Ford invited TFLtruck out to its Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, MI to get a chance to experience the 2019 Ford Ranger. This was a kick-off party of sorts; Ford’s production of the 2019 Ford Ranger is beginning and a huge crowd of executives, union representatives (Local 900) and hundreds of enthusiastic line workers were on hand to get a taste of what the 2019 Ford Ranger had to offer.
This first look at the 2019 Ford Ranger is brought to you by our friends at Bestop. They have a new SuperTop for Truck – a truck bed topper. If you are looking for bed topper, this is a great option.
2019 Ford Ranger
Several 2019 Ford Rangers were on hand in a variety of trims including the base XL SuperCab, which more than one TFLtruck fan at the event pointed out that the standard equipment for the price is hard to beat. Rather than settling for a lesser engine and/or transmission setup on the base vehicle, you still get the EcoBoost engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Nobody else offers this standard level of powertrain in the United States.
Here are the important stats for the off-road enthusiasts.
2019 Ford Ranger 4×4
- Ground Clearance: 8.9 in
- Approach Angle: 28.7 deg
- Departure Angle: 25.0 deg
- Breakover Angle: 24.0 deg
The event allowed us to crawl all over the vehicle and there was a mildly challenging off-road course covering on of the plant’s parking lots. Sadly, we weren’t permitted any wheel time. This event was more of a getting-to-know-you opportunity rather than a full press event. Still, it was valuable time spent.
Here were some surprises:
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- It’s truly “All-new:” According to Ford, the 2019 Ford Ranger doesn’t share much with its overseas’ cousin. The frame, body, engine and transmission are all unique to the American-built version.
- The SuperCrew’s interior has excellent head room and the seats (even in the base model) are quite comfortable. The seating position is similar to the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon while being superior to the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier’s seating position.
- There are lots of hard plastic, including the dashboard, that take the good looking interior down a notch. Those hard plastics cover the door too.
- The hood, doors and tailgate are made out of aluminum while the rest of the body and bed are made of steel.
- According to a Ford engineer, the 2019 Ford Ranger and Ford F-150 share very few components. Even the 10-speed automatic transmission is, essentially, a unique component.
For pricing and specs, click (here).
In this video, we get to take a closer look at the new Ranger and even interview an engineer!
