Some of the more recent Ranger spy photos showed what looked like the same Dana M220 rear axle as is used on the Colorado.
The brown NAIAS show truck appeared to have the same axle as the current T6 which is not the M220 but I wouldn't put too much stock in that since they did admit that the show truck was pretty much just cobbled together and not representative of an actual production vehicle.
I have seen 3 different axles. the platform mules are testing in diesel and v6 and n/a 4 cyl.
the 2.3 ecoboost is a beast for sure. I drove a diesel Colorado, and I am positive it will never out run a 2.3 ecoboost ranger in an unladen drag race....mpg will be marginal enough as well for the diesel to be a clear winner just for commuting under 100 miles daily...
but I am also positive that a Colorado will absolutely bitch slap a 2.3 when actually towing 5 thousand pounds, especially when towing mpg comes into view. this alone will mandate a diesel if it is discovered there is a 7 k towing market for the ranger...no way to know it till they get em to the users...
the little dashboard deal on the colorado said 24.x mpg.. that's better then what the dashboard dealio reports on the neighbors eco explorer which is what I expect the ranger crew to do...and over 10 mpg better then our v6 explorers dash dealio says with e85....we only have 2k miles on it though...it may get better. that's city mostly...big idle time...winter fuel...hey its winter right?
so I can see the engine options opening up after the market settles out if it looks like ford can unseat the taco....might take a few years....might always be a single engine option...
but if it cost as much as the Colorado I drove...I wont buy it for over 40k....fawk that.
the small inline diesel they have in the little trucks I can deal with....the big truck v8 diesels are way too costly all around... if towing is the main objective they are still the best way to go. as long as its always on the road putting on miles.
as to the big current 6.2 gasser fords...when your going back to the 6.0-6.4 diesel era for comparision....you can put a good argument up... but don't compare it to the scorpion 6.7...you may as well be in the ranger.
the 6.2 fords are ok for general use....they suk to tow with though. all the guys I work with that have to tow with them...hate them more then I hate the gasser I have to use. towing around the Tunkhannock area...12-14 k trailers I would rather have my 95 psd any day of the week. down in west Virginia its worse.
I remember the 1st month of diesel sales for the Colorado with gm...Toyota made fun of the sales decline and they actually doubled sales....in January no less....no small feat for the shitiest month of the year..i was laughing reading it then....
but then after a few months Colorado sales basically nearly doubled...you look at the 5 year spread its perplexing. but what they left out is all of the diesel trucks were presold...and there were change over supply issues as well...
at the end of the day, with Toyota leading with no diesel...the ford strategy seems sound for now.
I can see me buying a 2wd crew, and swapping in dana 60's and a transit 3.2 diesel to get what I need and being happy as a pig in sheet...
you bastages can have your ecobooster 4 whizzer