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An actual small pickup


bikinchris

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The new Ranger is actually bigger than an F100 used to be. How about we reintroduce an actual small pickup? Maybe use the Transit Connect chassis and put a built in bed on the back?

 

How about revive an old idea and use the bed design concept from the old VW van based pickup? They had bed sides you could flip down like a tailgate. You could either open the tailgate or open the side gate or open both sides and the back and you had a flat bed.

Edited by bikinchris
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Is any company selling a real "small" pickup in the US ?

Nope.

 

I think my favorite truly small pickup was my brother’s blue Datsun 720 manual. This was around 1981 or 82.

 

I also liked my 1990 Ranger reg cab short bed 2.3L manual. I traded it for a 95 supercab 4.0 manual which was more capable but not as fun. Also not as cheap as the 1990 which I got for $7995 - a steal even back then.

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Is any company selling a real "small" pickup in the US ?

 

 

Jeep has prototype mules of a JT Scrambler running around now that should be in showrooms in 1 year or less. It does look to be about the size of a Chevy Colorado. There are a few aftermarket companies like AEV that sell pickup conversions of current model JK Wranglers.

Edited by Donaldo
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Nope.

 

I think my favorite truly small pickup was my brother’s blue Datsun 720 manual. This was around 1981 or 82.

 

I also liked my 1990 Ranger reg cab short bed 2.3L manual. I traded it for a 95 supercab 4.0 manual which was more capable but not as fun. Also not as cheap as the 1990 which I got for $7995 - a steal even back then.

.

I had a '90 Ranger like that...it was a great little truck that unfortunately, I had to trade in for an Aerostar for the (now Ex) wife....bummed me out big time.

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  • 7 months later...

So perhaps Ford is listening. News articles identifying a unibody subcompact truck possibly being built in Mexico for the 2022 model year are circulating. This vehicle may be based on the Focus platform, some have also mentioned Fusion. At first I thought, bringing back the Ranchero? I'm all for that, but a Focus sized car? Until I did a little research, I am a fan of the original Ranger. Love the size and capabilities so I compared the 2018 Focus to the 1991 Ranger, regular cab, short wheelbase 2wd. This is what I came up with:

 

Measurement 1991 Ranger 2018 Focus

 

Length 176.5" 172.8"

Wheelbase 108 104.3

Height 63.7 58

Head Room 39.2 38.3

Leg Room 42.4 43.1

Hip Room 52.7 53.9

Shoulder Room 54.6 55.6

 

So basically all of the measurements are real close except for the height, the Focus is about 6 inches lower. The Focus is available with AWD, 2.3L I4 EB putting out 350 hp. Don't believe a "Ranchero" needs that kind of power so perhaps detune the engine to 349 hp. :)

 

What would I want in a new "Ranchero"? A quiet comfortable ride, not a stiff ride. Two doors vs four doors and an automatic transmission without auto start/stop. I know I have said in the past that I don't think a 4 cylinder is in my future but if Ford built a Ranchero I would buy it.

 

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Edited by T hawker
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Safe to say it's not a Ranchero but an economy sized truck, it also has a companion Crossover. I suspect it might be Ford's entry-level EcoSport successor with a Truck variant.

 

We've seen this type of truck before in Ford's global portfolio, typically based on B-Segment products like Fiesta. I don't think they are approaching it in the same way as a cheap 3rd-world hack, but I think this points us in the right direction as to how it may be positioned.

 

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If the F150 is any indication I think you’ll be surprised how quiet and smooth the new Ranger will be.

 

That's why I bought the 2014 F150 SCrew. It was quiet and smooth, but thought it was ridiculous to buy a 6000 lb vehicle to get those two features. Learning to drive in 1978/79 I was use to smooth quiet vehicles, LTD's and T-Birds.

 

I did not need anywhere near the hauling or towing capacity the F150 supplied. I only used the bed once for a dump run, those items that were longer then the bed allowed, I would use the trailer. The lift over height was so high I would need to get into the bed to retrieve cargo, a major pain in the … Most of the time the cargo was placed in the back seat. So for me, just a regular home owner needing to occasionally haul a larger item an original Ranger or Ranchero is perfect. Not too large, low lift over height, decent mpg's and it will easily fit in the garage.

 

Some of you may remember Ford sending some Fairmont Futura's to National Coach Works in Los Angeles. Most believe less then 200 were converted into "Ranchero's"

Edited by T hawker
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That's why I bought the 2014 F150 SCrew. It was quiet and smooth, but thought it was ridiculous to buy a 6000 lb vehicle to get those two features. Learning to drive in 1978/79 I was use to smooth quiet vehicles, LTD's and T-Birds.

 

I did not need anywhere near the hauling or towing capacity the F150 supplied. I only used the bed once for a dump run, those items that were longer then the bed allowed, I would use the trailer. The lift over height was so high I would need to get into the bed to retrieve cargo, a major pain in the … Most of the time the cargo was placed in the back seat. So for me, just a regular home owner needing to occasionally haul a larger item an original Ranger or Ranchero is perfect. Not too large, low lift over height, decent mpg's and it will easily fit in the garage.

 

Sounds like you really want a Ridgeline.

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Those are neither smooth nor quiet by today's standards.

 

Sorry, I can't agree with your statement. Most "modern" cars ride like rocks, I want to be completely isolated from the road. I don't want anything transmitted through the steering wheel, seats...nothing. If I'm going to pay a small fortune for a vehicle why would I want to feel or hear tar strips, lane delineators, a blade of grass? I've purchased a lot of cars and I've test driven dozens more. Even the luxury brands have horrible ride quality today. Last year I test drove the Continental, MKZ and MKX back to back. The best one in my opinion was the MKX AWD with the drive line in "comfort" mode, was not impressed. Today's standards are transmit as much road "feel" to the driver as possible...wtf.

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You're remembering them as far better than they were.

 

It's possible. I also remember the Mercury Grand Marquis commercials with the guy cutting the diamond in the back seat going down I believe a cobble stone road. Try that in one of today's sedans :) The last really nice riding car I remember is my parents 1990 Town Car, it just needed another 100 hp.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Those old cars were also MUCH slower, putting today's power and responsiveness on a soft suspension doesn't work.

 

It would be nice if Lincoln found its way back to an Air Suspension system (especially Navigator), but the adaptive dampeners have made a massive difference.

 

If you think the 2018 MKX rides like a rock in Comfort mode, then I can't help you there. It's a perfect blend to me of comfort and responsiveness.

Edited by Assimilator
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I am probably on the far end of the spectum for softer rides. Would like to push mfg's to nicer, quieter rides though. I never did have a problem putting those big cars through a corner, yes tires would holler a bit, well quite a bit, you just needed to pay attention and know how to drive. :) Perhaps this is due to learning how to drive in a 1973 LTD Country Squire wagon.

 

I would be driving the MKX today if my dealership was cooperative. They refused to order a 2018 while three 2017's were sitting on their lot. I went across the street and bought the 2017 Acadia, I already liked them, have the SLT2 so have all the bells and whistles. My mother has had one for a year at that time so was very familiar with the ride qualities and because of that I had the dealership swap the 20" standard SLT2 wheels with the 18" wheels from the SLT1. Goes from 55 series to 65 series tires which puts the ride just a notch under the MKX, but then for $15 to $20K savings worked out just fine.

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