(-- removed HTML --) An all-new Ford Ranger debuts at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. (-- removed HTML --)
Following an eight-year hiatus, the Ford Ranger pickup truck makes its return. The new model was unveiled over the weekend at the Detroit auto show, coming in larger than before. It will join a segment led by the Toyota Tacoma and comprised also of the Chevrolet Colorado, Nissan Frontier and GMC Canyon. A Jeep model will follow in about a year.
To mark this auspicious occasion, we’ll take a look at certain “fun facts” about the Ranger: past, present and future.
(-- removed HTML --) Heritage Rangers (-- removed HTML --)
1. Ranger Name. Ford sold the compact Ranger pickup truck for 29 model years from …show more content…
1983 Ranger. Ford released the Ranger early in the 1982 calendar year as a 1983 model year truck. The new truck offered six- and seven-foot beds, three engine choices — 2.0-liter four-cylinder (paired with a four-speed manual gearbox) and 3.0-liter V6 gas engines and a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel (paired with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions). This regular-cab only model offered rear-wheel drive (4x2) initially, followed by four-wheel drive (4x4) later in the model year.
4. Two Generations. Although offered for 29 years, the original Ford Ranger spanned just two generations. The first generation covered 10 years from 1983 to 1992, and included a refresh in 1989. The second generation spanned 19 years, 1993 to 2011, and delivered an update in 1998. Noteworthy changes incorporated a SuperCab (extended) cab model in 1986, an extended wheelbase in 1998, and various engine and transmission improvements throughout.
5. Competitive Set. All through the Ranger’s long history, the little Ford competed against numerous models, including the Nissan Pickup, Mitsubishi Mighty Max, Chevrolet S10 and GMC S15, Isuzu Pickup, Toyota Truck and Dodge Dakota early on. Gradually, the herd thinned as most small competitors left the market and manufacturers began building larger models, such as the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier. In an interesting turnabout, Mazda, which originally supplied Ford with a pickup truck, sold its own Ranger-derived …show more content…
Likewise, GM also took a break from the market after 2012, but with one important distinction: the automaker promised new Chevrolet and GMC models by 2015.
Ford left the segment as demand for small pickup trucks continued to decline. Even the remaining Toyota and Nissan models were languishing, last updated in 2005 or earlier.
But Ford didn’t abandon the Ranger entirely. Instead, they simply left the US market. An all-new Ranger designed and engineered in Australia rolled out in 2012, but it was for international markets only. The reason? Ford considered it too large for the US market, coming in at 90 percent of the F-150’s size.
(-- removed HTML --) Return of the Ford Ranger (-- removed HTML
Following an eight-year hiatus, the Ford Ranger pickup truck makes its return. The new model was unveiled over the weekend at the Detroit auto show, coming in larger than before. It will join a segment led by the Toyota Tacoma and comprised also of the Chevrolet Colorado, Nissan Frontier and GMC Canyon. A Jeep model will follow in about a year.
To mark this auspicious occasion, we’ll take a look at certain “fun facts” about the Ranger: past, present and future.
(-- removed HTML --) Heritage Rangers (-- removed HTML --)
1. Ranger Name. Ford sold the compact Ranger pickup truck for 29 model years from …show more content…
1983 Ranger. Ford released the Ranger early in the 1982 calendar year as a 1983 model year truck. The new truck offered six- and seven-foot beds, three engine choices — 2.0-liter four-cylinder (paired with a four-speed manual gearbox) and 3.0-liter V6 gas engines and a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel (paired with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions). This regular-cab only model offered rear-wheel drive (4x2) initially, followed by four-wheel drive (4x4) later in the model year.
4. Two Generations. Although offered for 29 years, the original Ford Ranger spanned just two generations. The first generation covered 10 years from 1983 to 1992, and included a refresh in 1989. The second generation spanned 19 years, 1993 to 2011, and delivered an update in 1998. Noteworthy changes incorporated a SuperCab (extended) cab model in 1986, an extended wheelbase in 1998, and various engine and transmission improvements throughout.
5. Competitive Set. All through the Ranger’s long history, the little Ford competed against numerous models, including the Nissan Pickup, Mitsubishi Mighty Max, Chevrolet S10 and GMC S15, Isuzu Pickup, Toyota Truck and Dodge Dakota early on. Gradually, the herd thinned as most small competitors left the market and manufacturers began building larger models, such as the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier. In an interesting turnabout, Mazda, which originally supplied Ford with a pickup truck, sold its own Ranger-derived …show more content…
Likewise, GM also took a break from the market after 2012, but with one important distinction: the automaker promised new Chevrolet and GMC models by 2015.
Ford left the segment as demand for small pickup trucks continued to decline. Even the remaining Toyota and Nissan models were languishing, last updated in 2005 or earlier.
But Ford didn’t abandon the Ranger entirely. Instead, they simply left the US market. An all-new Ranger designed and engineered in Australia rolled out in 2012, but it was for international markets only. The reason? Ford considered it too large for the US market, coming in at 90 percent of the F-150’s size.
(-- removed HTML --) Return of the Ford Ranger (-- removed HTML