Ford Ranger
The story of the Ford Ranger compact pickup trucks may be the best example of automotive evolution, not revolution, in the American automotive market. Now, more than 26 years into production, a few of the parts and pieces on these trucks have never changed.
While most of us think of a Ranger as a small domestic pickup truck, the name has appeared on other Ford Motor Company products. The name first appeared in 1950 on a Ford Panel Truck with extra windows and a conversion to four-wheel-drive by Marmon-Herrington--a vehicle that could be considered one of the first SUVs. The Ranger name made a brief detour away from the truck world in making an appearance as an Edsel model. In 1965, the Ranger name returned to the Ford truck line as the top trim level of the full-size Ford pickup. The name carried on until 1982 when the XLT became the top of the line. Unheard-of truck luxuries like carpet and nice seats were part of the Ranger package.
Development of the compact Ranger pickup began in 1976, and the truck debuted in mid-1982 as a 1983 model, replacing the Mazda-built Ford Courier. Ford would later return the favor; the Mazda B-series compact pickups are based on the Ranger.
Original Ranger engines included a 2.0-liter, 72-horsepower four-cylinder, a 2.3-liter, 86-horsepower four-cylinder, a 2.2-liter, 59-horsepower diesel four-cylinder, and a 2.8-liter, 115-horsepower V-6. The Ranger shared similar styling and engineering features, including Ford's twin I-beam front suspension, with its larger F-150 sibling. In 1986, the SuperCab and Ranger GT models appeared. The Ford Bronco II was based on this Ranger.
In 1989, the face-lift included a new front end with flush-mounted headlights, a new grille, and a new bumper. Inside, new door panels and a dashboard were fitted; the dash was continued until 1995. The popular Ford Explorer/Mazda Navajo, which debuted in 1990 and helped ignite the popularity of SUVs, were based on Ranger mechanicals and body parts. The dash, seats, windshield, hood, and much of the drivetrain were lifted straight from the Ranger parts bin.
In the 1993 model year, what looked like an all-new Ranger was really just one of the most comprehensive reskins in automotive history. All of the external body panels and much of the interior pieces were new, but the same frame, drivetrain, inner bed stampings, seats, rear window, and even the dashboard were held over. In 1994, I bought this new Cayman Green third-generation Ranger in XLT trim with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, 5-speed transmission, air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, sliding rear window, and little else. The sales price was just $9,986. I owned this vehicle 12 years, longer than any other vehicle I have ever owned, and the truck served me faithfully until its early, sad demise on Halloween in 2006. More on that later.
The XLT is the luxury Ranger trim level. On mine, the XLT meant padding and carpeting on the doors, and a 60/40 split seat with a center console that folded up for a (hopefully) skinny middle passenger. Mine had cloth seats that looked almost brand new after 12 years and 110,000 miles, intermittent wipers, a stereo, tinted glass, sliding back window, power steering, and power brakes, but no tilt wheel. The tilt wheel was the only thing I really missed not having.
All Rangers received an updated dashboard and driver airbag for the 1995 model, but the 1995 Ranger was not released until late in the model year. The story goes that the new dash was intended for both the Ranger and the Explorer, but since not enough components were available to fill both vehicles, the Ranger was held off to allow the Explorer to receive the new dashes. The new dashboard, with two gauges removed, is still used in Rangers today.
It's also worth mentioning that many Ranger drivetrain and suspension components were shared with Ford's Aerostar minivan. They were both built at the same St. Louis, Miss., truck plant, but they shared no body stampings. Almost any upgrade to the Ranger suspension could be applied to the Aerostar.
In 1998, the current fourth-generation Ranger debuted. The Ranger's new frame was reportedly 370% more rigid; the Ranger also featured a new, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, rack-and-pinion steering, a new front suspension, new front-end styling, a three-inch extension of the standard cab, new tow hooks, second-generation airbags, new seats, and larger tires.
Ford even produced an electric-powered Ranger. Called the Ranger EV, it was built from 1998-2002. It was built on a four-wheel-drive chassis with a truly unique rear suspension, but only two wheels were powered. Ford only made 1,500; most had NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries, and they could travel 65 miles at 65 mph on a flat road. Batteries lasted for about 25,000 miles, and the EVs were leased, not sold. However, some have made their way to the used truck market. Customers praised the Ranger EV's ride and handling, which was helped in great part by the low center of gravity provided by the battery pack.
The EV had a special rear end drivetrain. The 60-hp (45kw) AC motor/transmission/differential single-unit was mounted between the rear wheels, then half-shafts angled down to the wheels. A De Dion Tube and Watt's Linkage with carbon fiber leaf springs was used in 1998; conventional steel springs and no Watt's Linkage was used from 1999-2002. A ceramic core resistance heater was used, and an electric compressor ran the air conditioning.
The Ranger's sibling, the Explorer Sport Trac, debuted in 2001. Essentially a four-door pickup version of the Explorer, in my opinion there was more Ranger in this truck than Explorer. After all, the engine, dashboard and size were borrowed from the Ranger. I wish this truck had been sold as a four-door Ranger instead of an Explorer.
I nearly bought one of these, actually, since it was very close to meeting my needs. Its bed is tiny, at barely four feet long, not counting the tubular bed extender. Of course, long loads are what utility trailers are for; I can't justify driving around an empty eight-foot bed.
The Sport Trac's style and size were great for my purposes, but the interior was like a taxi cab, with a vinyl floor, poor lighting, and overall cheap appointments. Ford called the standard seats cloth, but they were covered in what more resembled wetsuit material--one dealer told me you could hose them off. Leather seats and carpeted floor mats were available, but the trim levels just weren't up to par for a $30,000+ truck. Instead, I ordered a new loaded 2003 F-150 XLT SuperCrew, with heated seats, remote start, sunroof, tow package, etc., for about the same money as a loaded 4WD Sport Trac.
Anyway, back to the Ranger. The Ranger has evolved into a reliable and affordable truck, but has also become a dinosaur; the bed hasn't changed in more than 16 years. Sales of the Ranger have struggled on, lower than they used to be probably just because the truck has not been significantly updated. Many people do not want to replace their older trucks with a new one exactly like what they just had, so they buy Toyotas, Chevys, or other small trucks. Many of the other smaller pickups have gained size and mass, like the Dodge Dakota and Nissan Frontier, but some customers just don't want a full-size truck. Again, I have an F-150, but the Ranger's compact size made it the perfect vehicle for me for everyday travel, small loads, and farm work. Oh, and it always got around 26 miles per gallon; I saw 29 on the highway once.
At the time of this writing, the Ranger's future is unclear. The current truck presses on, probably until 2011, but excitement for it has certainly waned. Reports say that a new truck is in the works, and could be built in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, or South Africa.
I'd still have my Ranger if some clunk-head hadn't hit a deer and knocked it into my truck, denting the side of the front fender, lower driver's door, and bed. I didn't even feel the impact. The other driver kept going, of course, even though their plastic headlight pieces were all over the road. The estimate to fix the Ranger was more than $2,500, and by Tennessee law, the truck had to be totalled because the repair was more than 75% of the vehicle's value. Looking back, I should have fixed the truck out of my pocket, but after paying the insurance bills on it for 12 years, I felt I was due something. A new fender, minor body work, and paint would have made the Ranger fresh again, as it really wasn't hurt that badly. But there was no good choice in the matter. Losing that truck was like losing a beloved pet - it can't be replaced. I really miss my Ranger.
I missed it enough that I ordered a new Ranger in late 2006 to replace the 1994 model. After an 11-week wait, the new truck arrived with a paint defect. The dealer refused to repair the truck until I bought it, citing warranty requirements; I refused to take delivery until the truck was fixed, having been stung by previous dealers' promises to fix a vehicle "properly" after I took delivery. This standoff resulted in me walking away from the truck, the dealer, and probably Ford forever.
Most of the photos are from Wikipedia. I took the "Ranger" emblem photo on the back deck. The teal truck pic is from a print I took about five years ago. The cutaway diagram is from the 1998 Ranger brochure.
--That Car Guy (Chuck)
Bob on February 25, 2010 at 01:32 PM
I bought a 92 S model with 20,000 miles from a guy who couldn't make his payments in 1994. It was a huge upgrade from the late 60s Galaxie 500 I had been driving and and efficient and fun vehicle to own. Quick defrost, intermittent wipers, and five speed transmission coupled to the 2.3 gave me a regular 22 mpg in mixed city/highway driving and a regular 25+ at 70mph on the freeway. I drove that truck on road and off to 140K miles with just regular wear maintenance like tires, brakes and timing belt. My brother is still driving it with the original clutch and alternator for odd jobs. Still starts like a champ with 150k miles.
I was impressed enough with that truck so I bought a new 2003 edge supercab and have 60,000 miles without a single problem to report. Just changed the first set of Good Year SRT tires and there was still a bit of tread to spare. The Edge is a 3 liter V6 that has neither the gas milage of the 4 cylinder nor the power of the 4 liter. Don't know what ford was thinking putting a 4.1 rear end in a 3 liter truck. Still runs excellent and does best in mountain driving where I can get up to low 20s on winding roads @45mph or so. On the highway the rear end gearing drags down gas milage to about 18-19mpg at +/- 70mph. Upside is that it tows small trailers/boats without a problem. Even with the gas milage complaint, the truck has been a solid reliable performer with a lot more useful power than the 2.3 and since I bought a 1.8 liter Corolla for commuting, the Ranger will be with me for at least another 5 to 10 years hauling garbage and running down rough country roads and into field to hunt and fish. A Ranger is an excellent sportsman's truck where the pulling power and gas consumption of a full size truck isn't needed. Coupled to a good utility trailer there is not much most homeowners couldn't do with one of these trucks.
KB in Texas on April 09, 2010 at 09:42 PM
Today I took my 93 Ranger XLT V6 (bought it new in 93) to get new tires. This truck has 117k miles on it, not many miles for an old truck but it has been parked outside and never been garaged. I replaced the clutch (and the entire clutch hydraulic system), the water pump, The AC compressor, the idler pulley, the freeze plugs, that's about it besides the consumables like batteries, section of exhaust tubing and tires. The interior shows some wear but not much, even the driver's seat is still intact. The paint is faking off on the top of the cab but not bad considering the Texas sun. Oh and the radio is dead. When you drive it down the road it does not sound like a symphony of loose parts and metal grinding against metal. It has been a good vehicle. Car Lust is a fun read, keep up the good work.
Zbigniew Dominik on February 05, 2011 at 09:18 AM
I had 84 Ford Ranger with 2.2 litre diesel engine.sold when rust started eating frame.That Ranger was the best I ever had - full satisfaction.32 MPG or more, just change oil and filters, tires - no others repairs necessary.Sold when reached 220453 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!
I missed that RANGER DIESEL!
Z.D.
Charles Rogers on June 12, 2011 at 04:32 PM
I have obtained a 1989 Ford Ranger GT and I have not found any genuine GT´s to compare prices. this truck only has 90,000 miles on it but needs some work from sitting too long. I wonder if this truck is worth restoring