First look at a 2024 Ranger

[sgtsandman]

Too expensive, too many doors, and the bed is too short...I like the 7 foot bed on my 87 Ranger...a 6-1/2 foot bed and regular cab or extended cab would be acceptable, but that 4 door useless 4 foot bed crap has got to stop, as well as the astronomical prices.

I picked up a 99 F250 Super Duty earlier this year with 184k on it, overall in pretty good condition, I did the spark plugs and coils right after I picked it up as it had a misfire, which given the plug and coil conditions someone skipped doing any of that maintenance LOL...and after doing it myself, I can see why...that V10 is crammed in there and makes getting to stuff a bit of a chore LOL. It has the 6 foot 10 inch bed, wanted a manual transmission and long bed, but trying to find one isn't very easy, especially in good condition, and not with 300k+ miles on it LOL. Couldn't pass up the $4500 asking price...trucks around here like this are going for $10k+ in good condition and the truck has new tires on it, and the 5th wheel rails in the bed already too...just need to find a slider hitch for it, and a gooseneck hitch...don't have either, and don't have trailers that need them, but would be useful occasionally now that I have a truck capable of towing.

So, my trucks get used for hauling stuff, so a longer bed is a must, and I don't haul people so the crew cab isn't needed either...the F250 I picked up is the super-cab, which is nice I can throw tools, groceries, etc. back there, or fold the seat down and sleep back there if I needed to.

Love my 87 Ranger, but if Ford can pull their heads out of their asses and build a regular old Ford Ranger work truck with a 6-1/2 to 7 foot bed, and regular or extended cab they might get me interested, but otherwise, I'll keep my Ranger...its now my daily driver as I sold my 08 Explorer due to the recurring ABS control module failure mess, and the part is NLA, so I got rid of it this time rather than trying to get it fixed again.

While a I agree with your sentiment in general, most people buy a truck as a status symbol rather than using it to do much work. Ford has focused on the majority of the market to maximize sales and to make a profit. Most of us on this forum fall outside of the majority in one way or another and sometimes in multiple ways. Plus, Ford would rather sell you an F-150 than a Ranger. They always have and always will. Ford more or less begrudgingly got dragged back into the smaller truck market and they way they have handled the Ranger after the initial relaunch in 2019 shows it.

In my case, if I was to replace the 2011, I would definitely be wanting something along the lines you are describing. It's my work horse and project vehicle. Cab size was not a priority since most of the time I'm not carrying passengers. Though the Supercab extra storage is real handy to have and at the time when I bought the thing, the 7 foot bed was not an available option on the lot. The 6 foot bed generally is long enough to get the job done and I have a roof rack for when it isn't. The 2019 was bought to replace a crossover SUV for family duties and as a backup vehicle in case the 2011 or the girlfriend's car breaks down. The priority was four doors and body on frame with 4X4. Cargo capacity was secondary but provisions were made for out sized cargo if the 2011 was not available for some reason. Both on the truck with roof racks and the ability to pull a utility trailer. A 6 foot bed would have been nice but the only manufacturer to offer one with a crew cab was Toyota. For reasons outside of the discussion here, I felt the Ranger was the better option.

What you are asking for is not wrong for what you need. Market data collected by Ford on the 2019 - 2023 Rangers does not match and they are going at where they can sell the most Rangers and make the most money. Their answer to you would be "Have you looked at an F-150?" and that would be the end of it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Ok, so you’re saying the new Ranger isnt for you… cool. That doesn’t mean their head is in their ass. That means they build a vehicle that doesn’t fit your needs. They do that because they don’t sell enough. They built a supercab/ long bed from ‘19 - ‘23…. Did you buy one??

May not be that simple. They may just think that those that want a supercab will settle for a more expensive Supercrew. Kind of like how when they killed the ranger they thought compact truck buyers would be content with settling for a focus or a F-150.

Vote with your feet, other brands still offer extended cab.

Personally I always liked the idea of a crew cab 6' bed. Toyota makes it, ford probably never will. Same with a manual transmission.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I also think their statistics are skewed a bunch. The stats favor what the dealers order and prefer to sell the buying public. They don't order or want to sell lower content base vehicles. They make more money on the loaded up high content offerings.

I think they missed the mark honestly...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I also think their statistics are skewed a bunch. The stats favor what the dealers order and prefer to sell the buying public. They don't order or want to sell lower content base vehicles. They make more money on the loaded up high content offerings.

I think they missed the mark honestly...

It's easier to sell a farmer a doctors truck than it is to sell a Dr a farmers truck. There is more money in the upsell too.

 

[Uncle Gump]

It's not like it isn't engineered... they offer it elsewhere.

 

[rubydist]

@Uncle Gump - that's not quite how it works. Ford provides allocation to the dealers. While Ford does not necessarily specify how many of which trim level a dealer can get, they effectively do that by what actually gets scheduled for production. So, we as a dealer can order 100 XL F-150 extended cabs, but they won't schedule that many so its pointless to do so. Its Ford that dictates how many of which trim level actually get built. Yes, they do that partly because they make more money on the high trim level trucks - which you would do too if you were the manufacturer - if there are limited resources you want to maximize profit just like any business.

In the case of Rangers, there is limited plant capacity because it is built at the same plant as Bronco and they cannot build as many as the market would like of both of those units, so they are simplifying the options to maximize production. They did simplification of Bronco for 2024 as well - no more base unit, etc. Up to this point, the highly awaited V6 Ranger is still not able to be ordered. We'll see when that actually makes its way into production...

 

[Roert42]

If I remember correctly, there was an article a while back with statements from ford. They were planning on minimizing/ eliminating their fleet sales and focusing on building themselves as more a high end boutique brand.

They want to sell less volume and only do Raptors, lightenings, and platinum lariats. Less work, more margin.

works well, sometimes. When you have a good year, you have a really good year. When you have a bad year, you have a really bad year.

 

[Uncle Gump]

While my description was surely over simplified... your version boils down to the exact result. They make more selling the buying public a fully loaded version... in turn that skews the stats.

Look what happened with the Maverick... day one of order banks opening... sold out of a full years production of the affordable base model. Do that with Ranger... I'd bet you would have very similar results.

My humble opinion... build a base 4wd 2 door supercab Ranger. Let people cherry pick the locker and upfitter switches. People would absolutely love an affordable work truck like that. I would bet they couldn't keep them on the lot.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If I remember correctly, there was an article a while back with statements from ford. They were planning on minimizing/ eliminating their fleet sales and focusing on building themselves as more a high end boutique brand.

They want to sell less volume and only do Raptors, lightenings, and platinum lariats. Less work, more margin.

works well, sometimes. When you have a good year, you have a really good year. When you have a bad year, you have a really bad year.

The high end stuff carried them thru covid, they liked that. Throw in some decontenting to save a couple bucks to help curb price creep and it's a cash cow.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

Some recent stories online say Ranger sales have tanked. Apparently the sales figures are really bad. It's as long as a base F-150, and there seems to be little reason to prefer the Ranger over the F-150. My suspicion is that the Ranger is on borrowed time in North America, even with the new body, so you can forget seeing Ford offer the Supercab version here. If someone wants a smaller pickup, that's why Ford has the Maverick.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Some recent stories online say Ranger sales have tanked. Apparently the sales figures are really bad. It's as long as a base F-150, and there seems to be little reason to prefer the Ranger over the F-150. My suspicion is that the Ranger is on borrowed time in North America, even with the new body, so you can forget seeing Ford offer the Supercab version here. If someone wants a smaller pickup, that's why Ford has the Maverick.

It also has a volatile relationship with its factory mate, push come to shove ford would rather build Broncos.

It isn't super competitive on price or mpg vs a 150 either.

They are really not that big. May be about the same length as a base F-150... which is also about the same length as a old supercab Ranger.

 

[sgtsandman]

May not be that simple. They may just think that those that want a supercab will settle for a more expensive Supercrew. Kind of like how when they killed the ranger they thought compact truck buyers would be content with settling for a focus or a F-150.

Vote with your feet, other brands still offer extended cab.

Personally I always liked the idea of a crew cab 6' bed. Toyota makes it, ford probably never will. Same with a manual transmission.

When I last looked, you could only get the 6' bed with the automatic transmission. That was in 2019, so it may or may not have changed since then.

 

[sgtsandman]

They are really not that big. May be about the same length as a base F-150... which is also about the same length as a old supercab Ranger.

Pretty much. The Supercrew, and I suspect the Supercab, are only slightly longer than my 2011 Supercab. It's a tighter squeeze past the 2019 with the garage door closed than it is with the 2011. So, it's only a matter of inches difference in overall length.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

When I last looked, you could only get the 6' bed with the automatic transmission. That was in 2019, so it may or may not have changed since then.

Yeah but both are options separately nonetheless.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Pretty much. The Supercrew, and I suspect the Supercab, are only slightly longer than my 2011 Supercab. It's a tighter squeeze past the 2019 with the garage door closed than it is with the 2011. So, it's only a matter of inches difference in overall length.

Supercrew is the same length as supercab.