I know at one point I read that Ford was going to stop making the Ranger and focus more on its top selling F-Series. Then I read somewhere that ford would continue making the Ranger.

I was wondering if the B-Series was also going to be offered in the US for 2011? Or will Mazda stop offering the B-Series in its lineup.

Also, if Ford does continue making the Ranger will it be redesigned for 2011 or 2012?

Just curious.

 

Current Ranger is still here for 2011, don't know about Mazda though.

 

There has not been any announcement of a redesign. But at the rate Ford is going, a Ranger redesign is imminent.

 

Apparently, CEO Alan Mulally hinted at a new Ranger platform when the new Explorer was revealed today, and there are a lot of rumors online right now from sources like Motortrend.

 

For the Ranger to compete against models like the Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tocoma I think Ford at the least must give the Ranger a facelift.

The Frontier's and Tocama's are more like midesize trucks now the Ranger is really the only "small' truck left. But I sure would like to see the Ford built B-Series continue. But I think that Mazda will not offer the truck in the next couple of years. I think they will eventually design and build there own trucks to compete in the US market.

I just like the B-Series (Ranger's) exterior design over the Ranger.

brc

 

The Ranger already competes with the Frontier and Tacoma. It outsells them when you factor in fleet sales and global production. The idea is to switch manufacturing over to the World Ranger, which is what is sold outside North America.

 

The Ranger might outsell the Frontier and Tacoma overall, but when it comes to use regular consumers the Ranger is second to the Tacoma as far as I know. This info is from about 3 years back when I had just bought my Ranger and was on Ranger Power Sports.

 

Ive posted this before and Ill post again....

Ford needs to offer more options like they used to with the Ranger, and update those options so they are they same as the rest of Fords fleet.

I owned 3 Rangers and loved all of them. I love the exterior design. However, here are a few things Ford needs to do to make me consider buying one again. And, IMO, give it the options you can get on an F150 but just on a smaller scale.

An overhead storage visior for sunglasses, bigger door pockets with cupholders, a slightly better design for the center console. Something like underseat storage as well as the armrest storage when you opt for the 60/40 split bench, a flow through center console, rear cab windows that open, THE RETURN OF THE FX4 AND FX4 LEVEL 2, AS WELL AS THE CURRENT TRIMS, and possibly a Lariat trim(?), a regular cab, supercab, and a crewcab option, keep the 2.3l V4& 4.0 V6, but drop the 3.0l V6 and come up with a better 'tweener engine. Although I like the look of the dash, the steering colum, etc., it needs to be updated to the rest of the Ford lineup and needs to acomodate more storage.

Just some things I can think of off the top of my head. I think thats the biggest gripe is the lack of storage inside the cab.

 

The 2.3L already replaces the 3.0L, no need for a 'tweener' engine. The 3.0L only produced 155 hp (the updated version, the original was only 145), while the 2.3L Duratec produces 165 hp. The 4.0L is set to be replaced with the 3.5L Cyclone (Duratec) found several other Ford models, wil a possible Ecoboost option, as will as a possible Ecoboost option on the 2.3L. So power wise you are covered. I think the exterior styling is fine, I do agree, more interior storage would be nice, the interior is what you have to deal with every day. I think the world Ranger does offer a nicer interior.

 

My biggest wish is that they put a small diesel (2.0 - 2.3L) in there and give me 35 to 40 MPG with all the torque I could possibly need.

As a matter of fact I don't understand why they dont put a mid range diesel ( 4.0 - 4.4L) in the F-150's. Then Ford would have the most fuel effecient fleet in the world with engines that could easily go 200,000 miles. As anyone who has owned diesels can tell you the new generation motors are quite, strong and fuel effecient. It is the future....

I also agree with the storage issue.

I don't think Mazda offers the B series P/U any more...

 

Sadly, I don't see Ford or any of the truck companies putting diesel engines into anything but the heavy duty trucks for now because of the price of diesel against unleaded here.

 

Well as a past owner of 2 rangers I can say without a doubt it was my first ranger that made me a Blue Oval fan. When I bought my first one it was a fleet truck for A pest control company. Had 112,000. 4 banger w/5speed. I still have the scale ticket where I had a TON of plaster debris. Most times my dump weight was closer to 1/2 ton. I had L60's on the back. I never misses a day of work no matter how much it snowed. All I did was fill the bed full of snow and go. My next ranger was an upgrade, it had the big v6,auto w/overdrive and extracab. Hit a deer in that one. After the accident drove it home, pulled the hair from the grill and headlight and drove it till the front spring/shock tower rusted from the frame. I bought it used w/100,000 and I put another 87,000 in about 4 years. I agree Ford needs to do something about storage. If I didn't need the hauling ability only a 8 foot bed gives me, I would still be driving a ranger today.

 

When it comes to "small" trucks I guess I 'll have to admit I am a fan of the Nissan Hardbody. I guess b/c this was my first vehicle. I got it in High School. Came from the factory with no air, no power steering, and a cup holder or storage bin would be a luxury. Thing that got me was the power that little four-banger produced. It was fast.

But when the first and second generation Frontier came out I hated the new sheetmetal. The design was ugly to me. But Nissan hit the nail on the head with the new Frontier. Very appealing design.

My first Ranger was when I was in college. Got it "almost new". It was when the Ranger was at the top of it's game. It was a 93-94 model. It was when Ford went to it's current design. It came from the factory just right "almost". It had a cool color. Just right factory aluminum rims. Great seats. Cup Holder's and storage. It really put a hurting on the small imports of the time. My only problem and the reason I traded it in on another Nissan Hardbody was the four banger had no power what so ever. I don't know if I got a "lemon" or what, but it just horrible when it came to power. On the interstate I would actually have to downsift to make it up a hill. Everyone told me I should have opted for the v-6. But in college couldn't afford it.

It wasn't until my Dad back in 2005 got a 2001 Mazda B3000/Ranger. It is a supercab with both rear door's that open. Great dash design. And plenty of room. Compared to the Ranger I had in college I changed my mind about the little Ford's.

But my current Truck is a 1997 Nissan Hardbody 4x4 regular cab. Bought it new and it hasn't let me down yet. But that is what I mean when Ford needs a "facelift" on its current Ranger design. Parked side by side my 97 Nissan is the same size as my Dad's 2001 Ranger. And the current Ranger's are basically the same design with small improvements. Nissan and Toyata have made bigger, more powerful, totally redesigned versions of there trucks. The Ranger hasn't seen new sheetmetal since 93-94.

I would like to see the Ranger stick around. But it needs a overhaul.

brc

 

I think that it is a good thing that the Ranger has not gotten a whole lot bigger since it first came out. When I see trucks like the Tacoma now I don't really consider it to be a light-duty truck like the Ranger mainly because of how much bigger it is now.

 

I agree. One of the reasons we added the Ranger to our company's fleet is that it is a small truck with the best mileage available. If it wasn't we would not have bought one.