Neat frontal styling of the Ford Ranger pickup
History
Prior to its termination at the end of the 2011 model year, the Ranger name was appended to a cheap and cheerful compact pickup truck beloved by contractors and private buyers seeking an inexpensive ride. After a long hiatus, Ford reprised the Range name for the 2019 model year, but not its previous fiscally frugal concept as the new truck was much larger and very expensive. Ford renewed the Ranger for the 2024 model year.
Model mix
Most Rangers will be powered by a turbocharged 2.3L four rated at 270 horsepower. Two turbocharged V6 engines, a 2.7L-V6 and a 3L-V6 are available Only one body style, a crew cab with a five-foot cargo box, is available.
| Vehicle tested | 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat 2.3 T |
| Body style | Crew Car pickup truck |
| MSRP as tested | $58,565 (includes spray-in bedliner, FX4 off-road package, advanced tow package, splash guards, floor liners and optional paint |
| MSRP spread | $41,870 – $ 77,945 |
| Engine | 2.3 L-4 turbo (270 horsepower) |
| Transmission | 10-speed automatic |
| Drive system | Four-wheel drive |
| Observed fuel economy | 16.5L/100 km |
Styling
The new 2024 looks little different from its predecessor that was released for the 2019 model year. Gentle evolution of style is typical in the pickup truck market so the glacial progress in styling is not unexpected. That said, the new Ranger is a neat styling job, much cleaner and smoother than the busier, edgier and boxier rivals like the Colorado-Canyon from GM, the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma.
The side profile of the Ranger is much sleeker than the busy styling of the competition
Interior
The driver faces a crisply-marked digital display with a tachometer on the left and a speedometer on the right. The tachometer is marked in an odd fashion, with number 1.2 representing 1200 rpm. Bizarre. The centre section is occupied by a configurable digital display, above which are digital gauges for water, oil and transmission temperatures and fuel level. The centre of the dashboard is dominated by a massive, vertically-oriented screen that that controls most infotainment functions. The screen also includes icons for radio, audio, and trailer controls, as well as touch icons for air distribution, seat heaters, defrosting and for temperature. There are also physical knobs and buttons for temperature, fan speed, max defrost, max air conditioning, recirculation, four-way flashers and audio on-off and volume. The cabin of the previous-generation Ranger was quite cheap looking but the new one is definitely more attractive. Plastics are matte finished and our high-end Lariat model boasted soft-touch surfaces on the dashboard and the tops of the front doors. There are some good-looking faux-alloy accents and the leather seating of our Lariat model is visually compelling.
The front seats are comfortable and the rear seat is supportive and passengers have sufficient legroom to make carrying adults a possibility. Access to the rear seat is reasonable and the rear seat cushion rotates up against the seatback to liberate floor space for cargo. There are two storage bins under the rear seat. The front and rear doors all have water bottle slots. The front doors have small door bins and the rear doors have more generous ones. The front console houses large cupholders and a massive bin under the front armrest. Rear seat riders enjoy lots of ports for electronic devices.
The cargo bay is five feet in length, with relatively small wheel arch intrusions, though the one on the driver’s side has a bit of a protrusion at its forward end.
The tailgate is light and easy to close but the hood requires an energetic slam to latch properly.
Crisply-marked digital gauges. The tachometer field is oddly marked
Massive screen works well but there are physical controls for climate functions
Traditional design allies with good room to create a comfortable cabin
Rear seat space is greater than in other trucks in this segment
Rear seat folds up to liberate floor space
Our Ranger featured a spray-in bedliner. The tailgate is light and easy to manipulate
Built-in step makes access into the cargo bed easy
2.3 L turbo four is smooth, flexible and thirsty
Performance
The 2.3L turbo four that powers the Ranger is a delight. Power delivery is strong and linear and the engine is quite refined, more of a testament to sound-proofing than to mechanical quietness as this engine can be quite raucous in other Ford vehicles. Unfortunately, with great power comes great thirst, with observed fuel economy of 16.5L/100 km during our week with the truck.
The 10-speed automatic transmission is engaged via an electronic selector, the shift pattern for which is obscured by your palm when you try to select a gear. The transmission upshifts well, but downshifts can occasionally be rough.
The Ranger’s steering is nicely weighted and holds its line well on the highway, however, steering inputs feel non-linear.
Except on very smooth pavement, the Ranger’s ride is surprisingly turbulent for a vehicle built on an enormous 128-inch wheelbase. This is taking into account the heavy-duty nature of suspension required to be stable with 776 kilograms housed in its load bed and also be capable of towing up to 3400 kilograms.
Handling is predictable, but the height, weight and suspension compromises needed for the truck to be stable with a big load in the tailgate or while towing don’t add up to an engaging driving experience.
Air conditioning performance is impressive during sultry weather.
The Bang & Olufsen branded audio system delivers very pleasing sounds.
Pricing
The crew cab body style, with four, forward-hinged doors, is the sole cab style offered on the new-generation Ranger. Four-wheel drive is standard on all trims. The base XL is equipped with L.E.D. headlights, fog lights, forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking. Moving up to the XLT adds power-fold mirrors, L.E.D. cargo bed lighting, a manually-operated rear window, deep-tint glass, blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors, a lane-keep assist system, floor mats, wireless cellphone charging and remote starting, but is a bit overpriced. The Lariat upgrade includes parking sonar front and rear, power front seats, active cruise control, leather seating, ambient cabin lighting, rain-sense wipers, a garage door opener, active parking, a B&O audio system and lit vanity mirrors, but is priced beyond the value of its content.
Leasing is very good value this year.
Like GM’s Colorado-Canyon twins, even the cheapest variants of the Ranger are very expensive and escalate significantly as you add features. These so-called “Mid-size” trucks are now priced beyond what most people are able, or willing to pay, which may relegate the whole sector to a limited niche market.
Conclusions
Though it bears the Ranger nameplate, the current truck is in no way a replacement for its cheap and cheerful predecessor, sales of which ceased in 2011. The current Ranger, though worthy enough, is notably expensive, approaching the prices that were commanded by a similarly-equipped F-150s five years ago.
While larger that the “classic” Ranger that was discontinued after 2011, the Ford Maverick is, spiritually anyway, a more direct replacement for original Ranger than the current one. In practical terms, unless you need the higher load bed rating and towing capacities of the Ranger, the unibody-based Ford Maverick may be a better choice. The cabin space of the Maverick is essentially the same as the Ranger, and the load bed length, while shorter, is only six inches less than that of the Ranger. As a unibody design, the Maverick, with car-like ride, handling and steering, is much nicer to drive, unencumbered by the necessity to remain stable while carrying bigger payloads in its cargo area. Finally, the available Maverick hybrid is quick, quiet and very economical, a far cry from the profligate fuel use experienced with the Ranger 2.3L turbo driven by the APA. That said, the Maverick, once reasonably priced, has itself become quite expensive, pushing it beyond the reach of many buyers. There is definitely a space at the bottom of the pickup market for a less expensive truck that would be appealing to a much wider range of pocketbooks.
Slick rear design of the Ford Ranger