Ford thrilled some longtime customers when, in 2018, the auto maker announced that it would revive the Ford Ranger after an eight-year hiatus.
At the time, the Ranger was being pegged as more of a personal-use, off-road option versus its top-selling Ford F-150. Not to mention, the F-150 was getting too large and too pricey for some buyers.
But what was different between the new and old Ranger was its mid-size specs. The Ranger of today is substantially larger than the vehicle was in its previous iterations. In fact, the curb weight of the 1983 Ranger was around 2,500-lbs, compared to the model’s weight today, which is nearly 4,000-lbs.
So if the new Ranger doesn’t actually fill the gap of the old one, then what will? Well, while Ford has been killing off its small cars, it’s determined that there’s still a niche there for buyers who want a smaller, less expensive pickup.
Automotive News says Ford showed off a new truck at a dealer conference last month and it’s currently only being referred to with a code name: P758. It’s expected to address more of an entry-level buyer who wants a truck, but not a big one. One dealer told Auto News that the sides of the vehicle resembled that of the original Ranger.
One of the key selling points of this particular model in what’s become a crowded pickup market will be its price. Ford says the P758 will start under $20,000, which is $4,400 less than the base model Ranger kicks off.
And what Ford’s not exactly spelling out, Jalopnik points out, is that almost all the vehicles in its lineup that are currently cheaper than the Ranger are on their way to automotive heaven. Those include the Fusion, Focus and Fiesta which, combined, carried 340,000 Ford purchases in their final full production years. The only one left under $20K is the EcoSport crossover, which starts at $19,999.
