NEW FORD RANGER SPOTTED

[Sherminator98]

It's all cafe regulations related in the US. It's not about whether there are customers for a smaller truck. Eventually some subaru brat type of gamesmanship will happen and tiny pickup bed fanatics will rejoice for a few years.

 

I thought I remember seeing something that the bigger the vehicle is affects its CAFE ratings some how? So trucks aren't as affected as much?

[SoonerLS]

Re-label it F100 and return Ranger as the opening trim level to replace XL. Would only add to overall F-series sales.

Ranger was the top trim level, but that would work, too. About thirty years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a beautiful '68 F100 Ranger with a 427 and four on the floor; being a broke high school student sure sucked right about then. (Well, maybe not, as I'm here to tell the tale... )

 

The only issue I see is that the people who want a Ranger-sized pickup likely won't be satisfied with a lighter F-Series--they'll probably want a smaller form factor. Whether or not it is, in absolute numbers, significantly bigger than the Ranger, the F150 feels significantly bigger. (Heck, my '13 RCSB feels significantly larger than my '91 4x4 RCLB.) I think you'll have to narrow and shorten it, too.

[jasonj80]

 

I thought I remember seeing something that the bigger the vehicle is affects its CAFE ratings some how? So trucks aren't as affected as much?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Average_Fuel_Economy

 

Its boring but explains it well.

 

 

I actually see these all the time in Dearborn, there is actually one that is at my Gym at least once a week.

[akirby]

Ranger was the top trim level, but that would work, too.

 

Actually Lariat was the top trim level with Ranger in the middle and Explorer just below it.

 

F100 XLT Ranger

F100 XLT Lariat

F100 Explorer (these had the long white body stripes)

F100 Custom

[NickF1011]

It's all cafe regulations related in the US. It's not about whether there are customers for a smaller truck. Eventually some subaru brat type of gamesmanship will happen and tiny pickup bed fanatics will rejoice for a few years.

 

Aren't CAFE ratings sales weighted? If so, having the Ranger here won't matter if nobody is buying it.

[TBirdStangSkyliner]

One importance of the Rangers during their heyday was that they were the point of entry for for many customers into the Ford brand. Not only were compact pickups affordable in the 1980's, but they were sporty and cool. Remember the other vehicle in "Back to the Future"? Times change and maybe the Focus or Fiesta suffice for this now. I do question whether a brand the size of Ford in the truck crazy domestic market is making a mistake by not having a more entry level model, though. Does a Fiesta owner move into an F150 with the same ease that Ranger owners did 20-30 years ago. How did Escort buyers verse Ranger buyers move up the Ford product line back in the day?

[NickF1011]

Would the new Ranger really be that much cheaper than the entry level F150 though? It's not the days where Ford is going to bother selling a 90-HP 4 cyl, 5-speed, regular cab with AM/FM radio, vinyl seats, rubber floors, and no A/C anymore.

[Deanh]

What's been rumored on at least one other Ford board is that the Ranger is being evaluated and possibly prepped for US consumption, but the new F-150's debut is going to happen first. The Ranger might follow after a short while, as the second half of a "1-2 punch".

 

In any case, don't be surprised to see them around...but don't expect to hear anything even semi-official until the new F-series is rolling.

bring it I say, then utilize the platform for a new Explorer and maybe a smaller Bronco.....

[TBirdStangSkyliner]

Would the new Ranger really be that much cheaper than the entry level F150 though? It's not the days where Ford is going to bother selling a 90-HP 4 cyl, 5-speed, regular cab with AM/FM radio, vinyl seats, rubber floors, and no A/C anymore.

Good point, the original formula would need to at least add such comforts as AC, but doing it in a smaller, lighter vehicle can be still be done quite a bit cheaper as every component becomes smaller. I think the small truck market became doomed when big wheels and rubber became a necessary part of the styling equation. This required a bump from 2.9 liter V6's to 4.0's just to get about the same acceleration. Fuel mileage tanked from trying to power the increased rotational weight and rolling resistance.

[SoonerLS]

Actually Lariat was the top trim level with Ranger in the middle and Explorer just below it.

It depends on what year you mean--the Ranger trim level predated the Lariat trim level by over a decade.

[SoonerLS]

Would the new Ranger really be that much cheaper than the entry level F150 though? It's not the days where Ford is going to bother selling a 90-HP 4 cyl, 5-speed, regular cab with AM/FM radio, vinyl seats, rubber floors, and no A/C anymore.

They still sell F150s with regular cabs, AM/FM radios, and rubber floors, at least in the XL and STX trim lines...

[akirby]

It depends on what year you mean--the Ranger trim level predated the Lariat trim level by over a decade.

 

I was talking specifically about the late 70s since those are the ones I prefer. Prior to that you're probably correct.

[akirby]

They still sell F150s with regular cabs, AM/FM radios, and rubber floors, at least in the XL and STX trim lines...

 

I saw a regular cab short bed black STX this morning. I think it may be the second one I've seen on the street in the last year or so. By contrast I've seen 4 Teslas, 3 Ferraris and 3 Maseratis in the same timeframe.

[TBirdStangSkyliner]

I'm hearing lots of people express sticker shock from visiting car lots, regardless of their brand preference. I'm feeling it myself as prices have gone up a lot. Wages are stagnant and health insurance, groceries, and fuel costs are growing quickly for most Americans. I see that there is still a strong and growing market for autos, but can it last, and are people at the entry level getting pushed out? Some stats appear to show that younger buyers are decreasing.

[SoonerLS]

I saw a regular cab short bed black STX this morning. I think it may be the second one I've seen on the street in the last year or so. By contrast I've seen 4 Teslas, 3 Ferraris and 3 Maseratis in the same timeframe.

Funny--I see a red STX short bed at least once per day.

[akirby]

Funny--I see a red STX short bed at least once per day.

 

You can't count that one - the owner is a little nuts. I bet he even owns a Lincoln LS for goodness sake......

[SoonerLS]

You can't count that one - the owner is a little nuts. I bet he even owns a Lincoln LS for goodness sake......

He's not nuts. He has money, which makes him eccentric!

 

(With apologies to John Astin.)

[RichardJensen]

Funny--I see a red STX short bed at least once per day.

 

Reminds me of a great quip I saw on twitter not too long ago: "The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'"

[TBirdStangSkyliner]

Some markets are very different than the national average, and it is easy to overlook that. What sells and doesn't in my local area is very different than the national data. The Expedition is extremely prominent here, for example.

[akirby]

Of course, and Ford understands that. The Flex was huge in California especially with conquest sales.

 

But regardless of whether it can be sold in one market or 50 the overhead and investment costs are the same. I might be able to sell 25,000 Rangers in one city, but if I can only sell 5,000 in the rest of the country then my total is still only 30K regardless of where they're sold.

[TBirdStangSkyliner]

I was just trying to throw a bone to they guy who doesn't see base pickups in his area.

[akirby]

I was just trying to throw a bone to they guy who doesn't see base pickups in his area.

 

That was me. And it's not base pickups - it was specifically regular cab short bed models. And that's not geographic at all - almost nobody buys those any more anywhere. XL/STX supercabs and four doors yes and a few reg cab long wheelbase work trucks but hardly any reg cab SWB - which was pretty much the standard version back in the 70s and 80s.

[twintornados]

Ranger was the top trim level, but that would work, too. About thirty years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a beautiful '68 F100 Ranger with a 427 and four on the floor; being a broke high school student sure sucked right about then. (Well, maybe not, as I'm here to tell the tale... )

 

The only issue I see is that the people who want a Ranger-sized pickup likely won't be satisfied with a lighter F-Series--they'll probably want a smaller form factor. Whether or not it is, in absolute numbers, significantly bigger than the Ranger, the F150 feels significantly bigger. (Heck, my '13 RCSB feels significantly larger than my '91 4x4 RCLB.) I think you'll have to narrow and shorten it, too.

The new F150 has a smaller "look" to it mainly due the redrawn window sill hunch and lowered box height (yes, it is 1" shorter than than the outgoing model)...the visual impact is that the truck has a smaller appearance while not significantly losing ability in the 1/2 ton truck wars....

[TBirdStangSkyliner]

Low cost differentiation is being consistently forecasted as a growing trend for consumer products. Computerized ordering and production facilitate this trend more and more. More product markets are also being dominated by fewer companies which would seem to encourage expanding choices within house. This is obviously much easier to do with ordering cell-phone cases online than buying a vehicle from a dealer lot. The Mini online build is an interesting attempt, and maybe Lincoln Black Label sort of fits into this, too. Some auto manufacturers seem to be better at flexible platforms and making money from a wider offering off of a similar group of parts. It'll be interesting to watch who eventually gets this right in the automotive world.

[TBirdStangSkyliner]

That was me. And it's not base pickups - it was specifically regular cab short bed models. And that's not geographic at all - almost nobody buys those any more anywhere. XL/STX supercabs and four doors yes and a few reg cab long wheelbase work trucks but hardly any reg cab SWB - which was pretty much the standard version back in the 70s and 80s.

When I see them, the drivers are old enough to fit into the Buick demographic. I know one guy who had to try very hard to find a dealer to bring one in. I'm guessing that demand is the biggest limit, but supply likely bottlenecks the market further.