The Ford Ranger has been a staple of mid size pick-up trucks for many years. Ford “killed” the Ranger off in the early 2010s for the United States market due to lack of sales and lack of buyer interest. Ford was at a standstill for mid sized trucks when the market had shifted to less of car buying, and more of SUV and Truck buying. Due to the market shift, Ford brought back the legendary name plate to the American line up the “Ranger.” The Ranger returned to United States dealerships in early 2017 for the 2017 model year. When the Ranger returned, it was offered with three different trim levels, the base model XL trim level, the mid trim XLT, and the high trim LARIAT. The Ranger had been around long enough since the name was brought back, making some consumers wonder when the new body style was coming for the Ranger.
Ford did not disappoint, Europe had their new Ford Ranger unveiled to their market in late 2021. Ford went quiet with the Ranger for awhile after the Europe announcement, then out of nowhere in early 2023, Ford announced the new Ford Ranger for the United States with another trim level being added to the American market. Ford came back with the usual three trim levels, the XL, the XLT, the LARIAT, then the fourth was announced to the surprise of many American consumers. The Ranger came back with its most impressive variant, The Ranger Raptor. The Raptor trim to Ford has always been their impressive Off-road/Baja racing trucks. With the Ranger coming back with its most offroad capable trim ever, it needed a motor to back the looks. The Ranger Raptor was given the same 3.0L V6 that comes in the Bronco Raptor, and the Explorer ST. The Ranger Raptors 3.0L V6 sports 405 horsepower, making it one of the fastest trucks in its class.
The wait for the new Ranger has been quite long, with the announcement for the new Ranger coming in January of 2023. Now almost a year later to date, the new Ranger finally has picked up somewhat in the production end of new vehicles. To put it into perspective, I placed an order for a 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor back in May of 2023. Shortly after I placed my order, Ford confirmed that they had accepted my order. With the notice that Ford had accepted my order, came with complete silence from Ford. Then out of nowhere in December of 2023, Ford had a VIN number for my truck and subbed it to the plant. When an order is subbed to plant, that means that all of the paperwork needed to be completed on Ford’s end has been completed, and the vehicle/truck can finally start production in the plant.
The overall questions are, is the new Ranger going to be cool and will we see the new Ranger in 2024? Both answers seem to be the same and great to hear. With the answers looking like a solid “Yes” the new Ranger should be here soon. When should we expect the new Ranger is a wonder among most, it certainly looks like the XL, XLT, and LARIAT trims should be seen in middle to late spring, with the possibility of early summer. While the Ranger Raptor is looking like an arrival of mid to late summer with another possibility of early fall. In conclusion, the Ranger Raptor is almost here and doesn’t look like it will be a disappointment to anyone, but more of a scare to Chevrolet and Dodge.
