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IN A NUTSHELL: A staple in the Australian truck-market for several years, but new to the U.S.
CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier. Opinions vary as to whether the Honda Ridgeline can be considered a close competitor, since it has a different type of frame and basic construction.
OVERVIEW:
Ah, the classic American full-size pickup truck....to partially-borrow an old phrase from BMW, perhaps the Ultimate Loyalist Machine. Those who drive around in pickups with the blue Ford Oval, the gold Chevy bow-tie, or the silver Dodge/Ram symbol are among the most dependable owners in the industry (particularly with full-size models), and have been a very tough nut for competitors to try and crack. Among non-American-badged manufacturers, only Toyota come even close to being a major competitor...and that was only after several tries with mid or 3/4 size pickups that were marketed as "full-size" but were actually smaller, both in engines and physical size. The first Toyota pick-ups sold here were plagued with rust-issues, and the first true full-size Tundra, though sporting a refined and dependable drivetrain, had build-quality issues with hardware and a tailgate that bucked under load. The full-size Nissan Titan, built in a Mississippi plant, also had quality issues at the plant, and never achieved even the popularity of the Tacoma.
With mid-size pickups, the picture has some similarities...but also some notable differences. First, among mid-size pickups, Toyota has indeed been a formidable competitor for years, especially with its off-road TRD truck-package. Second, for several reasons, mid-size American-badged open-bed pickups have not had the same kind of popularity as their full-size brothers, though some enclosed SUV versions of them, like the older Ford Explorer, Chevy Blazer/Trailblazer, and Dodge Durango, were quite successful.....indeed, the original Explorer completely changed the market for SUVs being sold primarily to suburban families, replacing earlier minivans and station wagons. But the mid-size trucks, though sometimes popular, languished in the shadow of their larger and more publicized brothers. Sales began to languish, particularly during periods of relatively cheap gasoline, when the large gas-guzzling trucks didn't necessarily eat their owners out of house and home when filling the tanks. Mid-size trucks also, in general, were not as satisfying to own or drive as their bigger full-size brothers, could not carry as much, and often played second-fiddle in sales. As full-size trucks, with each redesign, received more comfortable suspensions, more comfortable cabins, and better ride comfort (this is particularly true of recent Dodge/Ram 1500 pickups, which have virtually the refinement of luxury cars), those improvements were generally not passed down to the mid-size trucks. The last-generation GM mid-size pickups (also rebadged as the Isuzu I-series) were downright awful (GM's current Colorado/Canyon are light-years better, but still lack the noise-isolation and ride-comfort of the Ram). Dodge eventually dropped the mid-sized Dakota, which simply could not compete with the full-size Ram in sales. The one mid-sized truck which DID have the relatively nice road-manners of a car was the unusual Honda Ridgeline....which differed from traditional ladder-frame pickups in its basic construction and underpinnings. It never really caught on with many American buyers, although one of my former Pastors bought one and loves it.
Ford, of course, had been selling the compact Ranger pickup in the U.S. for some time (opinions varied as to whether it was a compact or mid-sized truck...I considered it a compact). A rebadged Mazda version of it, when Ford owned that company, was marketed here in the U.S. as the B-series, though Mazda sold their regular Japanese-designed trucks in their home Japanese market. The Ranger, though, like earlier versions of the Toyota Tacoma, was rather crude, utilitarian, uncomfortable to drive and sit in, and IMO, was not a very pleasant vehicle....I noted that in my write-up at the time. True, a work-truck is not necessarily meant to coddle its riders, but today's trucks show that it is possible to be both a work-truck and at least reasonably refined at the same time. Not only that, but many buyers found that the larger Ford F-150 offered more size, comfort, room, carrying ability, refinement, and better resale value, and Ranger sales began to plummet. By 2011, Ford marketers felt that the sales-level was inadequate to sustain the truck's presence in the American market, and so, in December of that year, the Ranger was dropped, and the American mid-size truck market generally shifted to GM and Toyota, with the Nissan Frontier and Honda Ridgeline being minor competitors.
Since then, however, for several reasons, Ford marketers have come around in their thinking, and now feel that the Ranger line deserves another try at the American market....with one exception. There are currently no plans for an enthusiast Raptor version, with its extreme off-road undercarriage and rugged durability on rough surfaces. Perhaps (?) we will see one later, if the Bread-and-Butter versions of the Ranger sell well enough. The current version of the Ranger, though new to the U.S. market, has been sold overseas for several years, particularly in Australia, the country where it was developed and perfected. In this age where so much concern is being shown for where vehicles are built, and who the plants employ, Ford will build American-market versions in Wayne, Michigan, with American labor.
Like a number of pickups, the 2019 Ranger will come in a many different possible cab/bed/undercarriage configurations (too many to list here...see the web site for details). But, in general, three trim-lines are offered.....the XL ($24,300), XLT ($27,940), and Lariat ($32,210). All three versions come with a 2.3L EcoBoost Turbo in-line four of 270 HP and 310 ft-lbs. of torque and a 10-speed automatic (with Tow/Haul Mode) jointly developed with GM. The engine will have the auto/stop feature, which shuts it off at idle under light-load conditions. All three versions will have a choice of two or four-wheel drive, with a locking rear differential. As I write this (mid-January 2019), new Ranger models are just starting to arrive in the D.C. area, after a long wait.....too long, IMO, considering that production supposedly began last October.
An interesting story on the Ranger I static-reviewed today. I was out at the BIG dealer-mega-mall west of D.C., near Dulles Airport...a truly enormous complex of at least a dozen huge dealerships representing many of today's mass-market automakers, and stopped there to pick up something for my brother at the Kia shop. I had been waiting to look at a Ranger, of course, and I noticed that, on the website, the big Ford/Lincoln shop right next door had a bright blue Ranger Lariat listed in stock. So after I was done with the Kia parts-shop, I thought I'd at least go look at it....though, because it had been listed for several days, I didn't really expect it to still in stock. I expected some customer, who couldn't wait, to have already grabbed it up. I parked, got out, walked around a little while taking a quick look round the front part of the lot (I didn't see it). So, just as I was walking up to the front door to go inside and see of they had it in the showroom, I heard the sound of an engine close behind me, turned around, and, Lo and Behold, Praise God, there it was. One of the PDI guys had just cleaned it up in the wash-bay (still had some water-drops on it) after our recent snowstorm, detailed it, shined up the tires, got out, and left it right out in front of the door, unlocked. My Word....talk about co-incidence and good timing. It looked to me like it was being prepared for a delivery that day, and, when I inquired, that was confirmed. So, of course, a test-drive was out of the question....at least for now. I will not test-drive someone else's new vehicle (unless I'm shopping with someone for the vehicle and test-driving it for them), on the chance that something could happen to it, even though I myself am very careful and have never wrecked or damaged a test-vehicle in almost 50 years. I also make it a personal policy that, even if it is not already spoken for, I usually don't test-drive the only sample of a vehicle a dealership has in stock, because if something happens to it, I don't want it to be on my watch. So, for those reasons, I decided (with the dealer's permission) to do at least a static-review of it while I was there....and before its new owner showed up. There will probably be plenty of chances for a test-drive later, and I can play catch-up on that when I get a chance.
So...on with it.
MODEL STATIC-REVIEWED: 2019 Ford Ranger 4X4 Lariat Super-Crew Cab.
BASE PRICE: $36,210
OPTIONS:
Bed Utility Package: $395 (Basically just a one-piece, composite drop-in liner)
Sport Appearance Package: $795
FX-4 Off-Road Package: $1295
501A Package: $1795
DESTINATION/FREIGHT: $1195 (a little steep for a truck this size)
LIST PRICE AS REVIEWED: $41,685
DRIVETRAIN: 4WD, 270 HP @ 5500 RPM, Torque 310 Ft-lbs. @ 3000 RPM, 10-speed Select-Shift automatic transmission with Tow/Haul mode and locking rear differential.
EPA MILEAGE RATING: 20 City, 24 Highway, 22 Combined
EXTERIOR COLOR: Lightning Blue
INTERIOR: Black (Ebony) Leather
PLUSSES:
Nice underhood layout.
Underhood struts instead of manual prop-rod.
Nice lower-body cladding/trim on Lariat model.
Nice dash trim on Lariat model.
No ugly stand-up video screen-housing....nicely-integrated into the dash.
Generally simple and logical control/button layout.
Simple, no-nonsense shift-lever for the transmission.
Rear headrests flip down for added visibility from the drivers' seat.
Reasonably nice seat leather.
Some nice paint-colors available.
Superb paint job (many Ford products, IMO, actually have smoother paint jobs than Lincolns).
Plenty of room for cleaning inside wheel wells with 17' wheels.
True spare tire.
Extremely wide Ford dealer network for sales and service.
MINUSES:
No Raptor version currently scheduled for the U.S. market.
Longer 6' bed not available on Super Crew-Cab model.
Too much cheap black plastic inside.
Front and rear seats not particularly comfortable for my tastes.
Tinny-sounding door and hood closings.
Tailgate not counter-balanced like on Chevy Colorado.
Lacks the built-in-exterior compartments of the Honda Ridgeline.
Bargain-basement door-panel and console materials except for a small panel insert.
EXTERIOR:
For those of you who still remember the former utilitarian Ranger (and its Mazda B-series rebadge), toss out all thoughts of them, as this is a totally different truck outside. It is far more imposing-looking, especially with the longer Crew Cab versions (though you cannot get the longer 6-foot bed on that version....more on that below). Unlike the old Ranger, this one definitely has a more chunky, aggressive-stance, a more aggressive-looking grille, and, especially in the 4X4 raised-suspension model, seems to sit higher off the ground. In other words, this one looks like it's ready to go toe-to-toe with the Toyota Tacoma.....also a lot more aggressive-looking than in some previous versions. Some nice paint colors are available. The paint job, especially in the Lighting (Electric) Blue of my test-truck, was superbly-done...some Ford products have made tremendous advances in paint-quality lately, and, IMO, are better-painted than Lincolns. On the Lariat model, instead of the usual black vinyl/plastic cladding around the lower body and wheel wells, Ford uses nice gray hard-surface/painted/polished cladding wth a nice feel, though it does not cover the lower-body between the two doors.....only the wheel wells and lower-front/rear ends. With the 17" wheels/tires on my test-truck, there is a LOT of room inside the wheel-wells to get a hose or wash-spray in there to clean things up if and when necessary. I know some folks don't like the open-well look, and want huge tires and wheels to cover the whole gap. But, IMO, the more open space you have in there, the better...especially when snow/ice or mud starts to get packed up in there. Two things, however, I didn't care for on the outside. One, the sheet metal and doors (closing with a rather light, tinny clink-sound) didn't have the solid feel of the former Ranger. Two, the colorful FX-4 decals on the rear-body panels (for the optional Off-Road package, which this truck had) stick out like a sore thumb....like they also do on the Toyota Tacoma's TRD package and the Chevy Colorado Z71 package. The exterior did have one little flaw (though it was not the factory's fault, or my doing)...a small ding/dent about a half-inch long, on the front fender, just behind the right-front wheel. There was a very small white scratch in the middle of the ding ....I guess the PDI guys didn't notice it when it came out of the wash, though I'm used to spotting body-flaws. As a courtesy to the dealership (and the the customer taking delivery of the truck), I buffed out as much of the actual scratch as I could with my ever-present bottle of SCRATCH-OUT, but the small ding remained.
All in all, I'd give the Exterior a B....perhaps a borderline B+.
UNDERHOOD:
Open the hood, and two nice gas struts hold it up for you......no fumbling with a manual prop-rod. A nice underhood insulation pad is underneath the hood, but the hood itself sounds and feels somewhat tinny in its closing. The basic underhood layout is OK for the longitudinally-mounted 2.3L turbo-four, but it might be a little crowded for a V6...perhaps one reason why Ford doesn't offer one as an option. As it is, though, the in-line four, though with the usual top-engine cover that blocks top-access, has decent access around the sides and front of the engine-block to reach components. All of the dipsticks, filler-caps, and fluid-reservoirs were generally easy to see and identify. Because of the relatively high ground stance, though, typical of 4X4 pickups, one must either be tall and/or able to stand on something to reach over the rather high front fenders and grille to get inside.
INTERIOR:
The interior, at least on the Lariat model, was an interesting mix of some nice and some not-so-nice features. I'll start with the (IMO) nice ones. As with most pickups, the roof is high enough that headroom for most people is not a problem, front or rear. The rear seat headrests, the not in use, flip down forward so the driver can see more easily out the rear, over the bed. Legroom is not too bad in the rear, depending on where the front seat is adjusted, but, of course, is not as roomy as in most full-sized trucks. The seat-leather (apparently real leather, not fake stuff) seems to be of a relatively nice grade. The video-screen housing doesn't have that cheap/tacky look of a lot of vehicles just mounting it upright above the dash......like on my Lacrosse, it is nicely-integrated into the dash itself. The polished dark gray trim of the dash (Lariat model) had a nice feel, though I couldn't really tell what kind material it was......and a small piece of it was mounted on each of the four inside door-panels. The shifter for the transmission had a nice simple fore-aft PRNDS pattern....no quirky E-shifter patterns or operation, though the +/- manual-shift rocker switch mounted sideways on the shifter could be improved. The basic control/button layout was reasonably well-laid out and user-friendly. And the steering wheel, like on most Ford products, was generally well-done.
But other things inside were, IMO, not as well-designed, or hit by the bean-counters. Despite the decent-feeling leather coverings, neither the front or rear seats, with their park-bench cushions, were what I would consider very comfortable, especially for a long trip....the rear seat does include a pull-down center armrest, though. There was too much cheap-looking/feeling black plastic on the lower dash, console, and most of the door panels.....only a nice, though small, piece of the gray dash-trim broke up the monotonous cheap materials on the door panels. It was rather difficult to tell the position of the black-plastic drive-mode switch on the console from its feel and motion. The turn-signal and wiper stalks had a cheap and somewhat flimsy feel to them. And the manual-adjustable tilt-steering column had somewhat of a loose, disconnected feel to its adjustment-motion.
All in all, I'd give the interior a C.
CARGO COMPARTMENT/TRUNK:
Rather simply-designed, even by basic pickup standards. A 5-foot bed comes with the Crew-Cab model (four full passenger doors)...the longer 6-foot bed only comes with the shorter Club-Cab model (half-rear doors). From what I could tell, it lacks the counter-balanced tailgate of the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon, and also lacks the built-in cubby bed-compartments found on the Honda Ridgeline. The tailgate itself, though, despite the lack of the counter-balance, is not particularly heavy or obtrusive, except perhaps for older people with injured or arthritic arms/shoulders, and they are not very likely going to be loading things in and out of trucks to start with. My test-truck had the optional ($395) one-piece black-composite drop-in liner for the bed and bed-rails...a less-expensive spray-on liner is also available if desired. As with other off-road-capable vehicles, a true spare tire is provided....too bad the rest of the industry has dumped them.
ON THE ROAD:
On Hold for another chance....couldn't do it this time.
THE VERDICT:
I'll hold off on the final verdict until after the test-drive, but, in a nutshell, I'll say that the looks on the new Ranger have improved substantially over the old version. The interior is a marginal improvement, though too many light-grade materials are used inside and out. And kudos to the Ford paint-shops.....they are really learning their stuff.
And, as always......Happy Truck-Shopping.
MM
Updated now with the Test-Drive......see post #16, below.
Here's a funny article from Jalopnik on the specialty-Rangers (but non-Raptors) at the Detroit Auto Show. It's not officially part of my write-up, but I thought I'd include it in the thread, as it has some good satire.
The new Ranger is never settled. Its body is always moving, and as a result, so is yours. Bouncing up and down, tossed side to side, thrown forward or back into the seat. And that's the Lariat model. We drove the FX4 off-road model, as well, and it was even worse. Entering a driveway at an angle was guaranteed to send your head flying toward the door window like that viral video of the people in the speedboat getting tossed like ragdolls. You constantly feel like a buoy in rough seas. I actually crawled under the truck to verify that A) it had anti-roll bars and B) they were connected (yes and yes). The Lariat is better, yes, but as features editor Christian Seabaugh put it, "If the FX4 is a 2/10 in ride quality, the Lariat is a 5/10. At least the Lariat doesn't make me carsick."
"The Ranger, being the newest truck on the market, somehow manages to feel the oldest and least refined," road test editor Chris Walton said. "It feels like a '90s F-150."
This is the company that builds the F-150 Raptor, a truck that charges across deserts floating like a classic Lincoln. It's a company we awarded Truck of the Year in 2017 and 2018 for the excellent F-Series Super Duty and F-150, respectively, with little deliberation required. Trucks are what Ford does best … most of the time. To say the Ranger's ride, handling, and noise/vibration/harshness are disappointing is to say the Super Bowl is a football game. You can improve it marginally by putting weight in the bed, but with Ford pitching this as a "lifestyle" truck, I have to wonder how many owners are going to haul anything but air.
The brake dive is just another reminder this is an old truck designed for a different market. Originally introduced in 2011 for countries with rougher roads and no full-size pickups, the Ranger was meant to be an old-fashioned workhorse, not an American "lifestyle" truck. The steering is slow and over-boosted, requiring constant corrections through a long corner. The idle is rough, and the mechanical cooling fan is as loud as a semi truck's. The tailgate is completely undamped and unassisted. Old-school.
Put it to work, though, and it starts to make sense. Like I said, a load in the bed or a trailer on the hitch settles the body down somewhat and doesn't faze the engine much. The interior of the bed is wide, swallowing more cargo than the 4-inch-narrower Colorado's, and it offers a handy extra set of tie-downs just behind the wheelwells in addition to the usual four corners. Ford has taken the mantle of best-in-class payload and towing by small margins, but those extra safety margins count for something. The ground clearance is reassuring out in the back forty, but it does mean the bed floor is high and the bed rails are high enough I can't reach the bottom of the bed standing next to the truck as I can on the competitors. Work is what this truck is meant for, and what it does best.
Climb into the cabin and you're reminded of that singular focus. The dashboard looks nothing like an F-150's, but rather like a more upright version of the Focus', also designed by engineers outside the U.S. The dash-mounted power mirror control looks straight out of 1996, and the climate control buttons are small and mounted at the bottom of the dash where you won't be pressing them with work-gloved hands like you can in an F-150. The rear bench is the only one on the American market (midsize or full-size) that isn't split folding, so everyone and everything needs to get out if you need something from under the back seat. Not that you'll be storing much under there, since there's just two little cubbies good for a few ratchet straps, maybe a ball hitch, and not much else. To be fair, though, the Honda Ridgeline is the only truck in this class that gives you a flat rear floor if you fold the seat up, but others offer more storage space than Ford.
Climb into the cabin and you're reminded of that singular focus. The dashboard looks nothing like an F-150's, but rather like a more upright version of the Focus', also designed by engineers outside the U.S. The dash-mounted power mirror control looks straight out of 1996, and the climate control buttons are small and mounted at the bottom of the dash where you won't be pressing them with work-gloved hands like you can in an F-150. The rear bench is the only one on the American market (midsize or full-size) that isn't split folding, so everyone and everything needs to get out if you need something from under the back seat. Not that you'll be storing much under there, since there's just two little cubbies good for a few ratchet straps, maybe a ball hitch, and not much else. To be fair, though, the Honda Ridgeline is the only truck in this class that gives you a flat rear floor if you fold the seat up, but others offer more storage space than
I haven't test-driven one yet, but I generally agree with their view of the interior....a few nice touches, but mostly unimpressive.
Yep, this is basically the reason for all it's faults - Ford was/is just being cheap and not significantly updating a 2011 design.
I'm thinking they would have waited to introduce it until the new version that's schedule for a couple years out was released, but everybody here is screaming for a Ranger so they relented and said "fine, here's a Ranger to tide you over."
Come on, Folks. I agree that, overall, it's not the most impressive truck I've ever seen, but what did you expect........a sports car? And, if nothing else, the paint job on the electric-blue sample I looked at will definitely open your eyes, especially when you see it up close and what a good job they did on it. The FX-4 trim decals add even more flash.
Come on, Folks. I agree that, overall, it's not the most impressive truck I've ever seen, but what did you expect........a sports car?
seriously? obviously not a sports car, and i don't expect anything, but would prefer innovation over regurgitated decade old designs. the new explorer is innovative. this is warmed up stale leftovers. VERY boring and uninteresting.
seriously? obviously not a sports car, and i don't expect anything, but would prefer innovation over regurgitated decade old designs. the new explorer is innovative. this is warmed up stale leftovers. VERY boring and uninteresting.
I'll agree that except for the paint job, it's statically-unimpressive from a material and/or design standpoint. But I'll withhold final judgment for the test drive. I'll try to do that next week, if some unsold samples come in. One of the things I've learned over the years is that, automotively, what's under the skin (chassis, drivetrain, etc...) is not always comparable to the skin itself....and vice-versa.
Also, since this truck is basically a 2011 design, it will probably be in for some major re-work (or a complete redesign) soon.
01-17-19, 07:32 PM
MM Full-Review: 2019 Ford Ranger 4X4 Lariat/XLT Crew Cab
obviously not a sports car, and i don't expect anything, but would prefer innovation over regurgitated decade old designs. the new explorer is innovative. this is warmed up stale leftovers. VERY boring and uninteresting.