Is the Ranger on its way out?

Yeah I know this has been discussed many, many times, but I'm the first one to post it on the 'new' TRS. So there lol.

Anyway, the 2008 Ranger is up on fordvehicles.com and Ford deleted the STX and FX4 Level II models for 2008. It seems to me that the Ranger will either be redesigned or discontinued completely. I know it's due for a redesign and it hasn't been selling well, but I just hope it doesn't turn into a larger midsize truck. What do you guys (and girls) think?

They say its not selling well, But From what I see at work, they arent selling because they arent on the lots. Whenever we get one in at work, it usually sells right away.

I don't know what they'll do. It used to sell well but at this point has been mostly the same design since 1993 and other small trucks have passed it by.
Also the other small trucks ain't that small any more and the Ranger, except for the 2wd 4-banger, don't really save you anything on gas over an F150 and the payload and towing is less. Love my Rangers (and Sport Trac) but at this point I don't see that it's really necessary for Ford to build it.
I've read elsewhere in automotive news that Ford has shifted their philosophy toward building profitable vehicles and letting the sales come out where they may rather than shoving as many out the door as possible and making it up on volume.
I got my first Ranger in '99 (in fact I saw my old '99 today), on my third RBV now, and IMHO the build quality has gotten worse with each one.

I love the ranger, but it either needs to be redsigned like the euro style ranger (ie. 4 door, diesel, etc, ect) or discontinued, and I know I'm not the only one that thinks so

Ford has been very tight lipped about the future of the Ranger, so who knows what will actually happen with it.

Though Ranger sales have been declining steadily, it still outsells most of its competition. Currently only the Tacoma has a solid sales lead on it (roughly twice the sales). The Ranger and Colorado flip flop between second and third in sales. The Ranger still has a sizable lead on the Fontier, Dakota, and Raider. That, IMO, is reason enough to keep it in production. Considering a truck with a 15 year old body, 10 year old suspension, 25 year old frame, etc can still outsell most of its competition (all completely new since 2004/5), it seems like an all new Ranger should be able to get back to first in small truck sales in no time.

In addition to still having high sales, the Ranger also has the highest owner loyalty in its class. Of course, people might be hesitant to trade in their old Ranger if a new one is essentially the same.

One problem with all small trucks that has kept Ford from redesigning the Ranger is that small trucks as a group have low profit margins. Their material costs are higher than those of a regular car, but they can not be priced too high above the starting price for full size trucks. Since the Ranger still sells, and all development costs have been paid for, they are hesitant to spend billions of dollars on a complete redesign that will take a long time to pay off.

There is also the issue of what to do with the Explorer Sport Trac. Ford likes having it around because they can add it into Explorer sales. However, it cannot replace the Ranger as a fleet or entry level vehicle. Sport Tracs are expensive, they have almost no fleet market, and they are geared more towards people who want an SUV they can carry dirt in than a small work truck. On the other hand, if they keep the Ranger around, they would almost have to introduce a crew cab model for the US market or risk having the truck shunned in magazines and ignored by consumers. But of course having a crew cab Ranger would kill off the Sport Trac, and Explorer sales would drop.

Hopefully Ford will redesign the Ranger. I would like to see it offered in all of its current configurations, plus a crew cab with two bed lengths. Offer an I4 and the new Duratec 35 with some tweaks, use a downsized F-150 frame (super strong, fully boxed), offer a 6 speed manual and 6 speed automatic, keep the size close to the current size, then sit back and watch it pass the Tacoma in sales and creep back up to 1998 levels (350,000 Rangers were sold in 1998). Sadly, the future may not be so bright. I have a feeling the Ranger may go the way of the Bronco. Ford is pretty desperate right now, and they have been making some decisions that don't seem too smart.

i would like to see a 4 door and diesel ranger but i would sell the f150 for it and my get a older f250 for towing

pacodiablo said:

Sport Tracs are expensive, they have almost no fleet market, and they are geared more towards people who want an SUV they can carry dirt in than a small work truck.

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That would be me, yes.
Ford's financial situation is so bad right now that I seriously doubt they have the resources to develop a new small truck. I wouldn't look for them to do anything in the short-term.

A small diesel would just about put every other truck out of the running for the fleet market.

The fleets still tend to prefer rangers anyways. I work for a dealership that is part of a chain. there are 3 toyota dealers, 2 nissan dealers, an acura dealer, a bmw dealer, a crysler dealer, and some used car dealers. They all use rangers for parts delivery.

In general, the yotas are expensive, so they have to get run longer to make up the cost difference. Most fleet vehicles tend to take a beating, and the toys can handle it mechanically, but in any vehicle, seats get ripped, accidents happen, and so on, so many fleets tend to like rotating vehicles on shorter schedules.

When the colorados first came out, a few fleets bought them. You dont see them much any more though, they just cant take the beating.

The dakotas and the frontiers just dont seem to show up in fleet applications much. I honestly dont know why, as i dont have a lot of experience with either.

That leaves the ranger.
Its fairly inexpensive, and it can take a beating, and this makes it an obvious choice for fleets.

I for one would like to see a new redesign of the Ranger to give it some of the features that are on the full size. A fully boxed frame would be nice. Maybe get rid of the torsion bars like they did with the F-150 and offer a small diesel. I'd trade in a heartbeat. As long as my bumper fits on the new frame.....

-krug

Also, there is no Level II listed, but the Torsen Limited Slip and skid plates are listed as an option for the regular FX4. If you get the Torsen LS, will the truck come with a 31 spline axle? Will all FX4's come with a 31 spline now? Other than no BFG's listed now, what else did the Level II have that the Level I didn't?

JohnnyO said:

That would be me, yes.

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I wasn't dogging the ST or its owners, but you will never see Terminex calling up Ford and saying "we'll take 100 of the $32,000 Sport Tracs...those come with leather, right?"

Ford's financial situation is so bad right now that I seriously doubt they have the resources to develop a new small truck. I wouldn't look for them to do anything in the short-term.

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That is my concern. They just might not be able to do it. The Asia/Europe market Rangers are just as outdated as our own, so it is very possible that we will have to go without the Ranger, at least for a while.

pacodiablo said:

I wasn't dogging the ST or its owners, but you will never see Terminex calling up Ford and saying "we'll take 100 of the $32,000 Sport Tracs...those come with leather, right?"

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No offense taken. Now, now, leather isn't standard. You've got to pay extra.
Although I did used to see a bunch of Tracs in body wrap with a huge Red Bull can in the bed.

The Ranger is OK as it is and would sell a lot better if they were promoted and the selection of options listed in the Ranger brochure were actually available. There are plenty of people out there that like small trucks with a few basic items as a commuter vehicle with reasonable gas mileage. The auto manufacturers have abandoned this group. If this type goes out in search of a 4-cylinder Ranger they will see a lot of plain white Rangers with no comfort items. There are a few 4-cylinder XLT models out there, but they are hard to find. Plain white with vinyl seats is great for fleets, but the average person is probably going to want something a little more personalized without having to settle for a gas-guzzling V6.

The other reason why they aren't selling them is because many dealers don't really want to sell them. Seriously, they think a vehicle with an MSRP of $15500 isn't worth their time. Most of the dealerships will be quick to talk you into an F150. Until you go out looking for a new Ranger you will not have a clue how much sales pressure you are going to experience with them trying to sell you an F150. I recently found a Ranger I wanted at one of the dealerships here and when it came down to making the deal, they quickly abandoned the idea of my purchasing a Ranger and suddenly the topic turned to me buying an F150, and they kept pushing it until I walked out. I ended up going to a family owned dealership here and told them I wanted that particular Ranger and they did a trade.

Also, a lot of people looking for trucks don't even have a clue that the Ranger is still available. Most dealerships have one or two tucked away in the back and will not bother to mention them unless you specifically ask. Even then some of them will tell you the F150 is the smallest truck Ford makes.

The Ranger is probably due for a redesign so safety features can be updated. It doesn't need to be turned into a mid-sized truck. All that would accomplish is increasing the weight and surface area for the wind to collide against. The Tacoma experienced a decrease in real-life fuel economy with the mid-sizing.

krugford said:

Also, there is no Level II listed, but the Torsen Limited Slip and skid plates are listed as an option for the regular FX4. If you get the Torsen LS, will the truck come with a 31 spline axle? Will all FX4's come with a 31 spline now? Other than no BFG's listed now, what else did the Level II have that the Level I didn't?

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The Level II had a 31 spline axle, 4.10's w/ rear LS, 31's on 15" wheels, and skid plates. I think that's about all that separated it from the FX4.

I think they will keep it, at least for a few mores years, mostly because they have to have a vehicle to market against competitors. And there is also the cost factor inolved with re-engineering the truck that has already been mentioned. I hope they do keep it, but either way my next vehicle is an F-250. I need something to tow with. But there will always be an RBV at my disposal.

I agree that the size should not change, but the sheet metal and interior need to be refreshed.

Advertising has definitely been a problem too.

I remember just back in 2002, before everyone else had redesigned their trucks, my parents went Ranger shopping. I was with them. The dealer had a lot packed with them. The indoor showroom alone had about 10-15 on display. My parents simply picked the options, the salesman got on a golf cart, and a few minutes later came back with the exact Ranger they wanted. Now you can either choose the one white XL on the lot or the FX4 Level II.

I got my truck used, and quickly learned that the demand for used Rangers is huge. This was in 2004. I printed out about 7 or 8 Rangers from Auto Trader. Every last one had been sold. Had I been a day or two late, I might not have gotten the truck I have now. This could be part of Ford's problem though...why buy a new Ranger when you can get a used one that is almost identical for much less $$$?

One local dealer still keeps all kinds of Rangers in stock. They usually have a couple XLs, a few XLTs, a Sport or two, and an FX4 Level II. They even keep regular cab 4WDs in stock, no special ordering required. I have been drooling over the black regular cab 4WD XLT they have in stock now.

the dealership that I bought my truck at had 2 rangers on the lot, a blue 2001 Edge 2wd 3.0L manual and my yellow 2006 sport 4X4 4.0L auto, mileage difference was about 80,000 miles, not exactly ideal for someone that plans on driving this thing for the next 5 years without having to do a bunch of shit to keep it running, so I'm happy with what I have(I wanted a yellow truck anyway) but dealerships need to do a better job of stocking them

hmmmm, if you have them on your lot, they may just sell, oh and by the way, whoever said dealerships don't wanna waste their time with a $15,500 truck, you're right, because profit margin on that truck after salesperson commission and all other costs involved is probably around $500, I worked at a dealership(for 3 days) and the average profit on a 20k vehicle was around $500 - $1,000, so cheap vehicles are really not worth their time and they'll let you know it to, which IMO is bad business practice