Texasota

This is interesting. A new thread (Ranger gets new 2.3 Ecoboost) suggests Ford is consolidating on the new 2.3. Do you suppose that version of the 2.3 is a prerequisite for the 2.3 based PHEVs? I'm looking for any reason that gives me hope for a Ranger PHEV in North America.

Makes sense to have a single version of the 2.3 Ecoboost. The Port and direct fuel injection is a big plus. Nice improvement.

I sure hope you are right about that. And hopefully it won’t be knobbled (thanks for the new vocabulary word, @jpd80). It ought to be 360 HP and 501 lb-ft of torque.

Adequate, maybe. Exciting, no.

Yes, I have been following the news on the Ranger PHEV for a long time and the early automotive press was saying 360 HP for the Ranger PHEV. I'm still hoping for a non-knobbled Ranger in North America.

It would be interesting to see what percentage of the recalls are due to software. Having worked as a software engineer for 31 years at IBM, I can tell you that bugs get through no matter how much testing you do. Very often it is a timing issue where the stars line up perfectly to cause a problem that even excellent engineers would not have anticipated. It is challenging work.

Yes, no doubt it would have enough torque to get the heavy rig moving, but will be very limited in speed just like the BYD Shark is. Completely agree. I think a PHEV is going to be the far better choice for the average guy that pulls an RV or boat more than 100 miles. It also performs well in city driving for trips under 40 miles. If Ram continues to promote this as a good towing truck for longer hauls it is not going to end well.

Below is a link to an article with some interesting details. It states the generator can produce 174 HP (continuous) of electrical power to feed into the electric motors once the battery is depleted. Ram is boasting that the 7500 pound Ramcharger can still tow 14,000 pounds when the battery is in this depleted state. Anyone want to drive a 21,500 pound rig with 174 HP? For a reference point, the Ford Escape with the turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder produces 180 horsepower. https://www.motortrend.com/news/2026-ram-ramcharger-tech-deep-dive/

I think the Bronco resulted in that kind of “gotta have it” passion. Maybe even the Maverick.

I’m not an automotive engineer, but I suspect cab forward designs like this would be extremely difficult to meet crash safety standards.

Yes, it is going to be fascinating, the RamCharger will be the first one to watch. I think they will be well suited for city/urban use, but very disappointing if used for long hauls. You can't overcome the physics involved with a heavy truck, a heavy load, long distances and a small ICE.

Even worse in China where the fertility rate is 1.2.

Take that back! You are breaking my heart.

I'm a pickup enthusiast, but for me, the massive weight of an EV pickup is a show stopper. I don't want to drive around a pickup that weighs 7,000 - 10,000 pounds. I'm hoping the Ford midsize pickup coming on the new skunk-works platform is comparable in weight to traditional midsize pickups.

Not entirely. When VW added the flower vase with a rose to the retro beetle’s dashboard it became dead to men but women went gaga over it. It was a brilliant marketing move if the goal was to sell only to women.