Jump to content

2019 Ford Ranger First Drive


Recommended Posts

7 minutes ago, akirby said:

 

Maybe I misunderstood you.  Ford always prefers to sell the higher trims and with F150 they seem to sell themselves even without rebates.  But XLT will always be the sales leader and most popular (and most competitive with other models thus more rebates).

XLT is by far the most popular trim in our Rangers but  our market is different, with much less use of incentives, the recent Ranger Run out saw discounts of around 6K and $5 year free servicing but as you could imagine inventory was kept skinny.

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a pleasant surprise to see such glowing reviews of the Ranger!  Given the late-to-the-party introduction and the borrowed basis for some of the truck's parts, I had concerns.  Compare these reviews to Car & Driver's absolutely brutal review of the Silverado in the Silverado/F-150/Ram comparison test in the January 2019 edition.  

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interior design may be relative?  I'm interested in this truck and will definitely check it out.  But mind you my daily driver (outside of a snow season) is a 1994 F-150 XL.  No carpeting, rubber floor mats, manual roll down windows, etc.  I'm sure the XLT Ranger, to me, will be like sitting in a Lincoln Continental.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ford interiors tend to favor rugged materials, especially in trucks.  The Ranger is really cheap...I know it doesn't seem that way, but compared to other Ford's it's way down there.  It stands to reason they are going to make some compromises, but I think it also suits the utility of the truck.

I think what concerns me about the reviews is that although the drivetrain is great, the chassis dynamics appear to be poor compared to the GM Twins and Ridgeline (not surprised about the last one).  It's characterized as firm and harsh with vague steering and unsettled suspension characteristics, very similar to the Tacoma.  This might be a fun truck off-road, but perhaps not a great one on road.  I think it makes some sense why Ford only wants to compare this to Tacoma.  It's still a very retro product for Ford in many ways, simple and rugged compared to the sophisticated and modern F-150.  

Edited by Assimilator
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, mackinaw said:

Interior design may be relative?  I'm interested in this truck and will definitely check it out.  But mind you my daily driver (outside of a snow season) is a 1994 F-150 XL.  No carpeting, rubber floor mats, manual roll down windows, etc.  I'm sure the XLT Ranger, to me, will be like sitting in a Lincoln Continental.

Yes sir mackinaw! My benchmark for 2019 Ranger XLT interior (the truck I pre-ordered) is my 2004 Ranger XLT. The old Ranger has a cheap looking but functional interior. I expect the new one to be the same way, but more modern. Perfectly fine by me. 

As I mentioned before, it's a Ford. No one expects a Jaguar type interior in a Ranger.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tacoma interior is nothing to brag about either. I really don't think the firmness of interior plastic is going to make or break Ranger. It's the compelling value proposition and brand recognition that are going to drive people to check out the vehicle. And from there, it is up to Ford's financing (consumer incentive or otherwise) to close the deal.

You can bet that Toyota and GM won't be taking the challenge lying down. There will be dealer rebates and regional special editions galore, especially in the West Coast where Toyota sell a ton of Tacoma.

Edited by bzcat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, mackinaw said:

Interior design may be relative?  I'm interested in this truck and will definitely check it out.  But mind you my daily driver (outside of a snow season) is a 1994 F-150 XL.  No carpeting, rubber floor mats, manual roll down windows, etc.  I'm sure the XLT Ranger, to me, will be like sitting in a Lincoln Continental.

My perfect ranger would be a mix of all 3 trims. Give me the vinyl floors of the xl, the grille, wheels and cloth seats from the xlt sport appearance package, and the headlights from the lariat, maybe the speakers too.

Edited by T-dubz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, T-dubz said:

My perfect ranger would be a mix of all 3 trims. Give me the vinyl floors of the xl, the grille, wheels and cloth seats from the xlt sport appearance package, and the headlights from the lariat, maybe the speakers too.

Sport appearance package is available on XLT.

I too wish the B&O stereo was available on XLT.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, T-dubz said:

My perfect ranger would be a mix of all 3 trims. Give me the vinyl floors of the xl, the grille, wheels and cloth seats from the xlt sport appearance package, and the headlights from the lariat, maybe the speakers too.


Mine would be a 2.7T,  Heated Steering wheel, Power sliding rear window, Cooled Front seats, heated back seats, agate black paint and the Raptor suspension. I would hand them my 53K check and walk out very happy for the next 10 years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, jasonj80 said:


Mine would be a 2.7T,  Heated Steering wheel, Power sliding rear window, Cooled Front seats, heated back seats, agate black paint and the Raptor suspension. I would hand them my 53K check and walk out very happy for the next 10 years.

Forgot about cooled seats. I can’t wait for those to be as common as heated seats. A few other manufacturers off them on their lower trim vehicles but ford seems only interested in offering it on its most expensive options. I’ve never had a need for heated seats, but I’d probably use the cooled seats 7 months out of the year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, T-dubz said:

Forgot about cooled seats. I can’t wait for those to be as common as heated seats. A few other manufacturers off them on their lower trim vehicles but ford seems only interested in offering it on its most expensive options. I’ve never had a need for heated seats, but I’d probably use the cooled seats 7 months out of the year.

It’s going to be interesting where Ford takes the Ranger and if it will try to create the Luxury midsized truck market with more luxury features. With the markets where it will be projected to sell the absence of cooled seats seams odd. I hope for later model years, not just in the US but for the world as well things are addes. Ford can easily rule this high ATP for the segment area.

 I don’t see much overlap between the Ranger and F150 customers, just as the F-150 and Super Duty customers don’t overlap much. I suspect the Ranger is going to be crossed shopped with an exsisting Ford customer more with the Edge and Explorer than F150s.

The Ranger does offer some things the F-150 doesn’t some of which are to accodimate tighter parking area and more consumer based truck; front parking sensors, and even auto climate control and power folding mirrors are optional on the XLT.

This truck is going to be the hit ford needed. Brace yourself though next year analysts are going to be doom and gloom. f series sales will be down and everyone will say it is because of the Ranger, never mind the industry as a whole is probably going to lose 1.5 million units. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rumor has it that Bronco is getting a pickup truck version roughly 2-years after it debuts, which is roughly when a new Ranger is expected. I don't have codes for that product yet so I'm just treating it at scuttle-butt, but some MAP guys apparently heard about this.  It would make some sense obviously as Ford very directly targets jeep with "Beat Jeep" as their motto. 

As welcome as Ranger is, it predates OneFord and it really shows its age and regional quirks.  I'm not a huge fan of the Ranger or EcoSport because of this, I don't think these are their best efforts by a long shot, but it gets them started.

Edited by Assimilator
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, T-dubz said:

Forgot about cooled seats. I can’t wait for those to be as common as heated seats. A few other manufacturers off them on their lower trim vehicles but ford seems only interested in offering it on its most expensive options. I’ve never had a need for heated seats, but I’d probably use the cooled seats 7 months out of the year.

Outside of the Focus/Escape, products higher then that have both heated and cooled seats as an option. 

IMO cooled seats aren't worth it-they don't really cool seat much. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...