Daily Slideshow: By next year there will be a lot more to the American truck market than F-150, as Ford reenters the compact truck market with the latest Ranger. Will it be capable enough?
That's an interesting double power dome hood
The return of Ford’s Ranger to the U.S. domestic market next year is a story of keen anticipation for those looking for a smaller pick-up than the F-150. It has been an eight-year wait for American compact truck fans for the T6-series Ranger and Ford has recently confirmed details surrounding its specifications.
International diversity
Ranger is sold in global markets, where the truck is primarily powered by diesel engines. In America, that’s never going to work. Truck fuel simply isn’t a convenient alternative for potential compact truck owners and Ford’s engineers have devised a solution by borrowing some hardware from the brand’s iconic pony car.
>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Pony power
Ford’s anchor engine for its American market Rangers will be an EcoBoost 2.3-liter inline four. The correlation should be easy enough to understand for most Ford fans, this is the smaller Mustang engine, which has been re-tuned for a truck application.
>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.
The numbers
In the Ranger, it boasts 270hp and 310lb-ft of torque, both impressive numbers – which place the Ford compact truck slightly ahead of its rivals in terms of engine output. Tabled in comparison to the Mustang 2.3, Ranger is down equal numbers in both power and torque, 40hp and 40lb ft. But the repurposing of this engine for a pick-up truck was to prioritize towing performance, instead of acceleration and top speed, hence the discrepancy in those numbers.
>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Solid at hauling anything you imagine
Configured to be a utility vehicle instead of pony truck, Ranger was engineered to best convert its small capacity turbocharged engine output to towing ability.
Ford’s compact truck is rated to tow a best-in-class trailer mass of 7500-pounds and considering that it’s being marketed as a lifestyle pick-up, for those urban owners who need the weekend utility ability but want something smaller than an F-150 to commute in, that should be plenty.
>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Driving assists
Ford has added some clever driver assistance technologies to Ranger too, ensuring that despite its smaller than conventional size, for a U.S. domestic market truck, towing isn’t a burdensome driving experience. One of those is electronic stability control which includes a trailer sway mitigation function, helping you keep things under control when crosswinds or an abrupt change in road surface might want to force them to go awry.
>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.
Never too many gears
One of the Ranger’s crucial components is its gearbox, which should enable this truck to strike the best possible compromise between performance and efficiency.
It’s an automatic transmission featuring no less than ten forward gears and an impeccably programmed master algorithm which evaluates throttle demand and road gradient. The demand and terrain sensitive ten-speed set-up should ensure the Ranger is always in its most appropriate of those ten gears.
From towing to cruising, on the highway or rolling dirt on a backcountry track, you’ll never be at a loss for gears, in a new Ranger.
>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.
If you don't like towing, just load it all on the back
Despite its more manageable inner-city dimensions, the new Ranger certainly isn’t work shy. Tow ratings are one thing, but load carrying ability is equally important. Ford is aware that some Ranger customers don’t want to hitch a trailer but prefer placing their heavy items in the load bin. Especially outdoor toys such as off-road motorcycle and ATVs.
With a payload rating of 1,860 pounds, the Ranger should deal quite confidently with two dirt bikes or a brawny ATV. And if you need to move a load of dirt for that garden project or collect a winter’s worth of firewood, well, Ranger is going to haul that with ease too.
Ford has now officially kicked off the production of the Ranger in Michigan at a factory that is reported to be the production plant for another upcoming Ford. Check out the story here.
>>Join the conversation about the 2019 Ranger right here in Ford-trucks.com.
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