fabfordeb

These cars need to be fixed before they hit the dealer sales lot and certainly before they're delivered to the Buyer. Buying is an emotional thing and if the Buyer doesn't notice it at first he eventually will, and lots of lookers will see it on the lots. If it leaves the factory this way the dealer needs to fix it. Everyone at Ford needs to take the initiative to see that this happens, otherwise it won't just be the Buyer that gets inferior quality but lots of people at Ford that won't be working if this rising Ford star we're seeing gets turned downward by a new perception that all the quality talk is so much hype and not real. I'm sure the Ford people who do the shows make sure the cars in the shows look right.

I'm an engineer in the power plant business, don't post often but have been watching the BON daily for a couple of years now. First car was a Ford. Then 2 Rangers and an F-150 when I had a construction business. Then bought a big bird from my dad who was a poor man's collecter of them as a 2nd daily driver. Got it fixed up pretty well but wife's son crashed it and I gave up. Bought my son's Bronco and had it for about 15 years and loved it, sold it to my daughter. Been on the Ford Car Club Council working with Ford for all that time. Really went Ford true-blue when I shopped for a small pickup the last two years and knew the Ranger was the best but it didn't have the features I wanted. So I got my current F-150 instead, and think its the nicest looking and best truck on the road, just love it. Now as much as I like the Rubi, I wish I'd kept the Bronco and got the F-150. Hoping for a new capable 4WD Bronco with soft top some day. Had to get a Solara convertible for my wife since room in the trunk and a full back seat left few choices. Anxiously awaiting a Fusion or Taurus convertible some day, if not maybe there's a Mustang or Focus vert in our future. Picked up the Focus for wife's son, by this time it had to be a Ford and liked it much better than even new competition. I've been exposed to the Ford ups and downs working with them on the Council, and I'm thrilled about where Ford is today and where they are going.

quick edit gave me a double post. please delete

absolutely awesome video, no one should miss this one and don't stop until it's over.

so did I

I wanted the same combo with a Ranger a year ago and settled on a 2008 F-150 STX regular cab with the 4.6L V8. Rear doors open giving good acess to more room behind the seat than the Ranger (no rear doors on a Ranger xcab 4 cyl), fits in the garage, extremely comfy seats, great visibility with the rear door glass (better than the 2009s), and 19.5 mpg on a highway trip with only 4k miles (not broken in). Great deals on the 2008s if you can still find one. I am thrilled with this truck and think it's the best combo and best looking on the highway. It was even cheaper in Sep 2008 than a new 4 door 4.0L ranger.

I really like it - kinda funky ugly. I was serious about getting one but decided to get an F-150 for the pickup utility over the closed utility - personal, not commercial use. I saw them at the LA auto show - both styles, commercial and personal and liked them both. I agree, it's something that some will think is really cool and some will hate. The powertrain is the down side for personal users, but after it has a successful commercial debut I think the 2.5L six speed will be in the future. I'm happy to see this kind of forward thinking from Ford! Lots of great things happing at Ford - keep it coming!

Wondering what Fords are at the LA auto show? Transit Connect?

You can get the rear doors with the V6, maybe with a stick I4, but not with an I4 auto. Most supercabs on the lots here are 2 doors. I've been interested in getting an I4 auto with 4 doors for the mpg hoping they'd do it in 2009 but they didn't. So I bought an F-150 Reg cab auto that has easy access behind the seats, enough room for luggage if you move the seats up a litte and close to the Ranger V6 mpg. It's too bad Ford didn't make the change, they probably loose a lot of public sales to the competition that has rear doors with an I4 auto.

I think it's been the quality perception, some dull lines, slow to respond to the market with some lines and not offering basic features across the model ranges to fit the particular needs of a Buyer. I believe they're making great strides in the perception now and they're coming out with some great new things so I don't want to be perceived as negative on Ford. For example, I bought a 2006 Focus a while ago and drove all of the competitor's new models. I've been looking at new small pickups for a couple of years and drove all of the competition several times. I rented a couple of older style Taurus' before the 500 came out. In all cases I felt they were above the competiton in how they felt - sturdy, tight, responsive, handled well, less plastic and more solid feeling inside. In the competition I felt the road more, sway more and my impression was they were just simply less vehicle. So somehow Ford missed out on getting the message to people for some of their lines. The current Ranger styling is cleaner and less gawky than the competition and it has a good following. Most people who want a small truck want good mileage, automatic and rear doors that open. You can't buy a 4cyl Ranger that way. All of the competition has those features so the Ranger is out for them. Providing a 2.5L, automatic in a 4 door Supercab in 2009 would have been a big Ranger boost but it didn't happen. So I just bought a 2008 F-150 STX 4.6L that gives me the rear doors and about the same mileage as a 4.0L Ranger. I love it and I'm glad I did, but I didn't buy a Ranger. If more people knew you could get a suitcase behind the seats and still have plenty of leg room in an F-150 regular cab and get the extra comfort and spaciousness to boot, the F-150 regular cab might sell more to people who are looking for small pickups. I dismissed them myself until I finally decided my choice was either it or the 4.0L Ranger. Now I'm hearing that the 2009 F-150 4.6L 3V SFE might only be available in crew cabs or higher end models. Again that does nothing for people who would like it in their F-150 but don't want a crew cab or a high end model. So people who'd like a Ford might have to go to the competition for the basic features they want in their price range.

When will the 09s be on dealer lots?

Didn't get any response on towing with the Ranger, but I'm now a proud owner of a 2008 F-150 STX reg cab 4.6L and love it. I know it will tow the Rubicon. I just got tired of waiting for the new Ranger.

I've been anxious to get a new Ranger, but with the 2008 F150 deals around an F150 looks pretty attractive, although I'd prefer the 2009 F150 with the new features. I've been thinking 4cyl but since Ford hasn't put in the 2.5L I might want to go to 4.0L so that gets me thinking about being able to tow my 2006 Rubicon Unlimited that probably weighs 4000 lbs with all the stuff I've added to it. So I'm wondering how it would work towing the Rubicon with the 4.0L Ranger. The towing capacity is there according to the Ford numbers. Obviously the F150 would be better, but the 2009 F150 is probably going to be big bucks more than the Ranger at least for a while till incentives kick in on it. Anyone have any experience or comments on towing a vehicle like this with the 4.0L Ranger supercab?

I checked EPA mileage The 2009 Ranger 4.0L automatic mpg is 16/21 compared to 15/20 for the 2008 4.0L automatic. Same engine, same transmission?, anyone know why the increase? How do they decide which gear ratio to test which makes me wonder if the gear ratios are different?

I'm like you Bill, waiting for the right new Ranger. I wanted a 4cyl auto supercab with 4 doors myself, but can't get it now. To get a SC with 4 doors you have to buy the 4.0L. Buying a 2008 F-150 at the deals they have today gets you about the same mileage and is certainly tempting since mine will park outside anyway. It's tough to wait till 2011. But like you said the Fords are by far the best trucks out there. I can't see myself buying another brand. I had two 83 Rangers and an 80 F-150, all great trucks. I've been on the Ford Car Club Council working with the Ford folks here in Socal for many years. We put on the Fab Fords car show at Knotts Berry Farm, another reason to stay Ford Blue.

I think Ford is really missing the boat on the Ranger by not offering some improvements in the 2009 and 2010 current body style. The mpg thing didn't just happen this year, it's been going on for a couple of years now. I want a small pickup with good mpg. I'm a Ford guy and know the Ranger is a much better truck than the competition. I drove all of the small trucks several times and have held off from buying one hoping that the 2009 Ranger would offer more, but it doesn't. So I have to resist going down and buying one from the competition for at least 2 years while I wait for Ford go produce what I want. I want a 4 cyl, auto, supercab with 4 doors. I can't buy that in a Ranger today and it looks like I can't get it in a 2009. All of the competition offers this combination. I'd rather have a little more HP so I don't have the 2.3 winding up at 70 mph with the 4:10 gears on the several long trips I take each year. I don't want the Ranger supercab with 2 doors because I'll probably hurt my back again contorting to get a suitcase in the back, even if I can get one in over the front seat folded forward. If Ford would put in the 2.5 I4 giving it 170+ HP they might offer a 4 door supercab with that engine and maybe taller gearing than the 4:10s. A 6 speed auto would be that much better. These are in the 2009 Escape, why not the Ranger. I think if they offered this combo maybe they'd sell 8,000 units a month rather than 4,000. Maybe Ford can't justify the investment - but a few months ago when the Ranger sales were up rebates of up to $4k were offered, how does that help the bottom line? Making these improvements could be considered a marketing investment. It would keep people excited about the Ranger while they're waiting for the new Global Ranger to come, then create even more excitement when it comes. Instead, the Ranger enthusiasm will dwindle even more the next two years and a lot of people are going to give up on Ford and go to the competition for their small trucks. There won't be as much loyalty momentum going into the introduction of the new Global Ranger if it comes. The Ranger claim to best mpg doesn't mean much to a Buyer since the competition is within 1-2 mpg and they have the features people want. I like the clean body style of the Ranger much better than the awkward wheel wells and body accents that the competition has. I'm glad Ford is continuing the Ranger. But in a lot of ways Ford is telling Ranger fans to go eat sand, take it or leave it. They're being near sighted in risking losing that loyalty. With their new marketing strengths, that seems strange.

If Ford would just invest in putting the 2.5L I-4 in and sell the 4 door Supercab with automatic trans and the 2.5 L I-4 there would be a lot more Rangers sold, including one to me. That's the one shortcoming it has compared to the competition today.