2019 Ford Ranger/Bronco - yes it returns to the US

[Puffnstuff]

I came across this article this morning http://www.caranddriver.com/features/2019-ford-ranger-25-cars-worth-waiting-for-feature confirming that the Ranger is returning to us in the 2019 model year. Not too much information is given but the fact that Ford erred when it discontinued the model can be seen in their sales numbers. The ranger commanded a large chunk of the small truck sales until it left the scene and its return should prove profitable for Ford. They also mention that a new Bronco is coming based upon the same platform so that should prove interesting as well. Body on frame rear/4 wheel drive is what I want to see in a pickup or suv and this platform will deliver it. I'm hoping that the same 2.3L ecoboost 4 that Ford is stuffing into other products will find its way into this vehicle.

 

[lxskllr]

Cool. That might be a good option when my dakota dies if Crysler doesn't make anything suitable.

 

[Herr Kutz]

Wow, 2019 (maybe 2018) for the ranger and 2020 for the bronco. We still have a ways to go.

 

[Squisher]

You could over load the old Ranger quite a bit making it very useful, but it got terrible gas mileage for its size. I'll be curious what they'll be able able to wring out of a modern power plant.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

predictions: 2.0t ecoboost as base engine with 2.7t as upgrade option. Maybe the new 2.0 diesel as well.

 

[Herr Kutz]

predictions: 2.0t ecoboost as base engine with 2.7t as upgrade option. Maybe the new 2.0 diesel as well.

I'm going to assume a small 4 cylinder (output around 200hp) as the base option to match competitors. I'd say either the 2.5 NA or 1.5t for the base engine, and the 2.0t (maybe NA V6) as the upper level engine choice. I don't see them putting in the 2.7t (I hope I'm wrong) so as not to eat into F150 sales. I could see them putting in a NA V6 and the 2.0t (to meet certain a price, similar to the mustang) even though their performance is similar.

Assuming we're talking about the Ranger here. The Bronco I could see with the 2.7t.

 

[KentState]

Bronco looks badass.

 

[Rifter]

i hope its not a unibody

 

[monkeydelmagico]

i hope its not a unibody

As opposed to what? Body on frame dinosaurs? Yes, there are still a few that roam the pre-historic plains but they are getting rare. Better hurry up and shoot one now.
.

 

[phreaqe]

That looks sweet. I have no need for a truck but i still want to buy it....

 

[gus6464]

You all realize that the Bronco is going to be the Ford Everest with a Bronco badge right? Not very Bronco-ish.

 

[Squisher]

As opposed to what? Body on frame dinosaurs? Yes, there are still a few that roam the pre-historic plains but they are getting rare. Better hurry up and shoot one now.
.

You'll never get a unibody to accept the payload that a body on frame truck can without it flexing UNLESS that unibody is so robust (box frame) that it is nearly as heavy as a body on frame. Load a unibody full of heavy stuff and hit a few chuckholes and suddenly doors don't close well.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

You'll never get a unibody to accept the payload that a body on frame truck can without it flexing UNLESS that unibody is so robust (box frame) that it is nearly as heavy as a body on frame. Load a unibody full of heavy stuff and hit a few chuckholes and suddenly doors don't close well.

We know very little about the new Ranger/Bronco. One thing I am confident of is that it's payload capacity will be competitive within the segment. It wouldn't matter if they used the swiss cheese method of chassis design as long as it gets the job done.

In the midsize truck segment I think more emphasis on ride comfort is going to pay dividends. Try to remember these are light duty trucks. Much like SUV's from a decade ago people voted with their wallets. Not too many BOF SUV's around any more.

FWIW I think the new Honda Ridgeline is brilliant. If one of the big 3 broke away from the pack and brought us a competing product I think it would also be a winner.

 

[mindless1]

As opposed to what? Body on frame dinosaurs? Yes, there are still a few that roam the pre-historic plains but they are getting rare. Better hurry up and shoot one now.
.

Nonsense. Body on frame no longer has a place for passenger vehicles but is easily the superior choice for a cargo hauler, particularly one which the community wants to modify for better off-road use.
Yes they are both going to have body on frame, not unibody.

They're going to appeal to the type of person who buys a vehicle and keeps it *forever*, and in that regard I hope it does not have ecoboost, that they at least offer a NA engine choice that's not anemic 4 cyl, something like the 3.5L V6 instead. The NA 3.5L V6 is perfect for the ranger. Many people could care less if it gets 1-2 MPG reduction, instead wanting an engine that will last the life of the vehicle without $xxxx repairs & maintenance. To many people It's going to be their their cargo hauler, not their long range cruiser, as not everyone needs the capacity of an F(n)50 often enough to justify that.

Someone who is going to trade in or sell one after only a few years will not be as concerned about this, or the structural decay of unibody affecting cargo hauling capacity. Ever seen the bottom of a unibody vehicle after 15 years of winters where salt is used to treat roads? Not pretty. You can peel layers of metal off and can no longer even jack them up where you're supposed to. That's also dangerous to risk losing cargo while driving.

 

[Rifter]

="monkeydelmagico, post: 38506886, member: 301237"

FWIW I think the new Honda Ridgeline is brilliant. If one of the big 3 broke away from the pack and brought us a competing product I think it would also be a winner.

Yeah the first gen ridgeline was so awesome you load a few hundred pounds in the back you then became unable to open the doors. Sure they have now fixed this but that doesnt help the millions that bought it upon release.

Unibody has no place on a pickup, period. pickups were meant to haul/tow things and body on frame is much better for this application.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Yeah the first gen ridgeline was so awesome you load a few hundred pounds in the back you then became unable to open the doors. Sure they have now fixed this but that doesnt help the millions that bought it upon release.

Unibody has no place on a pickup, period. pickups were meant to haul/tow things and body on frame is much better for this application.

You do realize the 1st gen ridgeline had a frame right?

 

[Rifter]

You do realize the 1st gen ridgeline had a frame right?

According to hondas own press release for it "Engineers started with Honda’s Global Light Truck platform and transformed 93% of the components into a mission-specific platform with seven high strength steel cross members that create a fully boxed ladder frame structure with full integration into the unibody frame. Further differentiation includes unique suspension component designs, 100% unique sheetmetal and a 95% exclusive interior."

So i guess it depends on how you define unibody. maybe it a hybrid frame design? Either way its not a real frame, and it did bow when loaded.

 

[Puffnstuff]

FWD and truck in the same sentence make me ROFL.

 

[Kaido]

The Ranger version reminds me of the redesigned Honda Ridgeline, which is a truck I'm very interested in (but not interested in buying the first generation of! lol). Been seeing more & more of them out on the road...my local Honda dealership is sold out plus has a 2-month waitlist because you basically have to order your truck from the factory due to demand right now. Yay for smaller pickup trucks!

 

[mindless1]

^ I feel the same way about first generation vehicles, but this time for the Ranger it's a bit different. They have plenty of experience building the '90's body on frame Ranger, experience with the engines they'd use, and they've already been building them for foreign markets.

The engines though, mixed bag. You have the ecoboost with the valve carbon buildup issue and the redesign with a 2nd port injector to fix that. At least being a Ford pickup there will be a huge following of DIYers and self-help forum participation which can mean the difference between affordable ownership and being taken to the cleaners by a dealership when it comes to diagnosis and repair.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I just found this video on FLT.

 

[Squisher]

It looks big like a mid size, but who can tell from that video. For me I'd prefer the smallest truck that you can still load a 4'X8' sheet of drywall in or take the weight of a yard of topsoil. The old Ranger had cutouts in the bed to put 2X4s crosswise to load sheet goods over the wheel wells with the tailgate down and could take the weight of the topsoil if you took the rear tires up to (or maybe a little over) sidewall.