Ford Ranger Debut

smlobx

Wanderer
I got to drive the diesel version in Costa Rica last year fording rivers and driving through the jungle in the Osa Peninsula.

It was a great truck!
 

haven

Expedition Leader
Shut up and take my money!

Ford unveiled a Raptorized version of the Ranger today in Thailand. It's got the flared fenders, Fox shocks and long travel suspension similar to the F150 Raptor, and it's powered by a twin turbo 2.0L Diesel engine.

https://jalopnik.com/the-2019-ford-raptor-ranger-is-your-diesel-off-road-per-1822794130

This is the Asian version of the Raptor, built in Thailand. Ford has not announced plans to sell the Ranger Raptor here, but it would be foolish for them not to. We'll probably get a turbo gasoline engine, however.
 

Dalko43

Explorer
I really don't care about the Raptor version. Just as with the F-150, it's likely going to be overkill, even for an overlander, and its suspension will have a fraction of the base version's payload and towing.

Give me a turbodiesel (3.2 inline 5 would be preferred, but a 2.0l inline 4 could suffice) or a bombproof gasser, a rear e-locker, and at least 1.6k-2k lbs of payload, 6k-7k lbs of towing...similar to the Ranger Wildtrek sold overseas.

I'll be happy with that and I suspect most mid-sized truck owners (coming from Tacoma's and Colorado's) would want something like that over a Baja-wannabe.
 
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rkj__

Adventurer
Well, it's refreshing to see that Ford finally decided to offer a 4 door Ranger in the US market, 20+ years after they offered it in other markets.
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But I'm still trying to figure out what the angle is here. What does the Ranger offer that the F150 doesn't, except for the momentary cachet of being the "next shiny new thing." Once the shiny and the new has worn off, what is it? A truck that carries less than an F150 and uses the same amount of gas as an F150? Where is the benefit there?
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Unless the price point is significantly lower than an F150, what can the new Ranger do that the F150 can't?
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I suppose Ford could look at the 4 door Ranger as an SUV substitute (and in fact, I think 4-door pickups in general fill the same market niche that body-on-frame SUV's used to, before they all but disappeared) but Ford already makes a crap-load of SUVs: Escape, Explorer, Flex, Edge, Expedition and Expedition EL) as well as unibody the unibody CDV, the Transit.
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One has to wonder, will Ford trim down their SUV lineup to make room for the Ranger? Or will Ford dealers look at every Ranger sold as a lost opportunity to sell an F150?
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Another possibility, I suppose, is that the lower trim levels of the F150 are all but dropped from the lineup and customers with less money to spend are directed to the Ranger while customers with more $$ will be directed to the F150.
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Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the Ranger - hell I've owned two of them - but I'm scratching my head trying to figure out where this new Ranger fits into Ford's lineup.

I'm a midsize truck driver.

The truck serves commuting duty during the week. I really prefer the ease of parking at the grocery store or shopping mall compared to a full size truck. I love having the ability to move large bulky items, like lumber, couches / furniture, lawn mowers, appliances, and skids.

All summer long, many weekends are dedicated to camping. The truck carries my wife, myself, and our two dogs. It tows our ~2,000lb teardrop camper. It gets loaded down with bicycles, a canoe, firewood, and other bulky items. The truck has enough room, but does not get near its payload / towing ratings, carrying bulky / light items.

Ready by Ryan, on Flickr

Sure, a full size truck can tow and haul more, but I would not use that added capability. So, I am happy to stick to a truck that is slightly easier to maneuver in tighter spaces.
 

Dalko43

Explorer
Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike the Ranger - hell I've owned two of them - but I'm scratching my head trying to figure out where this new Ranger fits into Ford's lineup.

Go ahead and scratch your head. Mid-sized trucks sell now, and will continue to sell well when the fuel prices eventually increase, which is inevitable. The Tacoma is selling at ~200k per year and GM's Colorado/Canyon sell at ~150k per year. There is a consumer demand for mid-sized trucks.

1/2 ton's and 3/4 ton's still dominate the market, but I will be surprised if that trend continues when fuel prices go back up. A lot of HD truck buyers are bro's who want to look cool and throw a hockey bag in the back. Want will very quickly give way to need when money becomes an issue.
 

Todd780

OverCamper
I really don't care about the Raptor version. Just as with the F-150, it's likely going to be overkill, even for an overlander, and its suspension will have a fraction of the base version's payload and towing.

Give me a turbodiesel (3.2 inline 5 would be preferred, but a 2.0l inline 4 could suffice) or a bombproof gasser, a rear e-locker, and at least 1.6k-2k lbs of payload, 6k-7k lbs of towing...similar to the Ranger Wildtrek sold overseas.

I'll be happy with that and I suspect most mid-sized truck owners (coming from Tacoma's and Colorado's) would want something like that over a Baja-wannabe.

Yep! Don't get me wrong, I think the Ranger Raptor is cool but, I think for me something along the lines of an FX4 / FX4 Level II with a NA 6 cylinder gas engine would suffice quite nicely.
 

haven

Expedition Leader
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2019-ford-ranger-raptor-pickup-stateside-competition/

Lots more photos of the Thai-Raptor here, and some simplistic comparisons with Tacoma and Colorado. Sure wish these trucks didn't cost $40,000+.

“Midsize” trucks (the single cab models) are about the same size as full size pickups were 25 years ago. Many people, maybe even most people, will be well served by today's midsize. Sure, there will always be people who need to tow a 20,000 lb gooseneck trailer, but they should be buying an HD pickup anyway.
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Go ahead and scratch your head. Mid-sized trucks sell now, and will continue to sell well when the fuel prices eventually increase, which is inevitable. The Tacoma is selling at ~200k per year and GM's Colorado/Canyon sell at ~150k per year. There is a consumer demand for mid-sized trucks.

1/2 ton's and 3/4 ton's still dominate the market, but I will be surprised if that trend continues when fuel prices go back up. A lot of HD truck buyers are bro's who want to look cool and throw a hockey bag in the back. Want will very quickly give way to need when money becomes an issue.

Two car payments and insurance cost more than fuel savings, that's why we see big trucks doing little tasks so often. You have to err towards big sometimes. I don't plan on replacing my 15mpg truck with a little one even if fuel is $5 a gallon. And I like having both of my legs.

In the Summer I have the bike and car, if I had to commute. I only take an economy hit in the winter. But I have a company vehicle now, so no worries.

But I could see the Ranger steal a few Toy, GM, and Jeep sales. It ain't going to compete with SD's at all.
 

Dalko43

Explorer
Based off what I've read here (https://jalopnik.com/how-the-ford-ranger-raptor-measures-up-to-the-real-rapt-1822810030) I don't know if using "midsize" as a reason for how this truck would be marketable works. Looks like its .7" narrower than the current Raptor, which makes it a good 8-10" wider than most midsize trucks currently out there. Shorter length helps but being that wide would be a problem here in the PNW. I'll still check it out though.

Yes, but the base (non-Raptor version) will be a bit more narrow than the average 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton.

Two car payments and insurance cost more than fuel savings, that's why we see big trucks doing little tasks so often. You have to err towards big sometimes. I don't plan on replacing my 15mpg truck with a little one even if fuel is $5 a gallon. And I like having both of my legs.

In the Summer I have the bike and car, if I had to commute. I only take an economy hit in the winter. But I have a company vehicle now, so no worries.

I think you're the exception to the norm, not the norm, when it comes to truck owners. Most people aren't buying and using their truck as a secondary or tertiary vehicle; it's their primary vehicle, to include daily-driver. I don't know of any 3/4 ton gasser that can regularly get 15mpg per gallon for combined driving, but even if we assume that is the case, we're talking about $80-$100 to fill up a tank every other week. That cost will only go up as fuel prices begin to rise again.

For most drivers, who have the truck as their only vehicle, fuel efficient engines (both gassers and diesel) in smaller platforms are going to make more and more sense as fuel prices rebound.
 

Clutch

<---Pass
For most drivers, who have the truck as their only vehicle, fuel efficient engines (both gassers and diesel) in smaller platforms are going to make more and more sense as fuel prices rebound.

I hear you on more fuel efficient vehicles, while I can afford the fuel...am getting a little tired of having to put fuel into a truck that gets an appalling 17-18 mpg as a daily, as I have been looking at cars and hybrids that get 40-50 mpg recently for a commuter.

Hard to predict the future, but fuel prices may not rebound for a while as the current admin is getting ready to sell off our public land and open it up for resource extraction. Though it all may change again with the next election.
 

Dalko43

Explorer
Hard to predict the future, but fuel prices may not rebound for a while as the current admin is getting ready to sell off our public land and open it up for resource extraction. Though it all may change again with the next election.

Public lands aren’t getting sold off. Some national monuments were shrunk, and if you look at original intent of the National Antiquities Act and the executive authority regarding monuments, it could be argued that some of those monuments were too big to begin with.

All that land is still federal land. Companies have to apply for permits to extract resources.

Please leave overt political commentary in the fireside chat sub forum.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Clutch

<---Pass
Please leave overt political commentary in the fireside chat sub forum.

Yeeeeeeeeesssss sirrrrrrrrr! gawd damn dude, you're such a stiff at times.

Wasn't trying to be political, simply saying gas prices might not be rising any time real soon.
 

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