Discontinued at the end of the 2012 model year, the Ranger came back to the United States for 2019 with raving reviews. Based on the T6 platform developed by Ford of Australia but modified for the U.S. market, the mid-size pickup truck differs from the competition in terms of engine choices.
More to the point, the Blue Oval offers only one four-cylinder motor in the guise of the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, the only workhorse in the segment to feature turbocharging as standard. The 10-speed automatic transmission is another selling point as opposed to eight or six forward ratios in the Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma, but the Ranger is more than on-paper specs.
According to Regular Car Reviews, the pickup feels “so car-like that you will want to take off ramps 10 miles per hour faster than the recommended speed.” Brian Reider, better known as Mr. Regular, is much obliged to report that “it feels faster than a Tacoma TRD Pro” with the V6 engine.
The Ranger in the following video is an XLT trim level with the largest cab available that features two notable upgrades over the stock specification. For starters, the running boards are aftermarket instead of the OEM units that cost $635 at the time of writing. Secondly, the blacked-out grille is styled after the Raptor and it features amber lights for extra visual pizazz.
In terms of standard equipment, the XLT is probably the best Ranger to buy thanks to the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety and driving-assist features, SYNC 3 infotainment, dual-zone electronic climate control, and aluminum wheels instead of steelies. The Lariat has a bunch of unnecessary stuff like leather seats and push-button start, and frankly speaking, $34,675 is too much money for most customers in this segment.
Not everything is perfect, though. Instead of 20 miles to the gallon on the combined driving cycle, this Ranger XLT averages 18 or thereabouts (13 l/100 km) because that four-cylinder turbo is working a lot harder than a free-breathing six like the optional engines in the Colorado and Tacoma.
Towards the end of the video, you will also notice how infuriating it is to change the airflow direction. If you’re connected with Android Auto to SYNC 3 for navigation and music, you’ll have to go back into the main menu, press the Ford button repeatedly because it doesn’t work on the first try, and select the area of your liking. All while driving, which is very distracting indeed.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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