The current generation of the Ford Ranger (codenamed T6) is a range of midsize pickup trucks that is manufactured and sold by Ford Motor Company worldwide. Designed and engineered by Ford of Australia, the Ranger T6 replaces two previous Ford light-truck platforms: the North American-designed Ford Ranger sold in Latin America and the Ford Ranger derived from Mazda BT-50 sold in Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions.
First unveiled at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October 2010, the Ranger T6 has been produced since the summer of 2011. First produced by the AutoAlliance facility in Rayong, Thailand, the Ranger is also currently produced in Argentina, Nigeria, and South Africa. In 2018, North American-specification examples begin production in the United States at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan.
Mazda markets a badge-engineered version of the Ranger as the second generation of the Mazda BT-50 pickup truck. The Ranger T6 also forms the basis for several sport-utility vehicles, including the Ford Everest, the 2020 Ford Bronco, and the Troller T4 off-road vehicle.
Video Ford Ranger (T6)
Design overview
Powertrain
Body
Following its 2006-2011 predecessor in the mid-size segment, the Ford Ranger T6 is produced in three body styles worldwide. A two-door (single-cab) is standard, with a cargo capacity of 43 cubic feet (1.21 m3). A cargo capacity of 64 cubic feet (1.82 m3) is offered with a four-door extended cab (SuperCab in North America), or a four-door crew cab (SuperCrew in North America). Along with the standard pickup truck, the Ranger is also offered as a chassis cab, effectively taking the place of the Ford Falcon cab-chassis.
All four-door Rangers have the same ground clearance, whether two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive; two-door versions are offered with a "Hi-Rider" option in two-wheel drive configuration, giving them the same ground clearance as 4x4 versions. Hi-Rider versions (including the Wildtrak) have water-fording clearance of 31 in (800 mm), while standard-height Rangers have clearance of 24 in (600 mm). The Ranger T6 has a rated towing capacity of 7,700 pounds (3,500 kg); versions with the 2.2L Duratorq diesel have a payload capacity of 2,939 pounds (1,333 kg).
In 2015, the Ford Ranger T6 underwent a mid-cycle redesign, with the front fascia adopting elements of Ford Kinetic Design. In place of the rectangular three-bar grille, the Ranger adopted a slightly oval grille with a single center bar, allowing further differentiation between the Ranger and the mechanically similar Ford Everest SUV.
- Ford Ranger T6
Safety
The Ranger T6 is equipped with six airbags (seven, in EU-market models). Along with dual front and side airbags, the Ranger is equipped with curtain airbags; European versions are equipped with a driver-side knee airbag. Along with standard anti-lock brakes, the Ranger is equipped with emergency brake assist. The twin-piston 11.9 in (302 mm) by 1.3 in (32 mm) front brake rotors are joined by 10.6 in (270 mm) by 2.2 in (55 mm) rear drums (on two-wheel drive Rangers) and 11.6 in (295 mm) by 2.2 in (55 mm) rear drums (on Hi-Rider and all 4x4 Rangers).
Trim
The Ranger T6 follows traditional Ford truck trim level nomenclature, offering XL, XLT, and XLS trim levels. Based on its four-wheel drive versions, Ford offers the Ford Ranger FX4 and the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, with model-specific exteriors.
Wildtrak
In certain global markets, including Australia, Ford released the Ford Ranger Wildtrak as a special edition of the Ranger. Based on the four-wheel drive crew-cab, the Wildtrak was equipped with either the 2.2L or 3.2L Duratorq diesel engine with a manual or automatic transmission. To visually distinguish the model, the Wildtrak was equipped with a model-specific grille (painted black), model-specific 18-inch wheels, and other exterior and interior trim. Marketed in a color exclusive to the trim (Pride Orange), the Wildtrak was also offered in several other colors.
Raptor
Unveiled by Ford in Thailand in 2018, the Ford Ranger Raptor is an upcoming 2019 production model. Similar to the larger F-150 Raptor, the Ranger Raptor is a high-performance truck optimized for off-road driving. Marking the debut of the 210hp 2.0L EcoBlue bi-turbo diesel engine in the Ranger paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission, the Raptor is equipped with permanent four-wheel drive and upgraded chassis and suspension. As with the F-150 and SVT Raptor, the grille of the Ranger Raptor replaces the Ford Blue Oval with "FORD" in block letters.
Maps Ford Ranger (T6)
Variants
Ford Bronco (2020)
Alongside the North American revival of the Ford Ranger, Ford is reintroducing the Ford Bronco SUV. Scheduled for the 2020 model year, the Bronco will be a mid-size SUV based on the Ranger and slotted below the standard-length Expedition and above the Explorer in the Ford model line. While mechanically derived from the Ranger T6, Ford chief technical officer Raj Nair stated that the 2020 Bronco would be its own unique vehicle and would not be an adaptation of the existing Ford Everest SUV.
Ford Everest
Ford revealed the concept for the next-generation Ford Everest in August 2013. The Everest SUV features Kinetic Design cues similar to the EcoSport, Kuga/Escape, and Edge. The vehicle is offered in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, mated either to the 2.2-L or 3.2-L Duratorq, depending on the market.
Presently, no plans exist to offer the Everest outside of the Asia-Pacific and South African markets; in North America, the Everest overlaps with the Explorer, Expedition, and Flex in size and cost as well as seating, cargo, and towing capacity. However, in the Philippines, the Everest is sold alongside the Explorer and Expedition Max. In China, the Ford Everest is manufactured by Jiangling Motors, at Jiangling's Nanchang factory. In India, Ford markets the Everest as the Ford Endeavour.
- Ford Everest
JMC Yuhu
Jiangling Motors (the automotive joint-venture affiliate of Ford in China) has assembled the JMC Yuhu since August 2015. A mid-size pickup based upon a proprietary platform, the exterior of the Yuhu is derived loosely upon both the Ranger and the Mazda BT-50.
Mazda BT-50
Developed in tandem with the Ford Ranger T6, the Mazda BT-50 is mechanically identical to the Ranger, using the 2.2L and 3.2L Duratorq diesels (as the rebranded MZ-CD engines). In the reverse of Mazda truck tradition in global markets, the second-generation BT-50 was developed by Ford. As the BT-50 was styled using the work of a separate design team, the two vehicles share almost no common body panels, with the exception of the roof stamping and the window glass.
While the Ford Ranger is being returned to the North American market segment for the 2019 market, there are no current plans to market the Mazda BT 50 in North America as a rebadged version of the Ford Ranger.
- Mazda BT-50 (2011-present)
Troller T4
The Troller T4 is an off-road vehicle produced in Brazil by Ford subsidiary Troller Veículos Especiais S/A that has been produced since 2004. Using a similar body and chassis configuration as the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover, in 2014, Troller modernized the T4, replacing the entire chassis with a version of the Ranger frame shortened to fit the T4 body.
North American sales and production
Following its launch, the Ford Ranger T6 was marketed worldwide, with the exception of the United States and Canada. In the early 2010s, Ford shifted its design attention in North America towards increasing the fuel economy of full-size pickup trucks, with the shift towards direct-injection and turbocharged engines and aluminum-intensive body design for the F-Series pickup trucks.
Conversely, while the Ranger was not marketed in North America at all, the American-designed Ford F-150/Super Duty trucks were not sold widely in global markets (with exceptions being Mexico, the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, and GCC countries of the Middle East). Along with the lack of demand for larger vehicles, taxes on engine displacement, and fuel economy concerns, the F-Series trucks also lack factory right-hand drive capability.
Initial exclusion
Following the discontinuation of retail sales of the Ford Ranger compact pickup truck produced in North America after the 2011 model year, several factors would lead Ford to decide against launching North American sales of the globally-produced Ranger T6 as a replacement. While developed for truck markets worldwide, none of the engines of the Ranger were common to American-market Ford vehicles, which meant the challenge of adapting to the emissions standards of the United States and Canada (one later met, as Ford certified the 3.2L Duratorq diesel, as sales of the Ford Transit commenced for the 2015 model year). In addition, as the US and Canada are not ECE-compliant, global-market vehicles intended for sale in North America typically are required to undergo modifications to meet safety and emissions standards for the United States and Canada.
While safety and emissions adaptations for the Ranger would have likely been challenges that Ford could have been able to plan for in a potential product launch, the largest hurdle was related to its production in Thailand, Argentina, and South Africa. If imported into North America, the Ranger T6 would have been subject to the 25% "chicken tax", imposed on imported light trucks. Along with the potentially massive tariff, the largest factor that precluded the initial sale of the Ranger T6 was its own design. Closer in size to the Ford Explorer Sport Trac than the discontinued Ranger, the Ranger T6 had entered the mid-size truck segment. In a similar decision, at the same time, Ford ended development of a separate mid-sized pickup based on the F-Series (considered a potential F-100 revival).
Market return
At the end of 2015, North American production of the Ranger T6 came to light, as Ford Motor Company and the UAW union signed an agreement for the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan. As part of a $700 million factory retooling, Ford would replace production of the Ford Focus and Ford C-Max at Michigan Assembly with the Ford Ranger, scheduled for calendar 2018, and a Ford Bronco variant, scheduled for the 2020 model year.
At the 2017 North American International Auto Show, Ford confirmed the return of the Ranger and Bronco for North America, with the unveiling of the production 2019 Ford Ranger T6 in North American specification at the 2018 North American International Auto Show, going on sale at the end of 2018.
Adaptation to market
To develop North American specifications, Ford made several changes to the Ranger T6. To better meet US crash standards and to increase its payload, the frame rails were redesigned, becoming fully boxed. The front fascia was redesigned slightly, with Ford modifying the design to a steel, frame-mounted, front bumper separate from the bodywork. The tailgate was changed; along with the addition of a spoiler, the tailgate gained a locking capability (from the F-Series).
For the 2019 launch, the sole powertrain for North America-specification Rangers will be a 2.3L EcoBoost inline-4 paired to a 10-speed automatic; while output is not currently announced, the engine makes between 280hp (in the Ford Explorer) and 310hp (in the Ford Mustang EcoBoost).. Both two-wheel and four-wheel drive configurations are available. Although the Ranger is available as a two-door, only four-door SuperCab and SuperCrew configurations will be sold in North America; all Rangers will be sold as "HiRiders".
Following the F-150, the Ranger will be sold in base XL trim, XLT trim, with Lariat as the top-level trim. Each trim level will also have its own set of sub-model option packages, with the XL having the STX, with the XLT and Lariat having FX4 (4x4 only) and Chrome packages. Currently, neither the Wildtrak nor the Raptor are announced models in the United States or Canada.
References
External links
Ranger
- Official Site: United Kingdom
- Official Site: South Africa
- Official Site: Australia
- Official Site: Thailand
Everest/Endeavour
- Official Site: Australia
- Official Site: India
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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