Automotive

Up close with the 2019 Ford Ranger

Up close with the 2019 Ford Ranger
2019 Ford Ranger: Comfy, quiet and surprisingly quick
2019 Ford Ranger: Comfy, quiet and surprisingly quick
View 22 Images
2019 Ford Ranger: EcoBoost only, for the moment
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2019 Ford Ranger: EcoBoost only, for the moment
2019 Ford Ranger: FX4 off-road package includes bash and skid plates, all-terrain tires and an extra status screen showing pitch, roll and steering angles
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2019 Ford Ranger: FX4 off-road package includes bash and skid plates, all-terrain tires and an extra status screen showing pitch, roll and steering angles
2019 Ford Ranger: Hankook Dynapro tires are part of the FX4 off-road pack
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2019 Ford Ranger: Hankook Dynapro tires are part of the FX4 off-road pack
2019 Ford Ranger: Ultrasound sensors assist with parking
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2019 Ford Ranger: Ultrasound sensors assist with parking
2019 Ford Ranger: Test drives were on offer at the International off-road expo in Scottsdale, Arizona
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2019 Ford Ranger: Test drives were on offer at the International off-road expo in Scottsdale, Arizona
2019 Ford Ranger: These cars are officially still just prototypes
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2019 Ford Ranger: These cars are officially still just prototypes
2019 Ford Ranger at the Scottsdale International Off-Road expo
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2019 Ford Ranger at the Scottsdale International Off-Road expo
2019 Ford Ranger: Fitted with a roll-out tray cover
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2019 Ford Ranger: Fitted with a roll-out tray cover
2019 Ford Ranger: Up to 1,860 lb of payload
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2019 Ford Ranger: Up to 1,860 lb of payload
2019 Ford Ranger features descent control
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2019 Ford Ranger features descent control
2019 Ford Ranger: You can turn the parking sensors off if they're going crazy in steep terrain
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2019 Ford Ranger: You can turn the parking sensors off if they're going crazy in steep terrain
2019 Ford Ranger: Decent ground clearance
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2019 Ford Ranger: Decent ground clearance
2019 Ford Ranger: "Trail control" is effectively cruise control for off-roading. Pick an ascent speed and just concentrate on the steering
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2019 Ford Ranger: "Trail control" is effectively cruise control for off-roading. Pick an ascent speed and just concentrate on the steering
2019 Ford Ranger: SYNC 3 touchscreen with voice control
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2019 Ford Ranger: SYNC 3 touchscreen with voice control
2019 Ford Ranger: Comfy, quiet and surprisingly quick
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2019 Ford Ranger: Comfy, quiet and surprisingly quick
2019 Ford Ranger: 2.3-liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost turbo engine makes 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque
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2019 Ford Ranger: 2.3-liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost turbo engine makes 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque
2019 Ford Ranger: Dash
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2019 Ford Ranger: Dash
2019 Ford Ranger: Steering wheel
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2019 Ford Ranger: Steering wheel
2019 Ford Ranger: Towing capacity of 7,500 lb
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2019 Ford Ranger: Towing capacity of 7,500 lb
2019 Ford Ranger: Fuel consumption is reported as around 27 miles per gallon
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2019 Ford Ranger: Fuel consumption is reported as around 27 miles per gallon
2019 Ford Ranger: Rear locking diff
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2019 Ford Ranger: Rear locking diff
2019 Ford Ranger: 34-degree steering lock gives it an excellent turning circle for a truck
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2019 Ford Ranger: 34-degree steering lock gives it an excellent turning circle for a truck
View gallery - 22 images

Absent from the US market since 2011, Ford's mid-size pickup has been hugely popular as a twin-cab utility pickup elsewhere in the world. Now the Ranger's back on home turf, and we had a chance to get up close and personal at the International off-road and UTV expo in Scottsdale.

US customers will get any engine they like, as long as it's a 2.3-liter, 4-cylinder EcoBoost gasoline engine with a 10-speed auto transmission. That's good for 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) of torque, and our man on the ground at the expo, found it surprisingly peppy and fast in a quick on-road test loop, with a very quiet cabin, an extremely impressive turning circle and perhaps a little too much jerk in the transmission when sinking the boot into it in Sport mode.

2019 Ford Ranger: You can turn the parking sensors off if they're going crazy in steep terrain
2019 Ford Ranger: You can turn the parking sensors off if they're going crazy in steep terrain

Ford representatives demonstrated the Ranger's Trail Control – a controlled crawl mode best described as cruise control for very rough terrain. This lets you set a defined speed in increments of half a mile per hour, and the car will maintain that speed, whether uphill, downhill or on rocky flat ground, while you concentrate on the steering.

The Ranger can be specified as a twin-cab, or the rear seats can be deleted to significantly extend the rear bed in a SuperCab option. There are three trim levels – XL, XLT and Lariat. All three get auto emergency braking, but you'll need to spring for the XLT to unlock lane-keeping assist, reverse sensing and blind spot warnings with trailer coverage. Stepping up to the Lariat gets you adaptive cruise control and a larger 8-inch color touch screen for the SYNC 3 voice-controlled multimedia system.

2019 Ford Ranger: Dash
2019 Ford Ranger: Dash

The appearance can be up-specced with Chrome or Sport packages, and there's a further FX4 package for serious off-roaders that want suspension tuned for off-roading, as well as all-terrain tires, steel bash plates, a rear locking differential and the above Trail Control modes.

Plenty of photos in the gallery.

Source: Ford

View gallery - 22 images
7 comments
7 comments
warren trout
Nice 20th century truck. No wonder Detroit is in trouble.
It's an EV world now, old men. Millions of us are waiting for the Tesla or Rivian truck.
Patmsack
That's all great and good article. BUT, what about the tailgate. Does it have the easy assist like the eurospec version? Australia Ford put out a video showing it off
soryu2222
Is there not a stripped down version for us trades people?
jerryd
While getting smaller, it is still way too big. We need one the size of the Ranger mini pickup of the 70s and it needs to be EV drive. Those could do near anything the big ones could as the same suspension, brakes, drivetrain but got decent mileage, tough as nails.
Gizmowiz
Imagine how much better it would be with rivians powertrain....or teslas.
paul c
as of 2019 no manual gearbox option so no thanks
Gregory Reynold Faulkner
So Mr. Trout, just how many EV cars are there today that are in mass production sold in North America, let alone pickups? At most we can say there are three, and it's debatable whether those are mass produced. And we're almost 18 years in to this century. Moreover, only old man thinking disregards all but one technology and closes off competition. That's called being close minded. As for the new Ranger, it's the new FE champ of gas- powered pickups and the ten speed is a set up for a new type of plug in hybrid Ford is bringing for trucks and SUVs (see Aviator hybrid). How is that for your fantasy 21st century?