Ford Ranger

When you think of a Ford truck your mind might jump straight to F-150 or another large truck variant. But one of their best-selling models is actually the smaller Ford Ranger. But the Ranger has transformed a ton through the years, so you’ll really want to know what you’re looking at before shopping for one.

It’s a lot to go through, which is why we took the time to go through all the highlights for you here. Whether you’re interested in getting one or just want to learn a bit more about this iconic truck, you’re in the right place!

The First Generation

The first Ford Ranger hit the United States market in 1983, but it’s far from the truck most people think of today. The first few years of the Ford Ranger featured four different engine options to pick from, but none of them topped 115 horsepower or 150 lb-ft of torque.

So, while you’re getting a truck body with an early Ford Ranger, you’re not getting what most people think of when you think of truck-level performance. In fact, the 2.2L Ford Ranger, which Ford only produced from 1984 to 1985, produced just 59 horsepower and had 90 lb-ft of torque.

They’re fun little trucks with a unique market, but don’t expect to fly down the road or tow a ton of stuff with a first-generation Ford Ranger!

Updates

While every Ford Ranger from 1983 to 1993 is a first-generation Ranger, Ford made quite a few changes to the truck through the years. Not only did they introduce a new engine for the truck in 1986, but they added an engine option in 1985 and two new engines in 1990!

Not only did Ford change some of the engine options, but Ford refreshed the appearance of the truck over the years too. This included revising the instrument cluster in 1986, a redesigned exterior in 1989, and there were new interior features added in 1989.

The Second Generation

In 1993 Ford completely revamped the Ford Ranger, and while it’s still not the most powerful truck on the market, Ford ditched a lot of the less powerful engine options. There are three engine options available for the second-generation Ranger, and the 4.0L V6 model can push 160 horsepower.

It’s still not the most powerful truck on the market, but for a compact pickup truck, it packs quite the punch. With the second-generation Ford Ranger, they still have the 2.3L and the 3.0L engine options if you want something a little more fuel efficient while maintaining the truck body for practical purposes.

Updates

The biggest update for the second generation occurred in 1995. Ford redesigned both the interior and exterior that year, and some of the biggest changes include a revised grille and they used the same grille that came with the second-generation Ford Explorer.

This was also the year a driver-side airbag became standard, which is a pretty big safety feature. Just a year later in 1996 a passenger-side airbag became optional.

The Third Generation

Starting in 1998 Ford revamped the Ranger once again, although the visuals between the second and third generations are pretty similar. But once you take a deeper look the differences between the two generations start to stand out a bit more.

Ford upgraded suspension, chassis, and drivetrain components, giving the Ranger a significant boost in performance. And while Ford had reduced the number of engine options for the second-generation Ranger, the third generation features five different engine options, although they never produced more than four at a time.

After the 2012 model year Ford suspended the Ranger in the United States, although they continued to produce the truck for various international markets.

Updates

While both the first and second-generation Rangers went through a ton of changes in between generations, that’s not the case with the third-third generation. They did make some exterior updates in the early 2000s, but these changes were mostly cosmetic.

These exterior changes include an updated front fascia, a new grille, new headlights, and they deleted the amber turn signals from the taillights in 2001. In 2004 Ford enlarged the grille, and they changed the interior seats, updated the steering wheel, and added a new instrument panel.

Finally, perhaps the biggest change they made was in 2001 when they completely revamped the 4.0L engine, taking the horsepower from 160 all the way to 207. When you get behind the wheel of a revamped 4.0L V6 Ranger, you’re going to feel the difference.

The Fourth Generation

In 2019 the Ford Ranger came back to the United States market after an 8-year hiatus, and it’s far from the same truck. While the first three generations of the Ford Ranger are compact pickup trucks, the fourth generation is the first mid-size truck to hit the US market.

Because of this if you’re looking for a 2019 or later Ford Ranger, you’re getting a drastically different truck than with previous models.

And unlike previous generations that had tons of engine options to pick from, the fourth-generation Ford Ranger only has one engine option to pick from. It’s a 2.3L engine, and it pushes 270 horsepower and provides 310 lb-ft of torque.

So, not only is the fourth generation the largest Ford Ranger on the market, but it’s also the most powerful!

Ford Ranger Sale Numbers

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a truck with more vehicles on the road in the United States than the Ford Ranger. From 1985 to 2012 when Ford suspended the program, Ford sold over six million Rangers in the United States.

The Ranger was a wildly popular vehicle right out of the gate, selling more than 100,000 vehicles each year from 1985 to 2005. From here sales numbers started to dip in the United States until Ford suspended the program completely after the 2012 model year.

Since coming back in 2019 the Ranger has done well, but not quite as well as it did in the early years. In 2019 Ford sold over 89,000 Rangers and even in a pandemic-affected 2020, Ford sold over 100,000 Rangers.

Finally, keep in mind that these are the sales numbers only for the United States. The Ranger has been one of the best-selling trucks worldwide too, so there’s no shortage of Rangers on the road!

The Future of the Ford Ranger

In 2023 Ford is releasing the first fifth-generation Ford Ranger in the United States. While there’s not a ton of information about this up-and-coming truck, we do know that it’s going to be the first time Ford releases a Ranger Raptor.

We don’t know the performance specs on the Ranger Raptor just yet, but if they match other Raptor models Ford’s released in the past, it should be a pretty exciting truck.

It’s going to be a while before you can find any of these exciting cars on the used market, but it’s something we’re certainly keeping an eye on!

Final Thoughts

Are you interested in a Ford Ranger? If so, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most popular trucks on the market today and there are tons of options and trucks to pick from. No matter what you’re looking for, or if you’re a little unsure about what Ranger you’re looking for, the friendly experts at Tim’s Truck would love to help you out!

They already have a ton of Ford Rangers in stock and they’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get behind the wheel, and they’ll even track down a specific Ford Ranger if they don’t already have what you’re looking for!

Pre-Owned Ford Ranger