No, it’s not what you’re thinking—this new model won’t be a Ranger.
After Ford stopped making the Ranger in 2011 and subsequently debuted what it considers a completely re-engineered model at the Detroit Auto Show in 2018, the 2019 Ranger is certainly having its moment.
In the absence of the Ranger, Ford’s been missing out on what’s become a popular market of people looking for versatile pickups with better fuel mileage than their larger counterparts—the small pickup truck segment.
Ford’s no stranger to making bold moves based on what customers want. In fact, by 2020, Ford has vowed to completely stop selling sedans (excluding the legendary Mustang, of course) in favor of focusing on trucks and smaller SUVs, some of which have yet to be named.
Here’s What We Know About the Smaller Pickup
The new pickup would reportedly have a platform similar to the Ford Focus and provide buyers with a selection of natural aspiration or turbocharged four cylinders and front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
The truck would provide buyers in the smaller pickup market with a choice that’s more compact than many of its competitors’ current midsize pickups, including the Chevy Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, and Honda’s Ridgeline. The smaller size would also offer competitive fuel mileage.
Potential Name, Release Date, and Price
Although Ford reportedly hasn’t chosen an official name yet, the contenders are:
- The Courier: This name has already been trademarked by Ford and was the name of a Ford pickup made on a previous-generation Fiesta platform sold in South America.
- The Ranchero: The Ranchero has already been used by Ford for a coupe that was reminiscent of a station wagon complete with a cargo bed. Ford stopped making the Ranchero in 1979.
We don’t expect to see this smaller pickup until 2021 at the earliest (sources speculate models won’t be for sale until 2022). However, buyers can expect the pickup to be in the $20k price range.
So if you’re in the market for a small pickup from Ford and aren’t sold on the new Ranger, you could benefit from waiting for the release of Ford’s compact pickup in 2022.
Small Ford pickup concepts by Kleber Silva via Carbuzz