2019 Ranger disappointment...

[steve benjamin]

Long time member but haven't posted in many years. 2001 ST owner and put 255,000 miles on it. Finally traded in for a 2008 XLT with V8 and 4x4. It now has 208,000 miles and going strong. I absolutely LOVE my truck...(as the song goes!)

Knowing that someday I will need a new ride I accepted an invitation from the local Ford dealer to check out the new Ranger.

Words cannot describe how disappointed I was with it. How in the world can the same auto company make these two trucks. Literally nothing in common other than four tires and a steering wheel as far as I can tell. Every single one of the reasons I enjoy my ST is missing from the Ranger. I'll list a few:

V8 option (come on Ford...at least offer a V6 option)
Composite rear bed (painted steel on the Ranger...oh, but Ford will spray it an extra $500.)
Full size electric rear window (Ranger has about an 8 inch square with a plastic latch)
Rear of the back seat lays forward (so does the Ranger but it won't lay flat, nor even close so its worthless)
Spit rear sit (Nope...not available)
12V power outlet in the bed (Nope...not available)
Very useful storage compartments in the bed (Nope...not available)
4 wheel independent suspension w/coilovers all around (damn Ranger has buggy springs in the rear...sheeesh!)
rear of the ST cab is contoured so the rear seats are tilted and more comfortable and more leg room (Ranger...vertically straight like about all the other small trucks)
Easy to clean and maintain vinyl flooring in ST (carpet in the Ranger)
There's more but you get the idea...all this before even considering the prices they are asking for what would be a comparably optioned Ranger to my ST....over $40,000.

For the life of me I don't understand why they couldn't have just brought back the ST or, at the very least, incorporated some of the very desirable features of the ST into the Ranger.

Didn't mean for this to be a rant but I guess it is. Good thing I take good care of my ST because it looks like I'll be driving it for quite awhile yet.

I apologize if others have covered this but I didn't find any mention in a search unless I missed it. I do wonder what others think though.

Steve

 

[EddieS'04]

Thanks for the update. My Trac is an '04, sounds as if many things are missing.

 

[Phill R]

I know to many, this might be sacrilege but one word. Tacoma. As a die hard Ford man, I found it to be alot closer to what the Sport Trac was and what Ford forgot.

 

[EddieS'04]

I know to many, this might be sacrilege but one word. Tacoma. As a die hard Ford man, I found it to be alot closer to what the Sport Trac was and what Ford forgot.

I agree I have had my eye on them also. Im not thru with my '04 yet...

 

[Todd Z]

That's why Im considering a raptor or mustang.... Have not decided yet....

 

[G Man]

Or, you could start looking for a low mileage 2010 ST. Their aren't that many, but they are out there.

 

[Todd Z]

Guess what !!! I don't fit in the EFFING thing...... Sat in one, shoulder hits the dam B pillar hard !!! I have to drive to see, But also stickered at 42K then ADD options I was at46K !!! a dam raptor is 55K !!

 

[EddieS'04]

Todd,,,that is sad. The more I hear the more I dont want to look.

 

[Todd Z]

Yeah maybe Ill get a good test drive in it, But I am just not happy with it...

 

[Paul Maurer 3]

Thanks for saving me a trip to the dealer! I have been watching the truck offerings from all the manufacturers for a couple of years with an eye toward replacing my ST, which I love but have had for 12 years. I'm looking specifically for a street style truck, but everyone seems to be building taller and geared more toward off road styling. I had high hopes for the Raptor but it's the opposite of what I like. I suppose I'll go ahead and refurbish the interior of my ST, the leather seats need recovering and maybe I'll get creative. Fortunately my truck has only 80K miles so the engine should last.

 

[Carey Bolin]

I have to say that I was a fan of the Ranger before I got my Sport Trac. I still love the Old School Rangers. Back in the day, I DREAMED of owning the Ranger STX 4x4. There was something about a REGULAR cab, small truck with a v-6 and OPTIONAL v-8, that could haul just about as much as it's bigger brothers and be only half their size. Now I see them and I can only see them as another throw away plastic filled fully computerized junk that cost as much as a full Blown Raptor. I think I try and stick with my Sport Trac for as long as possible.

 

[Paul Maurer 3]

My whole yellow truck journey started with a Baywatch style Ranger Splash in yellow with the goofy stripes and a manual trans.

 

[Carey Bolin]

I also drooled over this Ranger while listening to Slippery When Wet album. Gawd I was such a youngin'.

 

[user 57267]

Howdy all:

As they say, long time listener, haven't posted in quite a while.

I am also really disappointed in the Ranger, it's just not comfortable, the windows are too small, the interior sucks, what happened to the roll-down rear window, and it's too expensive for what you are receiving. I was really hoping that the new Ranger was going to be the ST 3.0, but it's not even close.

I've had my 2003 ST for 18 years and 175K, and going strong. Lots of Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and personal camping trips, long distance vacations, three household moves, light-duty towing, and the ST has done it all for me. Yeah, one day it will have to be replaced, but the current Ranger is not the one.

We have been a Ford family for 3 generations and over 60 years. Ford needs to re-examine why people like us have been so pleased with their vehicles, what they did wrong, and fix it.

Otherwise, I see a Honda Ridgeline in my future.

Peace

 

[PRA4SNW]

I own an '02 ST and had read many negative reviews on the Ranger, so got in line for a Bronco. I am getting sick of Ford's delays, and now it is ordering time and even though I am an early reservation holder, I'll probably have to wait until the '22 model year.

It makes me think that maybe getting a second gen ST is a good idea - I really like my '02, it's more of a beater at this point, though. What are the chances of finding a nice second gen with V8? Is the V8 a great upgrade from the V6? I find my '02 to be sluggish and thirsty on gas.

 

[Carey Bolin]

With all the changes they are making towards all plastic computerized junk, I would not be interested if Ford decided to bring back the Sport Trac. They would probably just bastardize it like Mistubishi did to the Eclipse.

 

[buddy]

I bought the 2020 Ranger and it is growing on me. But you are right it isn’t a ST! With the new maveric coming into the market it might be the right choice but I Haven’t seen the size or enough specs yet

 

[Larry Michael]

I made the jump from a 2002 V6 to a 2010 V8 in 2013. Despite a few things that I didn't like as much as the Gen 1 (the rear seat fold-down does not lay horizontal and I had to make a custom 1/4" plywood cover to make a flat surface across the gap behind the seats) I've enjoyed every minute of driving my 2010 Ltd. Bought it with 37k miles and I'm now up to 94k miles. Looking online I still see 2010s available out there with lower mileage than mine.

Lots of things to dislike about the Ridgeline but so far it is the only vehicle I've seen (and driven) that comes close to what I want, especially ride quality and rear leg room. Unfortunately it continues the truck tradition of the rear seat folding up instead of down.

 

[gavin packwood]

When I was at my Local Dealership last year when Team Ford had the “ New Ranger” I laughed at the salesman whom asked if I would trade in my STA for another Ecoboost powered Ford product, I politely told him I would rather buy a Canyon Diesel.. and walked out the door

 

[gavin packwood]

Long time member but haven't posted in many years. 2001 ST owner and put 255,000 miles on it. Finally traded in for a 2008 XLT with V8 and 4x4. It now has 208,000 miles and going strong. I absolutely LOVE my truck...(as the song goes!)

Knowing that someday I will need a new ride I accepted an invitation from the local Ford dealer to check out the new Ranger.

Words cannot describe how disappointed I was with it. How in the world can the same auto company make these two trucks. Literally nothing in common other than four tires and a steering wheel as far as I can tell. Every single one of the reasons I enjoy my ST is missing from the Ranger. I'll list a few:

V8 option (come on Ford...at least offer a V6 option)
Composite rear bed (painted steel on the Ranger...oh, but Ford will spray it an extra $500.)
Full size electric rear window (Ranger has about an 8 inch square with a plastic latch)
Rear of the back seat lays forward (so does the Ranger but it won't lay flat, nor even close so its worthless)
Spit rear sit (Nope...not available)
12V power outlet in the bed (Nope...not available)
Very useful storage compartments in the bed (Nope...not available)
4 wheel independent suspension w/coilovers all around (damn Ranger has buggy springs in the rear...sheeesh!)
rear of the ST cab is contoured so the rear seats are tilted and more comfortable and more leg room (Ranger...vertically straight like about all the other small trucks)
Easy to clean and maintain vinyl flooring in ST (carpet in the Ranger)
There's more but you get the idea...all this before even considering the prices they are asking for what would be a comparably optioned Ranger to my ST....over $40,000.

For the life of me I don't understand why they couldn't have just brought back the ST or, at the very least, incorporated some of the very desirable features of the ST into the Ranger.

Didn't mean for this to be a rant but I guess it is. Good thing I take good care of my ST because it looks like I'll be driving it for quite awhile yet.

I apologize if others have covered this but I didn't find any mention in a search unless I missed it. I do wonder what others think though.

Steve

When my wife and I where looking to replace my 2004 F150 XLT SC with 5.4 we looked at all the midsize trucks available at the time, I had no idea about the Sport Trac until I went to Koch Lincoln mercury here in Edmonton...
The salesman I went to High School with asked me if I knew about the 2007 ST... and I said no, when he showed my wife and I the Early 2007 ST my wife said she liked the looks of it, but the truck was sold already of course I asked him if he could find out if we could take if for a test drive, the owner said yes with some $$$ his way...
Needless to say December 2006 I Factory Ordered our 2007 Limited with all Options except for the 3V4.6 and Nav..
even with all the new options available for the Ranger, it doesn’t come close...