The Ford Ranger was introduced into the market in 1983. The truck was first introduced as a replacement for the Courier, which had actually been produced by Mazda, but had the Ford name. The Ranger has been produced every year since then and remains one of the most popular sellers of Ford’s vehicles.
Since the Ranger is a small size truck, the bed of the truck is also smaller. Ford, however wanted to solve a problem with other small size trucks of the day. The problem was that the small trucks could not carry a standard size 4 by 8 sheet of plywood in their beds. In order to solve this problem, Ford made the beds large enough that the sheets would fit inside, although, the wheel wells were still too close for the sheets to lie flat.
Ford designed the cab of the truck for 2 passengers. Later the trucks offered an extended cab and jump seats were added for 2 additional passengers. These jump seats were mounted on the side walls of the extended cab and truly were only suitable for small passengers on short trips.
Throughout its production, the Ranger has been a successful vehicle for Ford. With over twenty five years of history, the Ranger remains a good seller. Body style for this truck is now into its fourth generation. The body style has changed as the body styles of the F-series trucks have changed.
The Ranger’s smaller size allows for better fuel economy making the Ranger a popular choice among consumers. The Ranger allows them to drive a truck to work but still have great gas mileage.
Currently the Ranger offers the choice of two engine sizes. There is a smaller 2. 3 liter engine and a larger 4. 0 liter engine. The V-6 engine offered in earlier models is no longer being sold.
As the competition has increased the size of their former small trucks to midsize trucks, the Ranger and its Mazda counterpart are now the only trucks in their size range available.
Even though Ford has spent more marketing dollars on the Explorer series and the sales of Rangers has dropped over the past few years, with Toyota taking the lead with their larger Tacoma. Ford has continued to promise to make the Ranger and hopes that the increased demand for fuel economy will help sales.
Again, according to rumors, the Ranger will be replaced in 2012 by an Australian Ford truck that was not originally intended for sale in the United States. Ford has already begun test marketing the vehicle in the United States. The newer truck will be available in the United States only with a 1. 6-liter engine. In other parts of the world, buyers can opt for a diesel engine that is a 3. 0-liter engine.
Hopefully the Australian truck will continue the fine tradition of the Ford Ranger. Through the trying times of the economy on the automakers, we wish the best to Ford.
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