Rubbing Salt In Our Wounds

[TrainTrac]

:angry::banghead::cry:

Ford Ranger Wins 2013 International Pick-Up of the Year Award

Gets More Points Than Second, Third Runners-Up Combined

November 07, 2012

By Edward A. Sanchez



As if to rub further salt in the wounds of U.S. fans of the T6 Ford Ranger, Ford's acclaimed midsizer has just racked up another award in the form of the 2013 International Pick-Up Award. The award was presented at the Fleet Transport Expo 12 event in Dublin, Ireland. The Ranger was such an overwhelming favorite among the judges that it was awarded more total points than the second-place Isuzu D-Max and third-place Volkswagen Amarok combined.



The Ranger was selected for its capable performance on- and off-road, its broad selection of cab and bed options, and the availability of two Duratorq turbodiesel engines. The U.S. won't be getting the new Ranger any time soon, if ever, but the larger of the Ranger's two available engines, the 3.2-liter five-cylinder Duratorq diesel, is expected to be offered under the hood of the U.S.-spec Transit. The engine currently produces around 200 hp and 347 lb-ft of torque in the Ranger.



The Ranger's award comes on top of the Transit Custom winning the 2013 International Van of the Year award. The 2012 Ford F-150 also won the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award as well.

 

[Kevin Lang]

Meh, what does the rest of the world know? :grin:

3.2-liter five-cylinder Duratorq diesel

...everything about this sounds wrong to me as an American driver.

 

[swshawaii]

From the title thought this was another Obama jab. :cry:

 

[Robert Howell]

Could be marketed as a 2014 Sport Trac here

 

[Shawn White]

Found some more specs on it at Ford's Australia webpage.



http://www.ford.com.au/commercial/ranger/specifications/power-performance



Looks to get around 26ish mpg, for the 3.2 liter. I also like the 6 speed manual option.



I wonder why diesel hasn't become more mainstream in the US, the run a lot quieter now and get pretty good fuel economy with a nice powerband as well. I wonder if safety and emisions standards keep Ford from bringing this over to the US. Or if this would compete to much with a more expensive F-150, which they invest a lot of money in.

 

[Sal Adinolfi]

Could be marketed as a 2014 Sport Trac here

If marketed as a EXPLORER then you wont be able to rent trailers..

but as a RANGER you would.. so as long as we know.. the name really does not matter

 

[Gavin Allan]

Look how tiny that back door is. I'll bet the rear seats are usable only for kids. I'm not blown away impressed until I can see one in person and sit in it.

 

[Shawn White]

There are some youtube videos in this link, as this first clips runs it shows it has the capability to run through 800 mm/2.62 ft of water.

 

[DaninVa]

As for diesel engines in the US.....most diesel prices are 35 to 50 cents higher than unleaded regular gasoline here. But in continental Europe diesel is cheaper than gasoline.

 

[EddieS'04]

When that day comes, if Ford doesnt offer something Trac comparable.

My nieghbor can get me a ridgline at employee cost.

Or if the 4door 2wd Tacoma sport is still around.

Ford get off your Butt........:fire:

 

[mike burns 3]

Think I'm about the pull the trigger on a ridgeline. Kinda odd looking but they do drive nice. Gas mileage is not good though.

 

[Kevin Lang]

BTW I thought that salt made the wounds heal faster...



Weird displacement, weird cylinder count (that reminds me of GMC) and diesel. None of which appeals to me as a normal American driver.



I just don't understand the "Diesel cult" here in America. If it were cheaper, commonly available and I needed massive low-end torque at the expense of acceleration then sure, I'd see the appeal. I'm told that it "gets better MPG" as well but this comes from people who don't meticulously track their MPG so I'm dubious. Even if it does, I doubt it balances out with the higher cost of diesel in both money and time as I drive all over Creation trying to find a station with it (the closest ones to me each have only 1 pump for diesel to boot).



I like the color of the truck in the picture but it looks rather small overall and the grey plastic parts in the bed remind me of the Avalanche.