Ford unveils Mustang-powered Ranger

Ford has revealed its ‘new’ 2019 Ranger for the US, where it will be powered exclusively by a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol EcoBoost engine from the Mustang, matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

North America’s first US Ranger in eight years -- based on the global pick-up developed by Ford’s Asia Pacific product team in Australia – provides our first official look at the upgraded 2018 Ranger on sale here by mid-year.

To be produced in Michigan from late 2018 with different front-end styling, a unique powertrain and American equipment levels, the US Ranger is otherwise identical to the second facelift in three years for our current PX Ranger, which was first launched in 2011.

However, as evidenced by the 2018 Asia Pacific Ranger spied in Thailand a week ago, while our revised Ranger will bring new headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights, a new front bumper and more ‘RANGER’ badging, it will lack the US version’s matt-grey wheel-arch extensions and separate frame-mounted lower front steel bumper.

Significantly for Australians, although technical details are yet to be announced ahead of the Bangkok motor show in late March, following the February 7 unveiling of the first Ranger Raptor, our 2018 Ranger will miss out on a turbo-petrol four from the Mustang muscle-car and Focus RS hot hatch, and the US Ranger Raptor’s twin-turbo petrol V6.

Instead, as we’ve reported, our Ranger will remain an all-diesel affair with the lusty 3.2-litre five-cylinder continuing and base models powered by either the existing 2.2-litre four-cylinder or a version of our Raptor’s new high-output, circa-160kW 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel.

At least our Raptor will come with Ford’s new 10-speed auto, which features manual gearshift buttons on the gearshift knob as seen here.

Ford of America says its 2019 Ranger, which joins the larger F Series range – North America’s top-selling pick-up for 41 consecutive years – was designed specifically for the US.

"This is not about bringing the global Ranger here to the US and selling it in our dealerships," Ford Trucks marketing manager Todd Eckert told Automotive News.

“This is about designing and engineering specifically for the North American customer and the conditions the trucks will be put in here."

To be available only in two-door SuperCab and four-door SuperCrew configurations, the US Ranger line-up will comprise XL, XLT and Lariat model grades, all available with an FX4 Off-Road Package as package pictured here.

The US FX4 comes with the F-150 Raptor’s multi-mode (normal, grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts and sand) Terrain Management System, which adds ‘Trail Control’ off-road cruise control, a steel front bash plates and other frame-mounted skid plates, all-terrain tyres and off-road suspension, plus automatic emergency braking.

Apart from segment-first AEB, new technologies across the US Ranger line-up will include a 4G-connected Wi-Fi hot spot for up to 10 devices, pre-collision assist and, for XLT and Lariat variants, blind-spot monitoring. Options will include B&O PLAY premium audio and LED headlights.

All these features can be expected to join the Australian Ranger’s already extensive tech list, which already extends to an 8.0-inch colour touch-screen with SYNC3 infotainment, twin LCD instrument cluster screens, adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist and auto high-beam.

Ford of America hasn’t sold or produced the Ranger since the previous generation, but says it hopes to attract previous Ranger customers, buyers of rival mid-size pick-ups like the Chevrolet Tacoma and some F-150 people – but only if they would otherwise have purchased a competitor like the RAM or Chevrolet Silverado.

The lucrative full-size pick-up segment remains dominant in the US but mid-size ute sales have increased by 83 per cent since 2014 “as a new generation of midsize truck buyers seek more maneuverable, fuel-efficient pickups”, says Ford.

The resurgence is due mostly to Chevy’s revived Colorado and Toyota’s latest Tacoma – a sister model to Australia’s top-selling new vehicle, the Toyota HiLux.

According to Automotive News mid-size pick-up sales peaked in the US at 1.32 million in 1986 and have not topped a million since 2000 or 500,000 since 2007.

As in Australia currently, the previous Ranger was always among the top-selling mid-size utes in the US, where annual sales regularly topped 300,000 in the 1990s and it was number one as recently as 2004.

“Ranger has always held a special place in the hearts of truck fans,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford executive vice president, Product Development and Purchasing.

“The all-new Ranger is designed for today’s midsize truck buyer, delivering even more utility, capability and technology for those who blend city living with more off-the-grid adventures on weekends.

“Ranger’s proven 2.3-liter EcoBoost provides a torque target on par with competing V6 engines, but with the efficiency of a four-cylinder,” said Thai-Tang. “When you pair that with its 10-speed transmission, you’ve got one of the most versatile, powerful and efficient powertrains in the segment.”