2019 Ranger disappointment...

[Paul Fithian]

Some pictures of my 2007 Gen2 Sport Trac next to a new Ranger. Confused why Ford didn't set up the new Ranger with IRS.

 

[EddieS'04]

For what the ranger was built for. I would rather have a solid axle. Off road durability.
Then again I dont like the new ranger. Or the price.

 

[gavin packwood]

The advantage to independent suspension is you can unbolt the sway bar for more movement

 

[EddieS'04]

Unless the uniframe is like the gen 2 trac rear. Axles thru the frame.

 

[Tylerxp2]

Just wait until you see what Biden is doing to the American Worker by the years end.
I'm following his Exec Orders and Im not happy.
I'll bet a lot Companies move back to China, if I was Ford I would.
Profits drive companies not whats best for this country. I prefer Ford keeps it made here.
When I bought my Truck I was shocked to see the engine was German and Transmission was Canadian if memory serves me right.

 

[blksn8k]

I went through the same thing when I needed to replace my Trac at the end of 2018. BTW, mine was the same color as yours. I liked it so much I kept it for 12 years and 164k miles but that was also influenced by the fact that Ford didn't have a comparable replacement. When Ford announced the return of the Ranger I held off a couple more years until I knew more about the Ranger. I wasn't impressed with the fact that the design had been around since about the time Ford canceled the Sport Trac in 2010 but I could have lived with that. What killed the deal for me was the single engine choice. I had concerns about the durability and fuel economy of the I-4 in something as heavy as a 4x4 SuperCrew Ranger. My situation had also changed over all those years and by the end of 2018 the F-150 just made more sense for me. It also didn't hurt that I got a killer deal on a loaded left-over 2018 that actually cost less than a similarly equipped 2019 Ranger. Another important factor was that the F-150 came with a rust-proof aluminum body which had become a real issue with my old Sport Trac here in the rust belt.

 

[blksn8k]

One other comment on the lack of IRS in the Ranger. That truck was originally designed for foreign markets where the quality of roads is not what we have here. It was also designed as a work truck that had to compete with the likes of the 'Yota Hi-Lux. In most of the countries where the Ranger was sold before it came here the F-150 was not even available. Giving us the "old" Ranger was a stop-gap play for Ford just so they had something to compete with in the mid-size market. Hopefully, the next gen Ranger (2023?) will be better suited for the North American market. However, you also have to consider that Ford will never make it so good that it will pirate too many sales from the cash-cow F-150.

 

[EddieS'04]

I'm a Ford guy, but. I'm disturbed by all the turbo gas motors, replacing naturally aspirated gas motors. Too much maintenance cost.
If I want a turbo, give me a small diesel. I will learn. Or I will build a turbo gas motor for racing. At least I would know what I have. I can repair it.
My brother and several friends. Have found out, repairing the F150 twin turbo V6. Is a cesspool. They wished they had bit the bultit and took it to the shop.

 

[Todd Z]

Any of the Eco turd motors need to be bought with the full extended warranty….. Also the 10 speed is still a pos too... Ford is either great at planned obsolescence or just cutting the wrong corners...

 

[user 66791]

I agree with every comment here. I looked at the Ranger and was greatly disappointed. I just looked at the Toyota Tacoma TRD and was quite impressed except for the $46k price. The lease was decent though. I just cannot get rid of my 2008 Sport Trac Adrenalin with barely 90,000 miles. Still looks gorgeous and sits in my garage mostly. I can't justify a car payment just to get a new vehicle when I have a great truck in the Adrenalin and my 2016 Ford Fusion Hybrid Titanium only has 27,000 miles on it and looks brand new. I own both outright. If I drive a 1000 miles a year, I'm lucky. Why go into debt when my vehicles are still gorgeous and look brand new and I barely drive (work at home office and will retire this year anyway). I used to be a new car guy every 3-4 years but my vehicles are perfectly fine and having no debt is a nice feeling after so many years of having tons of debt.

 

[Dan B]

Hello all.
Last year I was faced with the issue of needing to replace my 07 ST. I just put new tires on it, rebuilt the front end, and replaced quite a few parts on it to make it last. But at the end of the day, the transmission was going out and once I turned the CEL off after fixing one thing, it would turn on a day later for something else. The constant repairs began dragging me down - I don't use shops and do all the work myself. I couldn't see myself replacing the transmission just to have more engine issues or possible timing chain problems. After 10 years, I had to let it go and it was a sad day.

The Ranger was one of the vehicles I was looking at. My father had Rangers for as long as I could remember and they were a good truck. But as it was mentioned here, the new ones have a lot of things lacking and I couldn't justify paying a huge price to be dissatisfied. I ended up with a 19 F150 5.0/10 speed. Compared to my 07 ST 4.0 that needed gas every 5-7 days, I now go 14+ without stopping at a station. That is one of the upsides, kind of. The 10 speed seems to be somewhat jerky sometimes. I have to feed the 5.0 89 fuel otherwise it pings. The truck turns wider and is harder to fit into parking spots where I could just whip the ST in. It also has fixed rear glass which was a real bummer.

After 10 years owning the 07 ST, I was very used to it. I miss the rear glass that comes down to a vent of full position. I loved that I could remove the radio and put in something aftermarket. I miss the storage compartments in the bed, among many other things. Whether it be the F150 or the Ranger, everything is more electronic, right down to the parking brake. You can't change radios because they are two piece - one box is the radio in the dash and the second piece is the display. The radio and options are all coded into the truck's computer so you can't even change radios from lets say OEM without Sirius to OEM WITH Sirius easily without entering into, and changing some codes.

My intent is not to bash the 150 or the Ranger, people are going to love or hate things as they see fit. I guess my point is once you find something good and become used to it, it is hard to be satisfied by something different. All these newer vehicles have their pros and cons but the ST was really one vehicle that fit all my needs comfortably. Sure, the bed wasn't the largest but it worked, it was a good, smooth ride. With some good ol' maintenance and under hood checks, aside from being hit by someone on the front passenger side, it stayed out of the shop those 10 years whereas I know people with brand new cars going in and out of the shop multiple times. Mine simply just wore out and I don't have the time like I used to, to crawl under it for every little thing.

IMHO I think it will be difficult for any long term fans of the ST to find something that is directly comparable. You might get close which if you do, that is a good thing. Maybe one day they'll remake them.

 

[blksn8k]

As I mentioned in another similar thread, there are still rumors of a Bronco pickup. If it can be equipped like the yet to be released "big" Bronco it might be the closest we are going to get to a Sport Trac replacement. Like the original ST, it will be based on the Ranger platform. My guess is that the Bronco pickup would probably get rear coil springs in lieu of the Ranger's leaf springs. If it comes with a 7000-8000 lb tow rating I won't care what kind of springs they put on it. The Bronco will be available with the 2.7 EB so I assume a pickup version would be too and possibly even with a hybrid drivetrain. There is no doubt that a Bronco pickup would be more expensive than a similarly equipped Ranger. But hey, my old '07 V8 Limited ST stickered for over $32k.

If Ford has the kahunas to build a Bronco pickup it could be the replacement for my current F-150. Long live the ST!

The photos in this Automobile mag article are obviously just renderings of what someone thinks a Bronco pickup would look like and not an actual production vehicle.

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/...onco stablemate is,good news is, it's coming.

 

[EddieS'04]

After seeing this. I'm back to the Tacoma 4dr sport with a NA V6.
I'm a street person. Don't want something that looks like an H2 or the Jeep family.
At my age and fixed income I don't need the high maintenance of the small turbo motors from Ford.
My brother is fighting this all the time with his F-150 Lariat, twin turbo V6. My b-inlaw. Dumped his for the 5.0L F-150. After he couldn't keep the turbo-ed motor out of the shop.
A nieghbor, dumped his for a low millage older Ram with the mechanical injected cummins. Boils down to the simplicity and the wallet.
If I was still doing it, turbo's and super chargers. Are for building race cars or street sleepers. JMHO

 

[Emory]

If you think a Ranger is over-priced.........just wait until that Bronco come out.

 

[user 66791]

Interesting you bring up the Ranger. I was servicing my excellent 2008 Adrenalin and was talking openly to the servicing technician. I mentioned that I would not move to a Ranger as I did not see comparable specs to the Sport Trac. He just laughed and said that is so true and many people in the dealership miss the Sport Trac as they have nothing to match. It's a real shame that mid-size trucks are roaring back but Ford gave up too soon and felt the Ranger a better offering. So sad that I will have to consider another vendor if and when I want another pickup truck.

 

[Tylerxp2]

Interesting you bring up the Ranger. I was servicing my excellent 2008 Adrenalin and was talking openly to the servicing technician. I mentioned that I would not move to a Ranger as I did not see comparable specs to the Sport Trac. He just laughed and said that is so true and many people in the dealership miss the Sport Trac as they have nothing to match. It's a real shame that mid-size trucks are roaring back but Ford gave up too soon and felt the Ranger a better offering. So sad that I will have to consider another vendor if and when I want another pickup truck.

For that matter, what ever happened to the Raptor? I remember seeing clubs and activities for Raptor fans.

 

[kmartin]

I really don't know why they don't take a few of those attributes of a Sport Trac, put it on a ranger, and call it a Sport Trac. Unless, you want a 4 ft. x4 ft. pickup bed, I would sooner have it bigger, but the rest would make it a great Ranger Sport Trac.

 

[blksn8k]

I doubt Ford will ever make any version of the Ranger that would risk taking sales away from the F-150. Because they can charge more for the Bronco I doubt they would care whether they sell a Bronco or an F-150. Not so much with the Ranger.

 

[kmartin]

I doubt Ford will ever make any version of the Ranger that would risk taking sales away from the F-150. Because they can charge more for the Bronco I doubt they would care whether they sell a Bronco or an F-150. Not so much with the Ranger.

So how would a Ranger Sport Trac siphon sales from the F-150? Sport Tracs never were a full size pickup, and there small pickup bed is enough to make it non threatening. The Bronco platform is not the same as the old ranger/explorer platform used on the previous Sport Trac. The ranger platform really is the closest if not identical to the previous platforms. However, I understand that may not be important with Ford.

 

[EddieS'04]

The F-150 is Fords bread and butter. Higher demand and the highest profit margin.
My guess is The Gen1 trac was killed. When they decided to make the explorer what it was, during the Gen2 trac.
The newest explorer was in the works, that killed the gen2. If ford ever make another full frame trac. Some of us older folks will never see it or be able to aford it.
I think it is silly they think that folks will bite on the unibody maverick 3cylinder motor.
As for a short bed ranger trac that means ford will have to make 2 different frames.