I have a question

[Gary DuBois]

why did the ranger not have the fx4 off road package until 2002 ?

It came to my mind this morning that maybe the fx4 off road package should of came out in 2001 when that new body style and look came out ?

 

[Curious Hound]

why did the ranger not have the fx4 off road package until 2002 ?

It came to my mind this morning that maybe the fx4 off road package should of came out in 2001 when that new body style and look came out ?

I guess they just didn't think about it until then? These kind of things just sort of happen as people get the ideas.sometimes it's driven by marketing people. "Hey. What kind of gimmick can we think of for a different trim/options package? What should we call it?"

It's like asking "why wasn't fire invented before 3217BC?" Nobody got the idea before then. (That's a joke, by the way.)

 

[Uncle Gump]

I think it had a lot to do with Ford responding (albeit really late) to GM and the ZR2 Highrider.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Didnt the Fseries not get it untill 02 either?

There was an "off road" package....not sure what was the difference between that and the FX4

 

[RonD]

Yes, +1 on the "Marketing tool" for option packages

Go here: https://www.therangerstation.com/articles/ford-ranger-brochures/

Look at the different year Ranger brochures

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Didnt the Fseries not get it untill 02 either?

There was an "off road" package....not sure what was the difference between that and the FX4

Yup, '02 was the first year for everybody.

It is was 4x4 Offroad before that. Once they changed the FX4 to FX4 Level II the regular FX4 2003+ was similar to the OR. Skidplates, foglights, stickers, slightly less pathetic tires etc.

 

[97RangerXLT]

sometime in 2001 the marketing team at ford had this really lit party. once they were half way through two bowls of coke and several blunts later, one of them said "we should have our top end 4x4 called Fx4... the rest, stoned out of their gourds, agreed. and now here we are

my 97 is basically the 97 version of Fx4/ Fx4 level II. it came from the factory with 31" tires, Bilstein shocks, 4.0, and 8.8 limited slip rear end. the only thing that could have made it better would be a manual transmission/ hubs (I have upgraded to the manual hubs from the automatic ones), 4:10 gears instead of 3:73 and more skid plates instead of just the one under the gas tank.

AJ

 

[Curious Hound]

sometime in 2001 the marketing team at ford had this really lit party. once they were half way through two bowls of coke and several blunts later, one of them said "we should have our top end 4x4 called Fx4... the rest, stoned out of their gourds, agreed. and now here we are

Sounds like a plausible story.