Topic: New Ford Ranger pickup "NOT" available in Canada or the U.S.

[blizzard35]

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/09/ford-previews-all-new-global-ranger-but-its-not-coming-to-north-america.html

I don't know about the rest of Ontario, but there sure are one hell of a lot of Ford Rangers driving around up here in the land of ice and snow!

[mrthompson]

Just when we thought Ford had everything ironed out.   

[5 Wheel Drive]

It might eat into precious F150 sales.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

"The new Ranger is 90 percent of the size of an F-150," Kuzak said. "In the rest of the world, compact trucks have grown over time. They’ve become dual-use [vehicles for work and family] and they’ve increased cab size, payload and towing."

That's what it boils down to. It seems like compact trucks are going extinct pretty much everywhere.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Sounds like a good excuse to pull what Ford did with the Focus to save money by investing in a dramatic overhaul to update the Focus Mk 1 rather than giving us the Mk2 Focus.

Give the Ranger a GOOD updating and keep on going.  Sure it's already an antique, but hey, it still sells more than the Eclipse!   

[PlanB]

I don't know about the rest of Ontario, but there sure are one hell of a lot of Ford Rangers driving around up here in the land of ice and snow!

Just as an estimate, I must see 20 F-150's for every Ranger where I live.  I don't think it will be missed here. 

[neil]

That's what it boils down to. It seems like compact trucks are going extinct pretty much everywhere.

The proposed and likely Jeep (wrangler unlimited based) truck could fill that hole.

[tortoise]

The only reason you see lots of Rangers is because Ford has been giving them away.  A brand new design would have to be more expensive.  Not worth it for Ford, IMO.

[PJungnitsch]

Throw some of that new Ford engine technology in the existing Ranger would make a big difference, no need to redo the whole truck.

Gas prices are going to go up again, it's only a matter of time. Filling an F150 is already around a $100, even in Alberta.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

That's what it boils down to. It seems like compact trucks are going extinct pretty much everywhere.

The proposed and likely Jeep (wrangler unlimited based) truck could fill that hole.

I love the look of the Gladiator show truck they had out in 2005! I'm hoping it looks similar.

FWIW I don't understand not updating the Ranger.

[maritime_storm]

Ford's been saying that they intend to kill the Ranger for about 10 years now. Every year saying that next year will be the last. Like the Crown Victoria, Ford can build them for next to nothing compared to some other models, mainly because of the lack of update and design costs(they recouped that years ago). The other side of the coin, most of the Ranger's competitors are already most of the size of the F150(Ford's real income maker). The problem is that Ford caught between a rock and a hard place with the Ranger, most of us who buy them, do so for the capabilities(6000lbs towing) they provide, fuel mileage(I'm averaging 25 IMPG with my '09 Sport), size(lot easier to park than a F150) and price. The next closest competitor is the Colorado/Canyon and the Tacoma, both are a lot more money for the same options, throw in the cost of Tires and parts into the mix and you really see a major difference in operating costs.

[Shnak]

That's too bad. I really liked my dad's Ranger back a few years ago. The last true compact truck out there... It sucks that all the trucks are huge nowadays. I'm hoping Ford comes back to their senses and reintroduces the Ranger a few years down the line. I certainly see myself owning one of these little trucks sometime in the future, especially if it came with a true crew cab configuration!

[Thinking Out Loud]

Maybe if the Ford Transit came as a cab/chassis and got a pick up bed, it could be the next Ford Ranchero!

[sparky]

No new Ranger, no new Focus wagon. How does Ford know exactly what I want in a vehicle, and why are they making sure I can't have it?

[kardood69]

My brother in law has the "other" Ford Ranger they sell in regions outside of NA.   Pretty cool.  Has a diesel, 4 real doors, ground clearance and doesn't look like a grand-pa truck.   But I guess selling them here would let us have too much fun.

I immediately like any truck that has those tarp hooks on the side of the bed.

[TopGun]

The AutoBlog guys discussed this at length last week.  Two reasons were cited for getting rid of it:

1.  Apparently, there is no factory in North America that can build the "new" ranger.

2. Not selling the Ranger will allow them to build a cheaper F150...which will increase volume...and increase their margins on all the F150s they sell.

I get that...I just like the drive of a compact pick-up over a full-size.  The "it's the same price why not just get the bigger one" is the exact logic that Ford is betting against with the "expensive" (for their size) Fiesta and Focus.

[Winklovic]

On Facebook, Mazda Canada asked this question: "Canadian Truck Lovers, Would you drive the new BT-50 if it came to Canada?"  Does that sound like they intend on bringing it here?  I don't think they'd ask if they weren't.

[EV Dan]

BT-50 looks gay 

Even if somehow not making the Ranger will bring down the F150 price, I see no logic behind canceling it. If you apply the same rule to the entire Ford lineup, then they would have to make exclusively full size sedans and SUVs, since they can do pretty much everything smaller vehicles are capable off, less fuel economy or parking at Yorkdale Mall. If they cancel the Ranger, Toyota will sell more Tacomas and other makers will try to fill the niche. Like it was said above, all Ford needs to do is to offer modern engines with it, namely 3.5L now used on 2011 Edge. If the truck starts using 7.4L/100km (V6) there will be many more folks who would seriously consider buying one, even with a few grand premium over the existing 4.0. 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

BT-50 looks gay 

Even if somehow not making the Ranger will bring down the F150 price, I see no logic behind canceling it. If you apply the same rule to the entire Ford lineup, then they would have to make exclusively full size sedans and SUVs, since they can do pretty much everything smaller vehicles are capable off, less fuel economy or parking at Yorkdale Mall. If they cancel the Ranger, Toyota will sell more Tacomas and other makers will try to fill the niche. Like it was said above, all Ford needs to do is to offer modern engines with it, namely 3.5L now used on 2011 Edge. If the truck starts using 7.4L/100km (V6) there will be many more folks who would seriously consider buying one, even with a few grand premium over the existing 4.0. 

The new overseas Ranger is 90% the size of the current F150. That's about the size of the first generation Tundra (1999-2006). Kind of difficult to justify two trucks of such similar size.

If they offer an entry level F150 for less than the price of a Tacoma, I'm not sure how many sales they'll lose. The Tacoma is pretty big in it's own right and doesn't exactly dazzle with fuel economy, so it's not like size and mileage will likely be determining factors.

FWIW I agree they should modernize the current Ranger since it's the last true compact truck. Everyone else up-sized over the last 20 years. Having said that, they up-sized because that's where the sales were.

[PJungnitsch]

The new overseas Ranger is 90% the size of the current F150.

I know Ford has been pushing this but going by the size of today's full size pickups I was finding that hard to believe.

Compared the posted weights and the new 'big' T6 crew cab Ranger is still only 73% the weight of the crew cab F150. That's a lot smaller.