Ford Ranger Debut

Dalko43

Explorer
Brand name Teflon.

This is true, but on the flip-side the internet community also does tend to make mountains out mole hills. If just one 6.7L Cummins goes into shop or if one GM IFS breaks down, all of a sudden it becomes a brand-wide problem.

My favorite one is "I just wish I could get a Ford truck with a cummins engine and an Allison transmission."

You have to admit though, that truck would be pretty awesome.
 

plainjaneFJC

Deplorable
This is true, but on the flip-side the internet community also does tend to make mountains out mole hills. If just one 6.7L Cummins goes into shop or if one GM IFS breaks down, all of a sudden it becomes a brand-wide problem.



You have to admit though, that truck would be pretty awesome.

I have owned all the big 3 in the past 10 years, I can say I prefer the new Ford tranny better than the Allison, and the Cummins engine was no better than the other 2. But I am not a Ford guy so I had a hard time admitting that.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
I feel the aerodynamic frontend is a huge improvement over Ford's infatuation with the bricknose.
Nice looking truck but the mini beds out there defy logic.

Glad they didn't Americanize it too much.

Not a fan of those stumpy beds either, however have to view it like an open air trunk...it would probably work for me since I rarely fill my 6' bed, basically hauls a couple MX gear bags, a cooler, a chuck box, and that is about it. Have 5X8' trailer to augment the bed...it is like having a fullsize truck bed without having to own a fullsize truck. Went from a F250 to the little Toyotas years ago, little truck coupled with a trailer for weekend/trip use works great for what I need/want.

Biggest complaint about the Toyotas is the so-so gas mileage, it was great coming off the F250's 8-10, but now that the Half-Tons are getting the same, and are darn near has capable of the 70's 3/4 Tons. That and the prices aren't that much different anymore either.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
Nice looking truck but the mini beds out there defy logic.
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That's because you're thinking like a truck owner, someone who considers a truck to be primarily a tool for hauling stuff. As I said in another thread, the short-bed crew-cab truck is now filling the niche that used to be filled by the body-on-frame (BOF) SUV. If you look at the cargo space behind the back seat of a 4runner, Land Cruiser, Tahoe, etc, it's no bigger than that little 5' bed, so since the buyer of that vehicle is likely someone that came from an SUV, they don't feel the additional length of a "full size" bed would be of use.
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As far as the bed size defying logic - the proof is in the sales. In my suburban neighborhood there are a lot of pickups and at least 80% of them have the crew-cab-short-bed configuration.
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My guess is that out on a farm, ranch or construction site you'd be hard pressed to find a crew-cab short bed unless it was driven by the rancher's wife or the site foreman. Someone who uses the truck as a tool needs that long bed, but for the suburban dweller who mostly uses the truck to haul his butt to and from work, and to run to Home Depot on weekends, the CCSB is a perfect configuration - and unlike the long bed, the CCSB can fit in a suburban garage.
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Glad they didn't Americanize it too much.

Not a fan of those stumpy beds either, however have to view it like an open air trunk...
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Yes, exactly. "Open air trunk" is what it is. Heck I've already decided that my next vehicle will be a CCSB truck for the simple reason that SUVs have gone too "up scale" for me and lost a lot of their "utility."
 

Clutch

<---Pass
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Yes, exactly. "Open air trunk" is what it is. Heck I've already decided that my next vehicle will be a CCSB truck for the simple reason that SUVs have gone too "up scale" for me and lost a lot of their "utility."

Believe the best "utility" vehicle is a van...like the Mercedes Metris/Sprinter, and the Ford Transit. I like the Metris and the Transit, but no AWD/4WD, the cost of the conversion to 4WD [Transit] isn't real appealing either.

And no way am I spending $50K+ for 4WD Sprinter...especially after reading that the emissions system is a $12K repair when it is out of warranty.

Be nice if Ford offered the Transit in 4WD like they do in Europe. I can find a basic T-150 short wheelbase low roof Transits around $25K all day long...4WD option on the F-150's is around $4000. 4WD van around the $30K mark sure would be nice. Lots of cargo area, toss a back seat in there for when you need to haul more than 2 people. Be super versatile over a pickup or SUV.
 

Martinjmpr

Wiffleball Batter
And no way am I spending $50K+ for 4WD Sprinter...especially after reading that the emissions system is a $12K repair when it is out of warranty.
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Also Sprinters are ginormous. I swear you could park a Suburban inside a Sprinter. What private owner needs a vehicle that big?
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Be nice if Ford offered the Transit in 4WD like they do in Europe. I can find a basic T-150 short wheelbase low roof Transits around $25K all day long...4WD option on the F-150's is around $4000. 4WD van around the $30K mark sure would be nice. Lots of cargo area, toss a back seat in there for when you need to haul more than 2 people. Be super versatile over a pickup or SUV.
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I keep seeing these newer generation slab-sided vans on the road but I don't hear much about them. You would think they'd make worthy ExPo platforms given their shape and cargo capacity. I pulled up next to a Nissan NV2500 the other day - uglier than hell but I couldn't help but think those vertical sides and squared off back would make it easy to haul a LOT of gear in them. Chevy and Dodge (Ram) also seem to have a new generation of vans but I don't see them being marketed to anybody other than businesses. Seems to me there's an opportunity there for a modern version of a Sportsmobile or something similar.
.
IMO the key to making a van a viable overlanding vehicle for typical US suburban dwellers is that it has to be able to carry passengers in a comfortable and efficient way, and then you have to be able to transform it into a utility vehicle. To me that means windows along the side, at least to the mid-line of the vehicle if not all the way back (I'd prefer all the way back, I don't need a "free candy" van.) It also means passenger seats that can either be easily removed by one person, or that fold and stow so as to make room for cargo.
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Modern vehicles seem to be able to do the one (carry passengers) or the other (carry cargo) but not both. I don't know why that nut is so tough to crack when there used to be dozens and dozens of vehicles that could. I don't know if maybe safety standards for passenger seats have become so stringent that the only way to get them to pass is to make them weigh a few hundred pounds, or if we've simply gotten so used to soft, comfortable, wrap-around seats that a simple bench seat won't do.
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If I was to guess I'd say it's not so much that modern auto makers CAN'T make a vehicle that will haul both passengers OR equipment, but rather that there's just not enough of a market there to justify them spending the $$ to come up with a workable solution. As a business decision that makes sense but for those of us who remember the days when you could unbolt the seats from a van or Suburban and use it to haul a motorcycle, it kind of sucks.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
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Also Sprinters are ginormous. I swear you could park a Suburban inside a Sprinter. What private owner needs a vehicle that big?
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I keep seeing these newer generation slab-sided vans on the road but I don't hear much about them. You would think they'd make worthy ExPo platforms given their shape and cargo capacity. I pulled up next to a Nissan NV2500 the other day - uglier than hell but I couldn't help but think those vertical sides and squared off back would make it easy to haul a LOT of gear in them. Chevy and Dodge (Ram) also seem to have a new generation of vans but I don't see them being marketed to anybody other than businesses. Seems to me there's an opportunity there for a modern version of a Sportsmobile or something similar.
.
IMO the key to making a van a viable overlanding vehicle for typical US suburban dwellers is that it has to be able to carry passengers in a comfortable and efficient way, and then you have to be able to transform it into a utility vehicle. To me that means windows along the side, at least to the mid-line of the vehicle if not all the way back (I'd prefer all the way back, I don't need a "free candy" van.) It also means passenger seats that can either be easily removed by one person, or that fold and stow so as to make room for cargo.
.
Modern vehicles seem to be able to do the one (carry passengers) or the other (carry cargo) but not both. I don't know why that nut is so tough to crack when there used to be dozens and dozens of vehicles that could. I don't know if maybe safety standards for passenger seats have become so stringent that the only way to get them to pass is to make them weigh a few hundred pounds, or if we've simply gotten so used to soft, comfortable, wrap-around seats that a simple bench seat won't do.
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If I was to guess I'd say it's not so much that modern auto makers CAN'T make a vehicle that will haul both passengers OR equipment, but rather that there's just not enough of a market there to justify them spending the $$ to come up with a workable solution. As a business decision that makes sense but for those of us who remember the days when you could unbolt the seats from a van or Suburban and use it to haul a motorcycle, it kind of sucks.

One of my Dirt Bike buddies (I have a lot of dirt bike buddies, belonging to 3 clubs does that :D ) has Sprinter crew van, while big it is the best of both worlds. Came with a rear passenger seat and side windows, with still amble storage behind the rear seat to haul bikes and gear, plus it gets a solid 25 mpg (price aside) What I like best about it was really no wider than a new Tacoma and being able to change into trail gear out of site at the trail head.

I went and looked at the Midroof long wheel base Transits so I could get a gas engine, while a touch on the big side, found it super easy and comfortable to drive.

Transit-in-Big-Sky.jpg


Kinda like driving a large Ford Flex. While it drove nice, unsure if I would daily it. Metris or the smallest Transit would be better for that, and not too creepy or soccer mom looking, not that I care what other people think of me. :D

Really diggin this Quigley, be an awfully nice replacement for the VW Westy we had, not sure if I can justify the $12-14K 4WD conversion. Living in the snow belt, I like having 4WD.

quigley-motors-4x4-f-11_1600x0w.jpg
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
We're seeing LB's disappear in 1 ton trucks as well.

Can't use the plywood bit anymore. The people operating fork lifts of plywood and dry wall for a living are complete morons. They spend 40 hours on that forklift every week, for years, and they have an absolute 0% chance of not slamming the forklift into your tailgate. They won't let an expert operator like me run "their" forklift either.

I've got a box of rocks in my back yard that can operate a forklift better than these guys. Literally, no joke. The forklift would just sit there, but at least it wouldn't be denting my truck. It's pretty sad when people are ACTUALLY worse at their jobs than a box of rocks.

Utility trailers, and rental trailers are the new 8' bed.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
We're seeing LB's disappear in 1 ton trucks as well.

Can't use the plywood bit anymore. The people operating fork lifts of plywood and dry wall for a living are complete morons. They spend 40 hours on that forklift every week, for years, and they have an absolute 0% chance of not slamming the forklift into your tailgate. They won't let an expert operator like me run "their" forklift either.

I've got a box of rocks in my back yard that can operate a forklift better than these guys. Literally, no joke. The forklift would just sit there, but at least it wouldn't be denting my truck. It's pretty sad when people are ACTUALLY worse at their jobs than a box of rocks.

Utility trailers, and rental trailers are the new 8' bed.

Don't think any body in the construction business really uses pickups for hauling ply or drywall anymore. (As you say kinda of moot point the manufactures dwell on) Usually it is dropped shipped right at the site.

With our swimming pool business pickup trucks were mostly useless with their "puny" 8' beds, we quit using them 30 some odd years ago. Box vans, flatbeds and dump trucks worked best for us. Funny I rarely see even 1 ton dump trucks anymore, most guys have moved to dump trailers towed by a CCSB.
 
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Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Yep, that's the same thing here. Why beat up a nice truck, when a dump bed or dump trailer is 1/4" plate steel.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
Yep, that's the same thing here. Why beat up a nice truck, when a dump bed or dump trailer is 1/4" plate steel.

Yeah those Chevy commercials putting holes through the bed are hilarious....who does that!? Even when we did we always had a sheet of ply in the bed, and loaded it carefully.
 
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Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
I have 1/4" of Rino lining.

Standing on the new tailgate, isn't the most confidence inspiring thing in the world. But if my bike ramps and bikes haven't hurt it yet, it's not bad at all. GM's new tailgate is aluminum as well anyways. GM needs to fire their marketing team and hire us.
 

marshal

Burrito Enthusiast
well boys, i went and saw one today - im seriously impressed. Its slightly bigger than the Tacoma, which is a huge improvement. It looks like you will actually be able to fit an adult in the back seat.

I think you guys will be pleasantly surprised on the sizing. It's going to be a great platform.
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
About 2yrs ago I pulled the Australian rear seat specs it was slightly roomier than the Canyon. I’m guessing Ford isn’t going to loose that little bonus in the American version.

Today I’m not pro GM or Ford both build good machines. But the ford sync in my wife’s 16 is complete ****e!!!!! GM has a far better approach using top apps etc. God I hate the Ford system with a passion. Complete Microsoft garbage
 

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