Our 2019 Supercrew Lariat 4x4 Ranger was nicely equipped and stickered at almost $45,000. The base-price pickup is a little more than $24,000.
The Supercrew configuration sports a five-foot bed, but the Ranger can be had with a two-door cab and a six-foot bed,
The Ranger boasts a solid four-wheel-drive system — FX4 — with a locking differential. The package adds another grand or so.
But the Range also enjoys Ford's EcoBoost engine tech, which uses turbocharging to retain power with good fuel-economy. In this case, that 20 mpg city/24 highway/22 combined.
... And to haul some furniture. The five-foot box isn't gigantic, but for this sort of weekend duty, it's perfect.
The interior of our tester was a no-nonsense "Ebony," but the upholstery was leather. The front seats are heated.
But the rear seats could absorb a decent amount of cargo — the kind of things you wouldn't want to put in the bed.
Overall, the Ranger's interior space and appointments were on par with the well-equipped Chevy Colorado. The Ranger was also much nicer than the Toyota Tacoma.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel felt premium, and you'll notice that the cluster presents a speedometer along — no tachometer, and that's fine. Tachs aren't very useful on pickups.
SYNC 3 is one of the best in the industry. It provides superb navigation, easy Bluetooth connectivity, and provides AUX/USB device-connection options.
The ten-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system is a terrific extra. It sounds too good for a truck this small!
The 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine is a turbocharged powerplant that cranks out 275 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Towing capacity is 7,500 lbs. — enough to tow just about anything owners of the Ranger would want to.
So what's the verdict?
The Ranger is a winner. It's going to compare favorably with the Chevy Colorado and provide a much nicer package than the Toyota Tacoma (although the Taco is noted for its toughness, so the new Ranger should require some time to distinguish itself on that front).
I actually used the truck extensively, driving it around the New Jersey suburbs, in New York City, and on a long run out to the East End of Long Island. I also loaded up the bed with a variety of stuff.
The Ranger handled everything and was easy to drive on top of it. Sure, it bounced me around on uneven Manhattan streets, but everywhere else, the truck was smooth. The steering was car-like, and the engine pumped power smoothly through the ten-speed without a sense that the Ranger was eager to get to the overdrive gears to boost MPGs.
As equipped, my 2019 Ranger tester was a tad pricey, but it lacked for nothing. The interior was lovely, the infotainment was first-rate, the design is snappy, and other reviewers who've had a chance to go offroad have been impressed (I didn't get to go all down-and-dirty with the FX4 setup.)
The bottom line is that Ford needed to get back in the smaller pickup market in the US, and restoring the Ranger nameplate was an obvious move. The truck has arrived, and it's exactly what you'd expect for Ford, the pickup king.
So now in addition to a good, old-fashioned full-size pickup-truck war in the US, we have a skirmish in midsize trucks to keep everything lively!
