately still sell. A lot of people like the shorter wheelbase, and don't haul hardly ever. Maybe a bike or some dirt here and there, but nothing that would need a 6-foot bed. Some people also find that design more attractive.
I've thought up all kinds of ideas for a 4-door Ranger. Couldn't be that hard for Ford to design one. Take a supercab, add 5-6 inches to the frame before the rear axle, and another 3-4 inches behind the rear axle, for an additional 8-10 inches in the cab. Beef up the frame and the suspension a little and add another inch of height or so to compensate for the extra length and overhang.
Until they decide to make one (if they ever do), I guess I'll just keep dreaming, or look more at the (eek) Nissan.... (maybe not)

Brian J Wilson

 

The Webmaster is right, the SportTrac IS the 4-door Ranger. HELLO guys...it's been out for years now.

Furthermore, Nissan is the ONLY company that currently offers a 4-door truck with a 6' bed. Therefore even if Ford built a Ranger pickup with 4 full-size doors, it wouldn't accomplish anything that the SportTrac doesn't already.

If you want a long bed for hauling, get a regular or SuperCab. If you want to haul people, get a SportTrac. Unfortunately, most companies don't give us an option for both yet.

 

The front end/grill of the Sport Trac is the same as that on the Explorer Sport NOT the Ranger. Look at Ford's web page and compare pictures of the Sport-Trac to the Ranger and the Explorer Sport. You'll see what I mean.

 

Thank you MrWizard.

WXboy,
(first of all, I'm not trying to start a fight here, just trying to point out the obvious)
The EXPLORER SPORT Trac is a Four-door Explorer Sport with a bed. Keep in mind here, the the Ranger and Explorer are pretty similar, except for the main exterior looks and frame lengths. My 98 Ranger looks almost identical my my stepdad's 98 explorer underneath, and the dash for that matter. Reguardless, they are not the same vehicle.
Go to http://www.fordvehicles.com/showroom/ and look at the Ranger, then the Explorer Sport, then at the Explorer Sport Trac. Which ones look more alike? Look at the names of the vehicles. The Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac interior are much more closely related then the ranger, while the main dash layout is similar. Don't get me wrong, the Ranger, Explorer, Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac are all pretty similar, but the Sport Trac is NOT a 4-door Ranger...

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Furthermore, Nissan is the ONLY company that currently offers a 4-door truck with a 6' bed. Therefore even if Ford built a Ranger pickup with 4 full-size doors, it wouldn't accomplish anything that the SportTrac doesn't already.
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Yes Nissan is the only company that does, that's why I think Ford should compete with them. And yes, a 4-door Ranger would accomplish things that the Sport Trac couldn't. You could still seat 4-5 people more comfortably, and haul more stuff in the bed than the sport trac could. Or in my case, carry 4 people comfortably, and still be able to sleep in the back 'fairly' comfortably.
And, as my signature says, I do have a SuperCab, I can haul more and seat 4, but who likes sitting in the jumpseats? Not me. And it is unfortunate that more companies don't offer compact 4-doors with 6-foot beds, that why I think Ford should compete with Nissan.

Brian J Wilson

 

Right, the SportTrac is not a 4-door Ranger. If it were, they'd have the Ranger name badged on the side of it. I'm intelligent enough to know that.

What I said was, there is no 4-door Ranger because the SportTrac accomplishes exactly what a 4-door Ranger would. For this reason, Ford would be STUPID to build a 4-door Ranger.

It's sort of like Dodge. They have a Dakota and a Ram 1500. Both are almost identical. One claims to be slightly larger than the other, but the prices are almost identical and the cargo space is almost identical too. So my question to Dodge is WHY IN THE WORLD ARE YOU BUILDING TWO DIFFERENT PRODUCTS THAT ARE THE SAME?!? (Could this be why Dodge sells fewer trucks than GM and Ford, and also why Dodge has the highest number or consumer complaints among American trucks?)

Ford won't do this. So either they will continue to make the SportTrac, or they will drop it and make a 4-door Ranger. Either vehicle will have the same features: seating for 5 or 6 and a short bed. So what is the point of arguing about which they build?

Also, if you guys would look past the grill and headlights, you would see that a Ranger and a SportTrac are nearly identical. If I'm not mistaken, they even share the same chassis. It doesn't matter what name they slap on it, the SportTrac IS the answer to the competitors' 4-door trucks.

 

Ken's absolutely right. Ford did market research before they brought out the Sport Trac, and found that people would pay more money for an Explorer than they would a Ranger . NOW you know why it's called an Explorer! Considering all the good press the Sport Trac has received (Consumer Reports rated it #1 against Dakota, S-10, Tacoma, and Frontier), I doubt you'll ever see a Ranger 4-door.

 

Hey there are 2001 European Rangers. There are photos of 4 door Rangers, true 4 doors. They do not look too bad.

 

Its all a matter of terminology. The Explorer is a Ranger and a Ranger is an Explorer. Its all a matter of the options and the price tag. Its like saying "why doesn't Ford make an F150 SUV?" Well, they have and its called the Expedition. Or saying "why doesn't Ford make an Expedition truck". Well they have and its a 4 door F150.

The comparision of the Explorer/Ranger is not an apples to oranges comparison. Its an apples to apples comparision.

 

I guess what I should have said is that the Sport Trac is a Ranger mechanically . It may look like an Explorer, but underneath it's really a Ranger. Ford calls it an Explorer for marketing purposes.

 

I have a 2002 4x4 LXT Super cab and it's a four door...not fully 4 doors but four that open up...I can stick four adults inside as well.
Sure it's not like having a F150 crew cab but I do have four doors with jump seats in the back

 

Hello, I'm new here. I've had 4 Rangers, two of them Splash supercabs (one of which was totalled via a drunk driver) and also a Bronco II. I want a crew cab ranger myself. Have for years. I may be buying a Colorado crew cab and it kinda sucks. I love Rangers. I understand them.

It KILLS me that Ford Brazil sells a real honest to goodness Ranger crew cab yet they won't make it available here. I understand the talk of the Sport Trac being the same mechanically, but visually it's not the same. Mustangs and Fairlanes were basically the same mechanically too, but you don't see people wanting Fairlanes as their dream cars do you? (I'm not knocking Fairlanes, I have a '63 wagon)