The Ranger dies 2009

[bmacsys]

One little fact buried in the linked piece about Ford's $2 billion UAW savings is this: the Ranger is dead come 2009. It has been known for a while that the Twin Cities Plant in St. Paul, MN that makes the Ranger would close, and the closure date has been pushed back one year, to 2009. The Cleveland plant that casts engine blocks will also close that year. Credit goes to Automotive News for teasing out these new nuggets of info.

We wrote earlier about possible rescue scenarios for the Ranger, but it looks like the Ranger mine has been shut down and sealed off. Mulally has said that Ford will be more forthcoming about its plans at the Detroit show, so anything is still possible. However, after 26 years, it looks like the compact pickup truck thrill is gone. For you Ranger fans out there, the tune you're looking for is "Taps."

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/11/20/its-apparently-official-the-ford-ranger-is-dead-come-2009/

http://jalopnik.com/cars/industry-news/the-ford-ranger-goes-bye-bye-in-2009-325103.php

http://www.truckblog.com/story-1498-ford_ranger_cancelled_in_2009

Well, this sucks, I was planning on buying a brand new Ranger when I Moved to BC in a few years, guess that plans out now, this is probably the worst news I've heard in a long time. RIP Rangers.

It saddens me too after owning two Rangers and a BII. The Ranger in all its incarnations were solid engineering that stood the test of time. Seems to me that now would be a good time to think of building small trucks. Ford could have done a complete redesign it seems and kept what was a very profitable line for a long time.

 

[bmacsys]

on my 2008 fx4 with 4.0l 5 spd and 4wd i get 17 mgp city and up to 25 mpg highway. what do you think about that

I have a 2004 fx4 Level II. Its a standard and I don't get anywhere near what you are claiming. And I am no lead foot.

 

[rickcdewitt]

the point is that they SHOULD be making a small pickup that gets 35 mpg(turbodiesel)

 

[dadevil]

I have a 2004 fx4 Level II. Its a standard and I don't get anywhere near what you are claiming. And Iam no lead foot.

i am but not all the time, it is the type of diff i have as do do with it. torsen 4.10 i think because it has no problem pushing it down the road. and plenty of power to spare at any time. i've gone 4 whelling for hours and then go back home and i would drive around 200 to 300 miles that day and i get as low as 15 mpg but still i dont see why you dont get the same as me. you may have a smaller gear ratio in the rear diff that takes more power to move it. ????????? i was want the 2007 version of the fx4 so i an get the fx4 lv 2, but check around and saw that the 2007 fx4 lv 2and the fully loaded 2008 fx4 with everything that the 2007 fx4 lv 2 has are exactly the same but the 2008 fx4 has the HD 5 speed and not the R1 like the 2007 fx4 lv 2, the HD 5 spd is better for the power and the torque.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

on my 2008 fx4 with 4.0l 5 spd and 4wd i get 17 mgp city and up to 25 mpg highway. what do you think about that

I think you better hang on to it, because you will have a hard time finding another like it. That is typical 4x2 4-banger truck milage.

 

[dadevil]

it is not going anywhere and when it finally dies it going to be a desert rat then.

 

[pyropeters]

regular truck @ 18mpg?..

I drive a f-350 4dr long bed 4x4 w/ powerstroke and it gets 18mpg. of course I am paying $4.50 a gal. for fuel. lol.

 

[ozzy85]

Ford needs to redesign the Ranger into a 5000-lb tub of goo filled with "content". Heated steering wheel, TV screens, etc. By golly, it will sell.

 

[LearjetMinako]

Its not all Ford's fault. Everytime I go to the dealerships, they push you into the F-150 or Explorer SportTrac. What they do carry for Rangers are usually base models. Maybe 1 or 2 Sports models. But then again, Ford is always uping the bar for the F-150. And the F-150 is planning to get a 4.4 or 4.5 V-8 diesel engine in 2010.

I would like to get a new Ranger becuase no other truck fits my lifestyle better. There is just no justifaction for it, unless death does one of us in.

 

[dadevil]

ya when i went to pick up my fx4 from the dealer they said that this was the first 4x4 they had seen on the lot in 1 yr or so.

 

[4x4 Fool]

09 Ranger Dead

I have a 99 Ex-cab 4x4 with 3.0 and auto and get around 21 mpg or reagular and about 19 on E-85 only thing I can truly say that I wont miss about the Ranger leaving in 09 is the crappy vacuum hubs on the truck. I have had more problems with them then anything. The worst part is I have yet to find any lock outs or any company willing to make a set of lock outs for it.

 

[crazy96863]

The Ranger is dead, but this leaves room for a replacement. A replacement that won't compete with this f-series. I think this leaves room for an addition to the f-series, the F-100. I think Ford is doing what we have been asking for. They are giving us a small truck that has a V-8 option from the factory. Comparing this to Dodge, I think the comparison will be the Dakota other than the fact that the Dakota is a piece of crap.

Ford is closing the plant where Rangers are made. If they make the F-100 using the same platform as the f-150, most of parts will be interchangeable. So why not make it in the same factory?

Considering all the above and the rumors floating around, I think there is a good chance of this happening. I am sure Ford will be making a F-100 Ranger to appease the diehards such as those reading this.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

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.

 

[compleckz]

im still holding out for the crew cab turbo diesel ranger they sell overseas, lol

 

[broken2wd]

im still holding out for the crew cab turbo diesel ranger they sell overseas, lol

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