Replacing the Ranger past 2009 or is the small trucks done for good?

[Ozwynn]

Storage Room
Truck > SUV

MPG:
Truck > SUV

But yet they keep buying SUVs.

Stupid Americans... so stupid.

EDIT: Truck=full sized F-150 or 1500.

F-150 or a 1500 doesn't exactly have a power train big enough to be useful, really i don't get why people watse their time with a full size 1/2 ton. I don't really consider it full size unless its 3/4 ton or bigger.

my Suburban has the same amount of storage as a long bed chevy with a canopy plus its lockable, and the locks are not as easy to break, and i can flip the middle seats up and put the rear seat in and have seatbelts for 9. And my Suburban gets the same mileage as an equivalent 3/4 chevy truck (also gets better mileage than my LandCruiser, and almost what the minivan gets).

what is stupid is not getting what suits your needs. The SUV suits my needs better than a pick up and if i need more room I can pull a trailer.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

F-150 or a 1500 doesn't exactly have a power train big enough to be useful, really i don't get why people watse their time with a full size 1/2 ton. I don't really consider it full size unless its 3/4 ton or bigger.

my Suburban has the same amount of storage as a long bed chevy with a canopy plus its lockable, and the locks are not as easy to break, and i can flip the middle seats up and put the rear seat in and have seatbelts for 9. And my Suburban gets the same mileage as an equivalent 3/4 chevy truck (also gets better mileage than my LandCruiser, and almost what the minivan gets).

what is stupid is not getting what suits your needs. The SUV suits my needs better than a pick up and if i need more room I can pull a trailer.

Like you said it comes down to needs. I only need to tow about 7k, so a F-250/350 with 6.4 would be a waste. A V-10 would be a gas sucking pig and still be overkill, and a 5.4 wouldn't be much better than what I have only in a bigger, bulkier, more expensive and thurstier package. My fullsize half ton tows what I need to just fine, a bigger truck would be a waste for what I do. A smaller truck (newer Ranger) would be pointless for my heavy duty towing needs (I would have to drive my tractors everywhere at 10-15mph which is only fun for so long), and it wouldn't do the light duty stuff any better than my current Ranger does.

Modern half tons are more like old 3/4 tons anyway, the late model F-150's are rated to tow more than my dad's old '81 2500 Camper Special's 8500lbs, and are getting close to his '80 F-350 in the lower teens.

 

[crabnebula]

last spring I was in Mexico near Monteray....in the middle of the desert..teaching rock climbing as that is what I do for a living AND.....there is a FOUR DOOR..(full doors) 4 door ranger...I saw a few of them down there...and yes a small bed indeed....you cant fit a bike in the thing...

But nonetheless we all desire different things for different reasons..and the car companies simply want money. Soooooo

Look into buying a 4 door in mexico...mean while...for me,
I like my 2001 Ranger...or any of the new ones since then,...they are a good truck for the buck!

Adios

 

[dru]

i agree rust my wife has an 08 town and country. however u need the people and payload pace alot of the time that is why my 93 4 door 4x4 is getting started.

i am going to name it the ranger SS ie SUPER SLASH lol

did you modify yours or buy it in another country?

 

[boilerman]

Small Crew Cabs and Rangers

are functionally useful, especially in snow belts, where the higher gound clearance and sturdy 4 wheel drive are almost a necessity, and for those that truly want a heavy duty car. Excursions enjoyed a niche popularity here, and it is good to see the Sport Trac continuing this legacy. I would have liked to have seen this as a Ranger model in the "Sport" model area, but at least it is out there.

A small crew cab with a short box with a hard tonneau allows most people here to register them as cars without much complaint from the authorities...you won't do that with an F-150 which demands Commercial plates here, even in crew cab/short box and hard tonneau non-commercial truck format.

Will small Rangers survive? I think so. Economy and the proven durability of the components, especially the 8.8 inch real axle, 2.3 liter engine, and the tough 4 wheel drive system will carry the day, as will eliminating the expense of redesigning to puff up the design into some bastardised affair, reducing expense is important right now. If Ford can avoid GM like absurdities like the 5 cyclinder Vortec and that creaky, weird shifting 4 speed automatic the Colorado is afflicted with, or turning a perfectly good design into a hulk like a Dakota they will be better off for it. If I wanted a larger truck I would buy an F-150/250, not some puffed up affair that is stuck "in-between."

What would I like to see Ford do with the Ranger? Well, for openers go all the way with the 8.8 inch rear axle which would allow for both 15 and 16 inch wheels, offers the Torsen locker, and a myriad of gear ratio choices, modify or make a recased version of the big torque-shift 5 speed, or the 6 speed auto with Tow/haul mode to better handle towing with the 2.3 liter, refit the big six speed manual into a Ranger sized transmission case, offer a Diesel similar to Peugeot's 504 series 2.4 liter wet liner equipped design in turbocharged form which is no slouch for a light truck, and begin hybrid design using the Escape style system for the "heavy duty car" crowd, as the more inclusive you make the Ranger in these coming days, the better the sales will be and the better Ford will be, and the longer we will have the Ranger around as a model..

 

[robbieo11]

did you modify yours or buy it in another country?

O i am building the ranger we bought own minivan localy
see thread below

 

[98 ranger xlt]

Supercabs are nice to have, but it is tough to beat the looks of a reg cab shortbox 4x4 truck. Even the long box trucks look pretty nice to me, hence why I have one... not to mention it makes hauling fence posts easier with the bigger bed.

True, but i see people all the time that haul 12ft long fence posts in a 2000lb honda civic

 

[98 ranger xlt]

last spring I was in Mexico near Monteray....in the middle of the desert..teaching rock climbing as that is what I do for a living AND.....there is a FOUR DOOR..(full doors) 4 door ranger...I saw a few of them down there...and yes a small bed indeed....you cant fit a bike in the thing...

But nonetheless we all desire different things for different reasons..and the car companies simply want money. Soooooo

Look into buying a 4 door in mexico...mean while...for me,
I like my 2001 Ranger...or any of the new ones since then,...they are a good truck for the buck!

Adios

Short bed= less shit
Long bed= more shit

 

[98 ranger xlt]

psst! hey, I got the indside scoop:

http://www.fordvehicles.com/transitconnect/

apparently a Chevy Astro raped a Ford Escape, and this their illegitimate child

I'd say a Dodge Sprinter got in the mix somehow, but I don't think the Transit has a diesel.