Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
After a long absence from U.S. showrooms, the Ranger is coming back with a bang in the world’s biggest pickup truck market. Discontinued at the end of 2011, the Ranger soldiered on in other markets such as Europe and Australia. And as expected, the Ranger that survived - dubbed T6 - acts as the basis for the model that’s coming back to the United States for the model year 2019.
Spied time and time again by the carparazzi, this particular sighting sees the mid-size workhorse appears to be the FX4 trim level. An intermediate variant between the regular Ranger and the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6-powered 2019 Ford Ranger Raptor, the FX4 prides itself on better suspension and black-painted wheels wrapped in 265/60/18 Bridgestone Dueler H/T tires.
The underhood shots, meanwhile, reveal an engine without a plastic cover. It doesn’t appear to be the 2.2- or 3.2-liter turbo diesel mills, nor the 2.5-liter free-breathing gasoline plant. It’s impossible to see if an intercooler is hiding behind the front bumper, which begs the question: what sort of engine is this prototype testing? While we wait for confirmation from Ford on this subject, word has it three powerplants are in the offing: 2.5 Duratec I4, 3.3 Ti-VCT V6, and some sort of turbo engine, quite possibility the 2.7 EcoBoost V6.
Hopping inside the car, the spied prototype shows the most basic of basic infotainment systems, the same air vent design as the current Ranger T6, and two gauges fitted to the A-pillar on the driver’s side. Although it’s impossible to tell from the angle the photo was shot from, one of those gauges might be for boost. If this is the case, then indeed, forced induction is on the menu.
So, when does it come out? Word has it Ford will take the veils off the 2019 Ranger at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, one year after it was confirmed the mid-size pickup would return to the automaker’s U.S. lineup. Production is confirmed to begin in the latter part of 2018 at the Michigan Assembly Plant.
After the Ranger, the 2020 Ford Bronco will be added to the range in the form of a body-on-frame SUV. With a bit of luck, a diesel will make the cut too.
The underhood shots, meanwhile, reveal an engine without a plastic cover. It doesn’t appear to be the 2.2- or 3.2-liter turbo diesel mills, nor the 2.5-liter free-breathing gasoline plant. It’s impossible to see if an intercooler is hiding behind the front bumper, which begs the question: what sort of engine is this prototype testing? While we wait for confirmation from Ford on this subject, word has it three powerplants are in the offing: 2.5 Duratec I4, 3.3 Ti-VCT V6, and some sort of turbo engine, quite possibility the 2.7 EcoBoost V6.
Hopping inside the car, the spied prototype shows the most basic of basic infotainment systems, the same air vent design as the current Ranger T6, and two gauges fitted to the A-pillar on the driver’s side. Although it’s impossible to tell from the angle the photo was shot from, one of those gauges might be for boost. If this is the case, then indeed, forced induction is on the menu.
So, when does it come out? Word has it Ford will take the veils off the 2019 Ranger at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, one year after it was confirmed the mid-size pickup would return to the automaker’s U.S. lineup. Production is confirmed to begin in the latter part of 2018 at the Michigan Assembly Plant.
After the Ranger, the 2020 Ford Bronco will be added to the range in the form of a body-on-frame SUV. With a bit of luck, a diesel will make the cut too.
Google News