Ford Ranger To Be Discontinued

[JCE]

This is a sad day. The small pickup (I mean actually small, not new Tacoma-sized) is a most genius idea. My dad's old 1993 Ranger 4 cylinder might not have much grunt but it'll carry 1000 pounds in the bed. It gets decent gas mileage. It's dead-nuts reliable. It's so basic that it's super cheap to own and maintain. It's got a super tight turning radius and you can park it anywhere you can park a Jetta. You can make a practical daily driver out of it because its small and relatively economical, whereas the big trucks are excessively wasteful and cumbersome on the daily grind. It's easy to get in and out of. Basically, if you can't afford to have a truck and a car both, an older small pickup makes a very versatile and tough daily. Excellent truck.

This is very well said. That pretty much sums it up in a nutshell. Maybe Ford's killing it in the US to gauge the reaction?

 

[homeforsummer]

This is very well said. That pretty much sums it up in a nutshell. Maybe Ford's killing it in the US to gauge the reaction?

Does the Ranger sell well then?

The only good reason I can see for them killing it off is to give the market a bit of time before releasing an entirely new one (as opposed to shipping over the rest-of-world one) and then hitting the market with something quite modern, probably eco-boost powered.

I quite like the Ranger. It's still big compared to the things we get in the UK, but not so ridiculously big that I couldn't imagine importing one for a bit of a laugh. I really like the current Ranger, preferably with the V6 and stepside-type body. Though base models are cool too, big black plastic grille and basic wheels.

 

[Sniffs]

I say good riddance, actually. when GM dropped the GMT-350 platform, ranger should have gone with it (it's more than 10 years old, I think. they may still be using the early ninties revision). the Mazda B's should go with it, or Maz should do their own platform, again.

there's not much use for "personal use" sized trucks nowadays (it carries one passenger and maxes at half a ton). most people use trucks to actually USE them. around here, it's chevy country, and I've seen more Ford Super Dutes (usually duallys) than you could shake a stick at.

a couple years ago, ford was allready talking about reviving the "F 100" marquis for a midsize pickup when they tossed the ranger. the idea was nixed. with Mercury gone, I bet lincoln will expand, and try to imitate Caddilac. caddy and Lincoln are brothers, after all (Henry Leland founded BOTH). the same is happening with Dodge and Chrysler (and dodge may get dumped outright, except for the ram)

ford has nothing to give, nowadays, for it's american markets except the F's. otherwise, they wouldn't have had to pull the Transit over here

I have a feeling that, in the US car wars, the ultimate winner will finally be Chevrolet. Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep is being systematically killed off by fiat, from all appearances, and, as far as I'm concerned, ford is now a foreign company.

 

[Jim Prower]

Chevy? Really? I know you have that ultra-conservative demeanor, but when GM trucks are consistently at the back of the pack in quality, reliability, etc, I don't see that happening.

Besides, it's a world economy. USA-1 doesn't matter as much as it used to. World #1 does. If that leaves you behind, then so be it.

 

[Sniffs]

Chevy? Really? I know you have that ultra-conservative demeanor, but when GM trucks are consistently at the back of the pack in quality, reliability, etc, I don't see that happening.

Besides, it's a world economy. USA-1 doesn't matter as much as it used to. World #1 does. If that leaves you behind, then so be it.

i was talking US market. at least Chevys don't fry their electrics (ford) or leak like sieves (chrysler). they just jam shut so you can't get in them

I've had lemons from every US manufacturer, and two abused Toyotas. I'd rather deal with door locks freezing up than having to replace an alternator every year, or not having any brakes (I've had some nasty failures with "no maintenance whatsoever" cars but I needed cheap wheels, so...)

i think it depends more on how you feel toward the manufacturer and it's quality.

I just wanna give the local guys a break. having a grand total of 3 "foreign" dealerships in a 60 mile radius doesn't help, especially when your looking for a Subaru.

 

[Keef]

How the hell is Ford a foreign company? It's the only one that didn't go bankrupt and it surely didn't get bought out by a foreign company as did Chrysler. I'm sorry where you live is Chevy country, but Ford is the only half decent company out of the lot of them. Either way, the amount of automotive failures you've had sounds a bit ridiculous. Maybe you should stop buying cars that have been heavily abused in their lives and take care of your stuff.

When you "need cheap wheels", you're going to end up with a piece of crap and some serious bias against whatever you happened to buy.

 

[JCE]

Does the Ranger sell well then?

The only good reason I can see for them killing it off is to give the market a bit of time before releasing an entirely new one (as opposed to shipping over the rest-of-world one) and then hitting the market with something quite modern, probably eco-boost powered.

I quite like the Ranger. It's still big compared to the things we get in the UK, but not so ridiculously big that I couldn't imagine importing one for a bit of a laugh. I really like the current Ranger, preferably with the V6 and stepside-type body. Though base models are cool too, big black plastic grille and basic wheels.

Unfortunately, no it doesn't sell well any more. For almost the same price you can get a larger truck (F150) and people around here prefer getting as large of a truck as possible for the money. But, I'm in Texas and that is probably in the minority. An EcoBoost (or diesel), ladder box frame small compact truck would absolutely be brilliant. Cheap, reliable and can do what you ask it to do. Haul and tow what Americans and Canadians actually use every week. Family stuff/luggage, jet skis and random shopping goods. Not everyone tows a 40ft yacht.

How the hell is Ford a foreign company? It's the only one that didn't go bankrupt and it surely didn't get bought out by a foreign company as did Chrysler. I'm sorry where you live is Chevy country, but Ford is the only half decent company out of the lot of them. Either way, the amount of automotive failures you've had sounds a bit ridiculous. Maybe you should stop buying cars that have been heavily abused in their lives and take care of your stuff.

When you "need cheap wheels", you're going to end up with a piece of crap and some serious bias against whatever you happened to buy.

Thank you for saying what I wanted. His comment about Ford not offering anything but the F-series is an obvious purposeful oversight. Ford is the only North American car company that has it together. With the introduction to NA of the Fiesta and the EcoBoost spinkling throughout the lineup they are full of win. Last time I checked the Fusion Hybrid and Escape Hybrid are fantastic bits of tech that lead their perspective genres in fuel economy.

 

[Dotini]

Off and on for the last 30 years I've had small pickups like the Nissan, Toyota (2) and Dakota. Now I want one for a 2nd vehicle, and the Ranger is the only one left currently in production.

I've been shopping for a low mileage standard cab, 4 cylinder, 5-speed, 2wd. I really like that 16 valve DOHC Mazda engine which gets such mileage and good power curve. My plan is to hot-rod it a bit with a drop kit, K&N, cat-back and chip. I'd like to get a bumper cover and paint the whole thing red, including the grille. The Mazda B-2300 is also in the picture. It's fenders and grille are a bit nicer than the Ranger, don't you think?

Respectfully,
Dotini

 

[Tornado]

Get a B-2500 and put a turbo on it the size of your head.

 

[Dotini]

Well, I could put a 4.10 rear end on it from an automatic.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Well, I could put a 4.10 rear end on it from an automatic.

As long as it's an 8.8", do it. The 4cyls have 7.5" diffs and said diff is known to be weak (although power efficient).

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> Too bad, looks like the "One Ford" motive won't work on this one.

^ Such pity, a loss in my book.

 

[niky]

And they're so much fun to drive...

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ When I go back and visit, I wanna Drive One.

 

[a6m5]

^ Such pity, a loss in my book.

Like the Ford statement said, according to them, the new Ranger(one that we won't be getting) is bigger. They say that the new larger size doesn't warrant co-existence with the upcoming 3.7L F150, which will be more fuel efficient.

Having mentioned it, it doesn't look any bigger than the Toyota Tacoma in this picture, which is a nice size. Compromise between a fullsize & compact, if you will. I love Ranger's compact size, but come to think of it, I admired the larger Tacoma when it grew in size, too.

Huh.

 

[Sniffs]

okay, if your wondering why I don't consider ford an american company anymore, it's because they've shifted their emphasis to their international markets. even to the point of ejecting most of the USDM product for internationals (one of two smart moves, the other being reducing the Ford family's involvement.) we still need SOMETHING made with americans in mind, and the F's alone aren't gonna cut it.

the ranger was dropped because there's no need for a personal use pickup, anymore. unlike the minivan and station wagon (which just have a reputation over here, and still sell), the "non utility pickup" seems to have gone out with the SUV for "protection's sake"

i'll explain my theory on "protection's sake" if asked.

sorry for any mess.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ I've always considered Ford as 4 to 5 separate companies:


- Ford USA (& Canada) [F-series & Fusion]
- Ford Brazil (or South America & Mexico) [EcoSport & Courier]
- Ford Europe (& Africa/Mid-East) [Mondeo & Ka]
- Ford Australia [Falcon & Territory]
- Ford Asia [Everest & Fiera]

 

[niky]

The Ranger may be bigger... but no matter how big the current generation is, the F150 is still bigger. Much bigger. It's worth noting that while the international compact class may be bigger than ever, the current F150 is huge compared to anything in the compact class... three or four feet longer than the global compact pick-up class in Super-Crew.

Ford won't keep the Ranger because it'll cannibalize F150 sales and they'll need to tool up for it... I feel that's stupid... the Ranger will sell, too, and development will have been partially paid for already by the fact that they're selling it internationally... but Ford seems to be banking on a leaner truck line-up to see them through these anti-truck times.

Yeah... right... and I suppose the Edge-Flex-Escape-Explorer thing works out on paper, too.

 

[a6m5]

Yeah, I noted similar point in the original post about the plant closure probably playing major role in this.

Even if the new Ranger is bigger, Toyota already does that with Tacoma & Tundra, not that that's worked out well for Toyota, but.....

 

[homeforsummer]

okay, if your wondering why I don't consider ford an american company anymore, it's because they've shifted their emphasis to their international markets. even to the point of ejecting most of the USDM product for internationals (one of two smart moves, the other being reducing the Ford family's involvement.) we still need SOMETHING made with americans in mind, and the F's alone aren't gonna cut it.

The USA still has a lot of home-built and designed Fords, having looked at the range. I'm seeing Fusion, Mustang, Taurus, Edge, Flex, Escape, Sport Trac, Explorer, Expedition, F-Series, E-Series and Super Duty.

I'm not quite sure where the hole in the market is for them to come up with anything else specific to the States? The only international models that have been absorbed into the lineup are the Fiesta and Focus. And even then, you currently get a US-bastardised Focus rather than the one the rest of the world gets.

 

[Keef]

Well, I could put a 4.10 rear end on it from an automatic.

Or a huge turbo lol. Iron block FTW.

 

[Sniffs]

they still make sport tracks? I was under the impression they "died in the Avalanche" (to quote an automotive magazine). ditto with the Econolines. ida thought they would have been fleeted when they hauled the Transit over here.

Niky: the SUV line a little over 10 years ago used to be Escape->explorer->expedition->excursion. if you think the F series is huge, you should see the Super Dutes and their Excusion SUV derivative! (if you haven't that is)

last time I had a look, the Courier was being cranked out for the rest of the world yet.

Home: that's cause the stubborn mules at ford wouldn't change the platform from the 90's format for a decade. ford still emphasizes the "utility" end instead of the passenger one that's what I'm referring to.

 

[Pupik]

Ranger sales — as with most small pickups — just ain't what they used to be: True, they are a bit more practical, since your average full-size pickup isn't laden with much (except chrome doo-dads and filigree), but bigger pickups just sell better because the average owner doesn't want the "stigma" of a small truck. I suppose the perception of the small pickup as "cool" was a very long time ago, since it's far more useful as "work chic", and thus, impressive as a cubicle, even if it probably fits the actual needs of 75% of full-size truck buyers.

Like the station wagon, the small pickup just doesn't fit in their lineups anymore: Buyers get their say, thus practicality be damned if the vehicle size impresses people and egos enough.

At least Ford has that Transit Connect to fill the gap and prevent open-cab-theft.

 

[red70mach1]

I'm really gonna miss the Ranger. My Dad used to have an '86 4x4 with the four cylinder and extended cab. It was a bare bones hunting truck and we had it 15 years since it was new.

 

[Dotini]

The Ranger as we know it remains in production for 2011. Ford seems in doubt about replacement plans for 2012. Maybe the issue isn't fully decided?

The tooling for the Ranger is fully amortized. Aside from materials and (reduced) labor costs, every Ranger they sell is pure profit, and contributes towards the corporate mileage and profit standards.

As a Boeing Company retiree, I well understand how sharp and canny is the mind of current Ford CEO Alan Mulally. I would not put it beyond this master of nimble and wise business maneuvers to keep this venerable warhorse in his stable for a few more seasons.

Respectfully,
Dotini

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> Ford NA is worried too much of their "Precious" F-150.

^ On which is a lame excuse, there are still many people who still want a small truck (like me). A truck that has an extended-cab, medium-sized bed, 4WD, and a 6 M/T. Oh well, theres the Frontier and the Taco.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I have to say this is not something I expected to see at all. Seems like the small truck market would be doing a lot better than the large truck market. Especially because of gas prices. Most people I know have sold their large trucks and bought smaller ones. I even sold my large truck several years ago. Also from what I have seen growing up the Ford Ranger has always been an excellent truck. I did not see this coming at all.

 

[Sniffs]

the small truck market, with regards to domestics, died off just like the SUV's did, and for nearly the same reason. they still get poor fuel consumption. American designed 4 and all wheel drives can only be hooked up to a V6 minimum. (an exception was the Tempo/Topaz awd, which, i hear, was mechanically crap). and, in some places (like here) you need a good 4wd or awd for rural areas where they plow the roads only when absolutely necessary, due to budget constraints (and the priority given to the interstate).

not to mention even "small" pickups are used for their intended purpose a lot more often. I once hauled a compact coal stove (new from the shop) and it's acoutrements, plus a wringer washer tied to the roof rack, with two hefty guys and my not-so skinny self in a S Blazer. you don't wanna KNOW my cruddy mileage in that poor thing.

 

[astrosdude91]

So whats left in the Small American truck market? Dakota and Colorado. Ugh!, double ugh for the second one! Seriously, why would GM put Z71 on a 2-wheel drive truck? Disgusting!

I really would like to get a new Ranger, but I don't know if that would be a good choice. The truck hasn't gotten any bigger since my '91, but it's gotten heavier, with the same engine in it. And I hear that 4.0L V6 isn't a very good engine. I really do like the Tacoma though! I might consider trading in the Tundra for a TRD off road Taco!

In my eyes, by making the Ranger bigger, they've ruined the integrity of the truck.

 

[Sniffs]

as far as I've heard, dakota is on the chopping block with the rest of Chrysler's lineup (as Fiat is supposed to be basically completely rebooting the brand), and Colorado/Canyon was a flop from the beginning. something about the 5 banger they borrowed?