What type of Ranger package do you want Ford to make?

[Jim Oaks]

Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet here in Tallahassee has one ZR2 Bison for sale. It's a nice truck for a Chevy. All the upgrades from regular ZR2 to bison are mostly all external except the seats have *Bison* embroidered in the headrest. You could almost get a Raptor for the price. I know Raptors are too wide, hell they're like almost a foot wider than a regular 150. But the Raptor is not a trail truck, it's a desert runner that people take on trails.

And I read they had all been spoken for. Fake news! LOL

Yes, the Raptor is a desert truck. Not a true off-road / trail truck. The Raptor shines in large open areas off-road where you can drive fast in the dirt and sand. I guess anyone that wanted to argue that their stock Raptor is a great trail truck could try and follow my '96 Ranger up through some tight trails....

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It looks like the gladiator is killing it in all categories, but I don't like the look of it.

It shouldn't be about what the competition is doing though, it should be about knowing the off-road truck consumer, and building the product they're looking for.

That is kind of a nice thing about the way it works though. Taco finally got LED lights and power seats because the Ranger has them. Competition is good, otherwise good enough is good enough..

I am hoping the Gladiator makes Ford raise the bar.

I thought the CUSTOM was the bare bones option. My 83 was just Ranger, no "custom" or "xl" and it only came with am/fm radio

Just plain "Ranger" was bottom of the barrel for quite a few years. Trucks marked Custom (like mine, see avatar) were basically XL's with a different name.

This is an interesting read:

Ford Ranger: The Complete Illustrated History of America's Favorite Compact Pickup plus bonus coverage of the Ford-badged Courier and the Ranger-based Bronco ll: McLaughlin, Paul G.: 9781583883334: Amazon.com: Books

Ford Ranger: The Complete Illustrated History of America's Favorite Compact Pickup plus bonus coverage of the Ford-badged Courier and the Ranger-based Bronco ll [McLaughlin, Paul G.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Ford Ranger: The Complete Illustrated History of America's...

www.amazon.com

 

[rusty ol ranger]

That is kind of a nice thing about the way it works though. Taco finally got LED lights and power seats because the Ranger has them. Competition is good, otherwise good enough is good enough..

I am hoping the Gladiator makes Ford raise the bar.



Just plain "Ranger" was bottom of the barrel for quite a few years. Trucks marked Custom (like mine, see avatar) were basically XL's with a different name.

This is an interesting read:

Ford Ranger: The Complete Illustrated History of America's Favorite Compact Pickup plus bonus coverage of the Ford-badged Courier and the Ranger-based Bronco ll: McLaughlin, Paul G.: 9781583883334: Amazon.com: Books

Ford Ranger: The Complete Illustrated History of America's Favorite Compact Pickup plus bonus coverage of the Ford-badged Courier and the Ranger-based Bronco ll [McLaughlin, Paul G.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Ford Ranger: The Complete Illustrated History of America's...

www.amazon.com

Whats the reading level its written at?

Id be interested but if its higher then a dr seuss book forget it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Whats the reading level its written at?

Id be interested but if its higher then a dr seuss book forget it.

Your results may vary...

Seems pretty normal to me. I will admit once you get out of "your" generation (aka the trucks you care about) it gets kinda dry. I am all over the options and stuff on first gens, aside from LII's it is hard for me to get into newer gens though.

 

[gw33gp]

My idea of a good off-road vehicle is a little different than many people. I don't want a big lift because I go for many days and carry a lot of supplies. I don't want the center of gravity too high for the type of trails I encounter.
I prefer no more than 2" lift, just enough to allow 33" tires. I like as much suspension travel as practical. Sway bar disconnects would be good. I want wheels that don't get easily damaged and I don't want really tall wheels. I like some cushion from the tires. Low profile tire don't give that. I think the selectable locker is OK for the rear but I think a good limited slip (like a Torsen) in the front would be better for me. Of course really good off-road capable shocks are needed (maybe even a reservoir style). I don't need all that off-road assist stuff. I have found that those kind of things don't work in all situations and can get you into trouble. I know how to drive off-road and prefer to do it myself. I even take the ABS fuse out when I am going through difficult terrain. I would also like a functional rock slider that does not hang down too much. Recovery points front and rear are good. If they are going to offer only an automatic, a good transmission cooler would be good.

 

[Shran]

All the fancy options are neither here nor there for me but I don't want power windows, navigation, leather, etc in a truck that I'm going to wheel. Just basic, durable equipment that will still function if I run the truck through a creek. Who wants to clean water and mud out of a truck with carpet and leather seats?

 

[Ramcharger90]

1. MANUAL TRANSMISSION.
2. Single cab.
3. V8.
4. A splash edition style bed
5. Crank windows.
6. A diesel option since Cummins isnt exclusively dodge any more a 4bt
Basically the 90 ranger I have just with air conditioning.

 

[Ramcharger90]

It looks like the gladiator is killing it in all categories, but I don't like the look of it.

It shouldn't be about what the competition is doing though, it should be about knowing the off-road truck consumer, and building the product they're looking for.

And I don't like the mentality that the truck is designed to get you to the adventure. Uber can probably do that. I want a truck that can be part of the adventure.

And 2020 is getting a diesel and the 2019 only has a v6 but you can still get a manual transmission. No single cab option either

 

[don4331]

I'd like to see it with an over-bore 2.7L EB, punch it out to be a 2.9L, and offer it in the colors the 1st gens had available, and call it a classic edition.

The 2.7 Nano aka EB has 83mm for both bore and stroke, the 3.0 Nano (Lincoln MKZ) has 85.3mm bore/86mm stroke; so 2.7 crank in 3.0 block would be just a couple milliliters short of 2.9 - much easier than I suspected... 3.3 Cyclone (F-150 base) would need a shorter crank. I'm leaning to the all aluminum n/a 2.9 Cyclone, but that's me (simplify and add lightness). In either case, we know they bolt to a 10R80 transmission.

I was surprised that Dodge has discontinued the regular cab in their 1/2 ton as of '19 and GMC discontinued the I-4 and manual in Colorado/Canyon.

Given the Troller has basically a low volume factory SAS, why is that pipe dream for Ranger? Probably less dream than regular cab or manual.

Leaving the pipe dream behind, your initial list was pretty good.

3-Inch High-Rider Suspension Lift
33-Inch Mud Terrains
Allied Wheels I'm not necessarily partial to Allied, but 16" so there is decent sidewall
Front Locker (electronic locker can be "engineered" to unlock at higher speeds, making it less likely for people to hurt themselves).
Ford Performance Winch Bumper with optional light kit
Snorkel (optional)
4.10 gears
Upfitter switches.
Do we want a light bar in bed?

 

[sgtsandman]

My idea of a good off-road vehicle is a little different than many people. I don't want a big lift because I go for many days and carry a lot of supplies. I don't want the center of gravity too high for the type of trails I encounter.
I prefer no more than 2" lift, just enough to allow 33" tires. I like as much suspension travel as practical. Sway bar disconnects would be good. I want wheels that don't get easily damaged and I don't want really tall wheels. I like some cushion from the tires. Low profile tire don't give that. I think the selectable locker is OK for the rear but I think a good limited slip (like a Torsen) in the front would be better for me. Of course really good off-road capable shocks are needed (maybe even a reservoir style). I don't need all that off-road assist stuff. I have found that those kind of things don't work in all situations and can get you into trouble. I know how to drive off-road and prefer to do it myself. I even take the ABS fuse out when I am going through difficult terrain. I would also like a functional rock slider that does not hang down too much. Recovery points front and rear are good. If they are going to offer only an automatic, a good transmission cooler would be good.

My thinking is kind of along this. Give an option for some steel wheels with the FX4. Steel wheels are easier to repair for a limp home and tend to take abuse better than aluminum.

 

[Plum Ranger XLT]

If this is to pipe dreamy tell me but...

1- A regular cab/7ft box.
2- A *real" manual trans.
3- A *real* manual transfer case.
4- Vinyl seats (bench)/rubber floors.
5- Crank windows/manual locks.
6- A regular, knob type radio.
7- A factory 2 or 3 in lift with suitable tires (BFG KO2s my personal prefernce)
8- The XL decor package.
9- A/C and Cruise only 2 options.
(This next one is optional, but would be nice)
10- A 3.5EB or (preferably) a 5.0 coyote, even if it is tuned down a bit.

Package it all up in some sort of "heritage" or "Classic" package and price it right. Id be all over it.

I couldn't said it better myself.

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I seem to recall that Ford, on the Focus, used to offer a "Canadian Winter" package. It had heated seats, heated mirrors, and some other stuff that I don't remember.

I want a Canadian Winter package on mine, with the following options:

• Heated seats
• Heated mirrors
• STUDDED winter tires on steel wheels
• Four Wheel Drive, but I want it such that I can lock it into 2WD, choose auto, lock into 4Hi, or lock into 4Lo with automatic locking hubs
• higher ground clearance (but not too high, I'm short!) - just enough to get through that darned snow drift in the driveway!
• Block Heater
• Battery Blanket
• Higher CCA battery
• Interior car warmer

I also want a few other goodies:

• 5 Speed manual (or 6 speed)
• BIG mirrors like the ones on my 1990
• Fold Away mirrors
• A/C
• Cruise Control
  • Adaptive Cruise Control (that automatically slows down when I approach a slower moving vehicle) would be nice, but not necessary
  • CANCEL/COAST button
  • On/Off button
  • Set/Accelerate button
  • Resume button
  • I want to, when I approach a reduced speed zone, cancel the cruise while I slow down through the town, then hit RESUME when the speed limit returns to my set speed
  • If I could have my dream, it would remember my prior set speed, allow me to SET at the new speed, and then return to my prior speed.
• Tilt/Telescoping steering wheel
• Power Locks
• Power Windows
• Touch Screen display that I can control my iPhone from
• Bluetooth
• Rubber floor mats (but carpeted floor)
• Anchor for floor mats
• Tow hooks for front and back bumpers (removable would be nice)
• Height adjustable drivers' seat (power seat would be nice, but not necessary)
• SIMPLE but nice aluminum wheels with a decent all season tire
• Tie down hooks in the bottom of the bed AND on the top of the box sides
• Box extender
  • I'd like a 7 foot box, but I want a supercab so that I have room for five if I need it
  • Make this removeable so that when I don't need it I can take it off, and it's not taking up space in the box
• Side airbags
• Side curtain airbags
• anti-lock brakes
• Hybrid power train (with the following pipe dream features):
  • able to run electric only up to 70MPH
  • only kick in the gasoline engine when I need the extra power
  • When in 2WD, allows the non-driven wheels to generate power to charge the battery
  • alternative:
    • An engine that gives me a good balance between power and fuel economy
• DUAL sun visors on both sides (my Taurus has this (drivers' side only), and my old Sable had it (Drivers' side only, dang was it nice! I could flip the main visor over onto the side window, and there was a second visor above it that I could flip down onto the windshield
• FLEXIBLE box cover
  • Make this light weight, in pieces so that it's easy for one person to install/remove
  • includes sides that raise the height to cab height
  • includes top
  • includes back piece
  • What I'm looking for here is flexibility. I want to be able to cover the cargo area, but have some height when I need it, or remove the whole thing when I don't need it.
• side moulding to protect the truck from door dings
• running boards to help me step up
  • a neighbour of mine had running boards on his F150 that when you open the door came down and out, but when you closed the door tucked up and in to give back the ground clearance
• grab handles inside
• Remote keyless entry
• Remote Start
• Automatic Start/Stop (or what ever it's called - the new ranger has it, when you stop, the engine shuts down, and then starts up again when you take your foot off the brake)
  • I like the idea, but it's not something I HAVE to have, I can turn the key off when I'm going to sit and idle for a long time (like when I'm waiting for a train)

Now for some things that I don't need/want. These are features that if I could delete them from the package that has everything else I want, I would:

• Flashy decals
• leather seats
• sun roof
• automatic climate control
• rain sensitive wipers
• automatic lights
• power adjustable pedals
• push button start
  • It usually comes with the keyfob that allows the truck to start, and be opened when the fob is in the vehicle's vicinity. That's fine, but my keys are 20 feet from the car inside the house, and I read somewhere that the range on them is 30 feet
  • If I have to have this, then I hope Ford gives it EXTREMELY limited range (two feet or less from a sensor in any door or the ignition switch).

Ok, kids, before you start flaming me, no, I haven't looked at the available options for the truck as is, and I *do* realize that some of what I want might be available already, but if I could have what ever I wanted, that's what I would want. Oh, and bring back custom ordering. Some of those options that I want might be available in a higher trim level that has options I don't want.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

I'll take one of these, okay Ford?

 

[MastuhWaffles]

I just want an FX4 Level II in my current color.

 

[Mike Tonon]

Crewcab with at least a 6’ long bed.
Diesel
Red and blue interior options.