We posted some conjecture about the Ranger not too long ago, with some Photochops to illustrate possible ways Ford could keep its smallest pickup alive. Automotive News has looked in to their crystal ball and determined that the future of the Ranger is murky, at best. The first bad sign is that the St. Paul, MN Ranger plant is slated to be closed in 2008. With no place to build the Ranger, it would seem to have one foot in the grave, along with the rest of the segment, not counting the evergreen Toyota Tacoma (which is not particularly small anymore). All is not lost, however. As we offered, there are existing platforms that would lend themselves to truckification, as well as actual trucks in different markets.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Thailand builds the Mazda BT-50, which could slot into the Ranger's position in the model heirarchy, though it might upset the Explorer Sport-Trac's sales by being similar in size and likely price. Other options under the worldwide FoMoCo umbrella are Brazil's Courier and Australia's Falcon Ute, which seem like better options to us. We'd love to see the Ranger name continue, and the truck to keep its compact stature by sharing a car-based platform. Basing a new Ranger on unibody architecture makes a lot of sense to us, as well. Weight would be reduced, the ride and handling would improve and it'd still be able to tow as much as the current Ranger, we'd bet. Picking a pre-existing unibody platform to morph also keeps development costs lower, and sharing as many bits and pieces as possible would make a new Ranger cost less. Cost is a major issue with the Ranger, it's just too darned expensive now to sell well. A prospective Ranger buyer can step in to an F-series for not much more. Building a cost-effective Ranger replacement outside the US may be a no-go because of import tariffs, though federalizing some of that engineering and building locally may be viable if a plant can make room.
Ford's been mum about the ultimate plan for the Ranger, though we're sure they'd be loath to let it go. Keeping it around may be a tough sell, though, as the Blue Oval is bleeding cash, and there's definitely not money to throw at a total re-do of a low-volume seller. That said, sounding the death knell for the entire compact pickup segment may be a bit premature. While it appears that there's no action there, we think all the segment really needs to take off is a truck that captures people's attention and little trucks will be hot again.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
menice @ Jun 5th 2007 8:46AM
holy smokes. that mazda BT-50 is an inline 4 3.0 liter turbo diesel.... that would do well i think
anyone want to do a quick convert on liters/klm vs mpg.
man- 9.2L /100km
auto- 10.4L/100km
i used to have a 1991 mazda b2200. best little pick up, took everything i threw in and at it.
Kowell @ Jun 5th 2007 8:52AM
Can't we just get the updated Ranger every other continents seem to have had for some time now? I would be nice to keep at least ONE small pickup
Matt Gabriel @ Jun 5th 2007 8:55AM
There isn't much of a compact truck segment left - "Mid-size" is what the half-ton pickups off yore once were, the half-ton pickups are now the size and strength(stronger, even) of the three-quarter ton pickups of yesteryear.
Ford's ranger is small, yes, but it only comes in a gas-guzzling V6 for 4x4 configurations, and even the 4-banger in the 4x2 isn't very efficient.
Meanwhile, Toyota has quietly re-introduced an extend-cab 4x4 Tacoma with a very efficient 4 cylinder - 27mpg. That's mileage on par with the "cute utes" for a serious off-roader. I wouldn't want to tow a boat with it, but for a work truck or commuter in snowy climes, I wouldn't want anything different.
Guenther @ Jun 5th 2007 9:48AM
4 cylinder 4x4 taco's get 22 highway, not 27. not that great. I dig the new global Ford/Mazda pickup. Just a matter of making the diesel clean enough and still being cheap. I'd buy
Abe @ Jun 6th 2007 10:23AM
actually a manual 4 banger in a ranger is rated for 29 highway. It is the best fuel economy in its class, and is the last true compact pick up on the market. That being said I have to admit I have a 1994 s-10 in my drive way
Owen @ Jun 5th 2007 9:00AM
IMHO, The falcon and courier are fugly. The BT-50 stands a chance, particularly if it came with those small diesels. It's what the tacoma used to be before it lost it's way and became a tundra wannabe. BT-50 Stlying is almost as nice as the oversized tacoma and torque and mileage would beat that competition into a stupor. I had an 05 Tacoma for a year or so and the best way I can describe it is "sheetmetal masculinity" Size for the sake of size, there is so much fluff between the fenders/grills/etc and the actual mechanicals that it could easily be a foot shorter and narrower, they just wanted the car to look macho. And you paid at the pump, with the same configuration, it got 2mpg less than my 1999 Tacoma did. It would be easy for someone to sweep in with a quality small truck and re-take that soon to erupt market (again IMHO).
bmoredlj @ Jun 5th 2007 9:07AM
The Chevy Colorado is still a *compact* pickup, and is beaten up in comparisons with the Dakota/Tacoma/Frontier et al for just that reason, it doesn't belong in a comparison with those trucks.
The Colorado is a transitional truck between the Rangers, Isuzu PUPs and Mighty Maxs of the past, while the other guys keep making bigger and bigger trucks.
To me a compact truck isn't about who's bigger, it's about utility and mobility in a managable, responsible package.
I hope Chevy stays small with their next small truck, but puts as much love into it as they did their excellent new Silverado.
As for Ford, I don't have any idea why they do half of the s*** they do, but I'm sure they'll keep doing it.
starlightmica @ Jun 5th 2007 9:13AM
The problem with the Mazda BT-50 is the good old chicken tax - where are you going to build it and not get slapped with the 25% tariff? The former AutoAlliance plant where Mustangs and Mazda6's is underutilized, I think, and the plant is already flex capable...
Car based? Did someone say Edgeamino?
JayP @ Jun 5th 2007 9:20AM
There could be a market for a little pickup- like the Rampage or Rabbit. Good fuel mileage, easy to park and can carry 20 bags of mulch from Home Depot.
Big Mike Wood @ Jun 5th 2007 9:21AM
What a sad day it will be when the Ranger dies. For someone who wants a small, inexpensive pickup the Ranger cannot be beat. Have you priced a Tacoma or Frontier lately? Too big, too expensive, and crappy mileage. The Colorado/Canyon? To me, even the decades old Ranger is a better looking, better built truck than either. What GM was thinking when it came up with those I'll never know. If we can have small, medium and large SUV's why can't we have small, medium and large pickups? If Ford or Chevy could built a good, modern version of the small pickup then they'd have that whole segment to themselves.
gsolman6 @ Jun 5th 2007 10:10AM
Bad timing if it is to be discontinued as the new CAFE reqs. if passed will basically make having a small pickup in your fleet mandatory.
CL2 @ Jun 5th 2007 9:23AM
A big part of the reason I no longer have my small truck is that they no longer exist here. I don't need or want a large truck, can't stand almost needing a step ladder to get into most, but do like the upright seating of a truck. My old Mazda B2000 was economical, could haul what I needed, and was actually fun to drive.
ckck @ Jun 5th 2007 9:29AM
As I understand it there is a free trade agreement with Thialand that the US signed that would remove any tariffs to an imported truck. Ford updated the Ranger sold everywhere else in the world, and it's a nice little truck. Ford won't give up on this segment, but they will be imported from overseas, and Thialand is a good bet.
Felipe @ Jun 10th 2007 1:28PM
They could import the current Ranger from Argentina, or switch the manufacturing site to Mexico.
Inline 4 3.0L engines are mounted on a lot of vehicles, including the Mitsubishi L200, Toyota Hilux, Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser 120, Isuzu D-Max, Nissan Frontier/Navara, etc. And they're very fuel efficient. On a Land Cruiser 120, a tank filled with about $50 lasts up to 600km on a highway.
roadside observer @ Jun 5th 2007 9:54AM
Ford doesn't need to do a total re-do of the Ranger. All it needs to do is offer a standard-cab/extended cab truck on the Explorer/Sport Trac platform with different sheetmetal. Doing so would better utilize the platform, make better use of existing production capacity at the Kentucky plant where the Explorer/Sport Trac is built, and give Ford an up-to-date competitor in the segment.
For those wanting to keep a smallish truck on the market, I foresee someone coming out with a car-based crossover compact truck in the future, something with a unibody structure and an AWD system(not true 4wd). Doing so wouldn't be terribly expensive if it used an existing platform. There is a market for a compact truck, but not enough of one to justify building such a truck on a unique platform.
Owen @ Jun 5th 2007 10:15AM
Someone did that, it was called the Subary Baja, and.... No-one bought it. I'm not saying it was beautiful or anything, but it fit the bill.
bfg0 @ Jun 5th 2007 11:19AM
"For those wanting to keep a smallish truck on the market, I foresee someone coming out with a car-based crossover compact truck in the future, something with a unibody structure and an AWD system(not true 4wd)."
Subaru tried that with the Baja. It was a flop.
praetorian @ Jun 5th 2007 10:07AM
All the more reason for Jeep to release the JT with a grunty diesel. With almost all the other automakers abandoning the sanely-sized truck segment and increasing gas prices, there should be plenty of demand.
It is strange what has become of the Tacoma. But then, it is strange what has become of the 3-series, and the K5 Blazer/Tahoe, and the...
Cheers,
prat
BC @ Jun 5th 2007 10:22AM
Mahindra is supposed to be entering the US market with a small, simple, diesel powered pickup. It looks a little rough around the edges, but that might be a draw. They might do well, offering a niche product that US-based manufacturers pretty much stopped making. I had a 93 Mazda B2200, and would love a simple, economical truck like that again.
mj @ Jun 5th 2007 10:26AM
I think this is bad timing as well. The full-sized pickups will need to downsize and we should get more small pickups. But the market bottomed out, everyone is buying SUVs and CUVs now.
I have a ranger, and I'm trading it in soon. The heavy construction gives me bad gas mileage, and I just can't justify it. 22 mpg is about right, even for toyotas. It's not like they make their trucks out of bamboo. The EPA numbers on these trucks are way off because they're tuned for torque and low speeds, and everyone drives like 80 now.