The Ranger dies 2009

[LearjetMinako]

you mean the one that would sell like mad were it offered over here?

If that is true. But even a diesel would have a tough time with rising costs. And sure enough, the EPA will definitly have their fun with a diesel engine. If all goes like it does, Ford will offer the Thai Ranger, BUT without key features.

 

[crazy96863]

F-100

The F-100 replacing the ranger theory is logical for a number of different reasons:

1. Using parts that are more similar to the F-150's means cheaper manufacturing. Ford can charge a similar price for the vehicles and make more money. Being made in the same factory as f-150's means less manufacturing, shipping, and workforce expense as well.

2. The versitility of the platform would be appealling to a larger customer base. 4 cylinders for eco minded, 8's for the ones who want the power. Consider Ford's new Eco-Boost engines; we can have bigger, more capable, safer vehicles that are more fuel efficent than what is currently offered.

3. Ford is not about to drop one of its strongest lines, small trucks. A replacement of some sort is on its way. I am surprised they have kept it so secretive though. There may be a couple years without Ford small truck though, this is unfortunate.

4. While fuel economy is important, I think the driving force behind the sales is the quality of the product and the appearance. If this isn't the case than how does Tacoma out sell with lower mileage?

Ford may make some completely idiotic decisions but they make a damn good truck. I would be optomistic that they have some good things in the works.

 

[Dar70]

I will be ordering oneof the 2009 Rangers.(hopefully the buying guide will be here soon) I have a feeling i wont be liking the new one after the current one, to well. We shall see.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The F-100 replacing the ranger theory is logical for a number of different reasons:

1. Using parts that are more similar to the F-150's means cheaper manufacturing. Ford can charge a similar price for the vehicles and make more money. Being made in the same factory as f-150's means less manufacturing, shipping, and workforce expense as well.

2. The versitility of the platform would be appealling to a larger customer base. 4 cylinders for eco minded, 8's for the ones who want the power. Consider Ford's new Eco-Boost engines; we can have bigger, more capable, safer vehicles that are more fuel efficent than what is currently offered.

3. Ford is not about to drop one of its strongest lines, small trucks. A replacement of some sort is on its way. I am surprised they have kept it so secretive though. There may be a couple years without Ford small truck though, this is unfortunate.

4. While fuel economy is important, I think the driving force behind the sales is the quality of the product and the appearance. If this isn't the case than how does Tacoma out sell with lower mileage?

Ford may make some completely idiotic decisions but they make a damn good truck. I would be optomistic that they have some good things in the works.

Making a truck about the same size as a fullsize will result in similar (if not worse) fuel economy and a similar price tag. That is why the competition is bombing the compact truck market, the majority of buyers would rather pony up for a much more capible fullsize for a couple $k more that gets the same milage than a small truck.

Downsizing (or upsizing) a current model usually doesn't work out well, because by the time you get something that really fits in its own class not much of the original model is left... it will either an overpriced, overpowered compact truck or it is an underpowered overpriced half ton wannabee. It needs to be a somewhat original design to get the price below that of an F-150 enough to appeal to people.

The F-150 will be getting the six cylinder ecoboost engine and a 4.4L turbodiesel, I doubt the Ranger/F-100 will get anything bigger, especially if they share the same platform.

Recent sales figures should be making the desires of the buying public very obvious for Ford, milage is a bigger driving force than power/size. A full four door Ranger with a 4 cylinder diesel or an ecoboost 4 cylinder would be a market winner, even if it is just yet another update to the 1998 redesign.

The Explorer plant has been scaling way back on production, has a very nice running gear/interior layout, and is a freashly overhauled modular facility that can quickly switch from one vehicle to another, if I was the guy calling the shots I would be making the Ranger and Explorer based vehicle rather than based off of a F-150. It would be just a squigget bigger, and much more refined than the existing truck. I would push for a solid axle, but the independant would be great at making the competition look dated.

 

[LearjetMinako]

Prefer to stick with the solid axle. Then again, **cough**, Honda has the Ridgeline with the rear independent suspension. I would just like to see an actually compact truck stay in the market. When the Ford Ranger goes, the compact truck is dead. Everything else would be mid-size or bigger.

 

[jarfly]

Id like to see ford do to the ranger as chevy did to the s10 zr2 package.
The ranger body but with the fullsize axles. keep the 4.0 and hope and pray they offer 5spds.

 

[Black_Splash]

What do you guys think of this concept?

http://forums.motortrend.com/70/1062604/future-concept-vehicles/2009-ford-ranger-proposal/index.html

 

[BlackBII]

That would be kinda cool, I think it needs to have a higher ride height....

And it kinda looks like a scion turned pickup...

Something is wrong there, I can't figure it out tho...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Something is wrong there, I can't figure it out tho...

The cab is attached to the body, and it is even more bricklike than any other Ford truck built.

 

[Will]

I bought the service manuals for my wife's Pilot. You bash the Ridgeline, but you want to know something about Honda's?

No planetaries in the automatic transmission. It's a manual transmission looking thing. It has only 2 clutch packs and no bands. The packs have 5 and 7 sets of steels and frictions. And the valve body has maybe 1/3 the parts of a C4 or C6. Extremely simple design. These have been known since the 70s (when they were called the Hondamatic) to be bulletproof. Now I know why. It's a beast. It also has a huge 4-pinion differential.

Just leafing through the pictures, it all looks heavier duty than a Ranger.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I bought the service manuals for my wife's Pilot. You bash the Ridgeline, but you want to know something about Honda's?

No planetaries in the automatic transmission. It's a manual transmission looking thing. It has only 2 clutch packs and no bands. The packs have 5 and 7 sets of steels and frictions. And the valve body has maybe 1/3 the parts of a C4 or C6. Extremely simple design. These have been known since the 70s (when they were called the Hondamatic) to be bulletproof. Now I know why. It's a beast. It also has a huge 4-pinion differential.

Just leafing through the pictures, it all looks heavier duty than a Ranger.

They called the Ridgline a half ton when it first came out, not a compact.

I think they kinda backed off of that now and just slid into the 3/8 ton or 7/16 ton category with the Taco, Dakota, Frontier and Colorado.

 

[euroranger]

why shut it down?

Hi everyone, i'm a euro fan of the Ford Ranger, and frankly, i don't understand why Ford has to shutdown production of this fuel-efficent truck...
As far as i know, gas it's not cheaper even in the US at these days, where usually were cheaper than here in europe, so i don't really see the point...
It's been the leader of it's class for what, a couple of decades, and now that it might be the real weapon of Ford for those years to come of fuel price rise, they decide to end production and stay just with the full sizes...
Don't mistaken me, i love V8, big rigs and stuff, but this is a practical matter...
I own a european Ranger (Yes, Ford after about twenty years decided to sell the Ranger even here) that i absolutely adore, but it has nothing to do with the one that i drove in the US back in 1999...
Hope that those guys in Dearborne change their mind...
Ah, finally congrats to everybody for the awesome trucks featured in this site...
Sorry for any grammatical error that i've might done in this post...
God Bless America,
Max

 

[OilPatch197]

Why make the Ranger a midsize so it can sell as crapily as its compitetion?

As it sits with its last major redesign in 1998 it is far and away outselling Dakota, Frontier, and Colorado... the only other smaller truck outselling it is the Tacoma. Fuel economy is the driving factor now, not V-8 power.

Perhaps they'll just slap a "Ranger" sticker on a F-150 as a trim package.

 

[laclabb]

Well I guess, like they say it's going to look like the Ranger mine has been shut down and sealed off. But I guess, supporter's could do something to rescue the Ranger.
__________________________________________________
Powered by Autopartswarehouse.com

 

[FO44RD]

What do you guys think of this concept?

http://forums.motortrend.com/70/1062604/future-concept-vehicles/2009-ford-ranger-proposal/index.html

MEH

Might be nice as a novelty truck, but not the next RANGER.