DETROIT, Michigan (WKBN) – Ford brought back an old nameplate with a new pickup and showed a hot-rodded SUV at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit Sunday afternoon.
The Ranger is a new truck with the same name as a previous medium-sized pickup, and the Edge ST offers a high-performance midsize sport utility vehicle for people who need to carry kids and stuff in a hurry.
It was no secret that Ford was bringing back a mid-size pickup to the North American market since the Ranger had been on sale around the world since 2011. But the North American version is uniquely built for this market – production begins late this year in Ford’s Michigan assembly plant.
Ford says demand for midsize trucks is up 83 percent since 2014. Ford’s cross-town rival General Motors introduced its own mid-size trucks earlier this decade with versions from Chevrolet and GMC; it also competes with Toyota’s Tacoma.
The 2019 Ford Ranger features a new exterior design, chassis and powertrain developed specifically for North American truck customers. Ranger is equipped with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost® engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission, which Ford says is the only one the segment.
“Ranger has always held a special place in the hearts of truck fans,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford executive vice president of Product Development and Purchasing. “The all-new Ranger is designed for today’s midsize truck buyer, delivering even more utility, capability and technology for those who blend city living with more off-the-grid adventures on weekends.”
Ranger comes in entry-level XL, mid-level XLT and high-level Lariat trim series with available Chrome and Sport appearance and FX Off-Road packages, and in SuperCab or SuperCrew cab configurations.
For customers who go off-road, Ranger enables all-terrain driving with the FX4 Off-Road Package called Terrain Management System™ like the F-150 Raptors. It includes four distinct drive modes – normal; grass, gravel and snow; mud and ruts; and sand. The system can shift on the fly to automatically change throttle responsiveness, transmission gearing and vehicle controls to tailor traction, driveability and performance to any given terrain or weather condition.
The FX4 Off-Road Package introduces Ford’s all-new Trail Control™ technology. Like cruise control for the highway but designed for low-speed, rugged terrain, Trail Control takes over acceleration and braking – sending power and braking to each individual wheel to allow drivers to focus on steering along the course.
Power is distributed through Dana® AdvanTEK® independent front and solid rear axles on both 2WD and 4WD models with an available electronic-locking rear axle (standard on FX2 and FX4) for increased all-terrain traction. Ranger four-wheel-drive versions feature 2-high, 4-high and 4-low.