Photo: Headlight Magazine
Two bars and the Blue Oval badge bang in the center of the trapezoidal front grille, grab handles for both the front passenger and driver. This is the 2019 Ford Ranger in Double Cab 4x4 Limited flavor, spied testing in Thailand by Headlight Mag.
The resemblance between this validation prototype and the U.S.-spec Ranger prototypes is striking, to say the least, so don’t hold your breath for anything too different from the Michigan-built Ranger. It’s a no-nonsense workhorse, no doubt about it, but should the Toyota Tacoma take note?
In a nutshell, not quite. The Tacoma sits comfortably at the top of the mid-size segment for obvious reasons, and Ford knows that copying the competition isn’t the right approach. According to the rumor mill and more or less official reports, the “Built Ford Tough” tag and competitive pricing strategy will make the Ranger a unique proposal among its peers.
Confirmed to start production at the Michigan Assembly Plant in the latter half of 2018 for the 2019 model year, the Ranger is expected to come as standard with the 2.5-liter Duratec engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. More powerful plants are also anticipated, as is some forced induction. There’s even a case to be made for the Power Stroke option.
As if that wasn’t enough to make the Ranger compelling for the U.S. customer, the skunkworks division is working around the clock to bring the Ranger Raptor to market. There’s still debate about of the powerplant of the off-road sports truck, and many people believe the 2.0-liter EcoBlue turbo diesel will be offered thanks to a 4,500 rpm redline seen briefly in the teaser video for the Raptor. Maybe that’s the case for Australia, but not in the U.S.
The ideal scenario for the most exciting Ranger of them all would be for the Ford Motor Company to borrow a trick from the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 book, as in to offer two engine options. But at the end of the day, most customers in North America would prefer the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6, right?
In a nutshell, not quite. The Tacoma sits comfortably at the top of the mid-size segment for obvious reasons, and Ford knows that copying the competition isn’t the right approach. According to the rumor mill and more or less official reports, the “Built Ford Tough” tag and competitive pricing strategy will make the Ranger a unique proposal among its peers.
Confirmed to start production at the Michigan Assembly Plant in the latter half of 2018 for the 2019 model year, the Ranger is expected to come as standard with the 2.5-liter Duratec engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. More powerful plants are also anticipated, as is some forced induction. There’s even a case to be made for the Power Stroke option.
As if that wasn’t enough to make the Ranger compelling for the U.S. customer, the skunkworks division is working around the clock to bring the Ranger Raptor to market. There’s still debate about of the powerplant of the off-road sports truck, and many people believe the 2.0-liter EcoBlue turbo diesel will be offered thanks to a 4,500 rpm redline seen briefly in the teaser video for the Raptor. Maybe that’s the case for Australia, but not in the U.S.
The ideal scenario for the most exciting Ranger of them all would be for the Ford Motor Company to borrow a trick from the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 book, as in to offer two engine options. But at the end of the day, most customers in North America would prefer the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6, right?
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