Used 2019 Ford Ranger SuperCab

It's hard to imagine Ford not dominating a pickup truck segment, much less standing on the sidelines with no product to sell. Yet the Blue Oval hasn't offered a compact or midsize truck since it ceased production of its Ranger in 2011. And really, our interest in the Ranger waned well before that. The sad Ranger spent its last years as a fleet-optimized compact truck rather than something typical truck consumers would want.

Meanwhile, those manufacturers who stuck with the small truck segment have evolved their products from compacts into midsize pickups with broad appeal. Now the growing popularity of the midsize truck segment is too big to ignore. The new 2019 Ford Ranger will step back into what is now a very vibrant midsize-truck marketplace. Question is, does it have what it takes to take on the class leaders?

What Is the New Ford Ranger, Anyway?

Ford may have pulled the Ranger from the U.S. market back in 2011, but it didn't stop building and selling Rangers in other parts of the world. That same year consumers in numerous markets outside of North America could buy an all-new and suitably enlarged midsize Ranger that was developed by Ford Australia. Ford gave this world-market Ranger a face-lift for 2015, and it is that truck that forms the basis for our new 2019 Ford Ranger.

Our Ranger is different in a few significant ways. For one, it is built in the United States, which is a necessary step to avoid the 25 percent tariff — the infamous "chicken tax" — that has long been a barrier to many an imported pickup. Americans typically place a higher value on towing capacity, so the frame and certain suspension components of the domestic Ranger are beefier. In addition, Ford made a lot of changes to quell noise and vibration, including a new cab mounting system that employs hydraulic mounts, to make this Ranger more suitable for everyday use.

Much of the sheet metal is identical, but the domestic version has a new nose. Instead of an integrated front bumper, the 2019 Ford Ranger has a separate steel front bumper with an obvious horizontal split line. We like the durability of this change, and the split line is sure to be a hit with those who would swap out the stock bumper for a winch-capable alternative. It also gives this new 2019 Ranger a faint whiff of 2004-2008 F-150 front-end styling.

A Single Engine and Transmission Choice

Under the hood is a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine exclusive to the American truck. It makes 270 horsepower and delivers 310 pound-feet of torque on 87 octane regular unleaded gasoline. The Colorado and Tacoma's V6 engines make more power, but neither puts out nearly as much torque, which is the more relevant figure when it comes to pickups. Our test truck — a 4WD crew cab, which is the heaviest version — felt plenty gutsy during our test drive.

The four-cylinder is paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission. You might expect excessive shifting from this many gears. But like on the F-150, the Ranger's transmission feels unobtrusive. It skips gears imperceptibly when you're light on the gas. Press down harder, and an optimal ratio is always nearby. We experienced no indecisiveness from the transmission's shift programming. Such a broad spread of gears is a boon to highway cruising, off-road crawling and mountain towing alike.

The Ranger's maximum tow rating is high indeed. All Ranger cab and drive configurations are rated at 7,500 pounds with the optional tow package, a figure that is higher than everything in the segment except the Colorado/Canyon turbodiesel. We're still of the mind that regular towing at this level is best conducted with a full-size truck, but we don't doubt this engine and transmission can pull it off.

As for rated fuel economy, the Ranger has leaped over the gasoline engines in its class. The rear-wheel-drive Ranger is rated at 23 mpg highway (21 city/26 highway), and the 4WD truck is good for 22 mpg combined (20 city/24 highway). Both are 2 mpg higher than comparable Colorado and Tacoma V6 engines and a single mpg better than the Ridgeline. We're not yet convinced this on-paper dyno-derived advantage will persist in real-world conditions, however, because we've found rated fuel economy in some other turbocharged engine-equipped Ford vehicles to be hard to replicate.

Ride, Handling, Off-Road

Underneath, the Ranger rides on utterly familiar truck running gear. The front employs independent double wishbones with coil-over springs and a stabilizer bar, and a solid axle and leaf springs support the rear end. All Rangers employ monotube shock absorbers front and rear, and all of the above have been systematically retuned to suit North American roads, driving conditions and ride comfort tastes.

Our test truck was fitted with the optional FX4 Off-Road package, which can be fitted to any Ranger 4WD trim level. This package brings with it a recalibrated suspension with specially tuned shocks, 17-inch wheels with 265/65R17 (aka 31-inch) tires, an electronic-locking rear differential and extra skid plates. There's also a Terrain Management System to allow the driver to adjust the traction control to suit different surfaces and a Trail Control system that works as off-road cruise control in low- or high-range 4WD modes up to 20 mph.

On the road, the Ranger rides smoothly over cracked surfaces, but at speed it tends to feel springy and underdamped over larger dips and swales in the pavement. The truck steers accurately through corners and displays good straight-ahead sense on the highway, but little of that confidence feeds back through the antiseptic steering to the driver. Our brief off-highway experience was limited to a small man-made course of Ford's design, so all we can say is that the damping feels about right on lumpy dirt tracks. As for underbody clearance, the approach, departure and breakover angles look promising, but the Tacoma may still have it beat here.

Looks Like a Ford Inside

Inside, the Ranger looks exactly like a Ford, and not much is different from the world-market update that occurred in 2015. It's new to us but clearly not a new design. Much of the switchgear is familiar. The 8-inch Sync 3 touchscreen in the middle of the dashboard lacks physical shortcut buttons, so you'll be tapping the screen itself quite often. We like that there is a volume and tune knob just below, but the dual-zone climate controls that reside lower down are tiny and hard to distinguish, especially in the daytime with the lower cabin bathed in shadow.

The driving position is just about perfect. The steering wheel offers generous telescopic range, and the height-adjustable seats (manual and cloth in our XLT but power and leather in a Lariat) are nicely shaped and offer a good range of adjustment. Unsurprisingly, the crew cab's rear seat isn't generous enough for tall folk to occupy the front and rear seats at the same time, but only the Honda Ridgeline has an ample-enough midsize cab for that. By far the Ranger's biggest seating gaffe is its one-piece rear seat. With no split-folding mechanism, there is no good way for one rear occupant and cargo to coexist side by side.

As for tech, the 8-inch touchscreen comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You also get four USB ports — the two in front will talk to the system, and the two in back are strictly there to provide power to rear-occupant smartphones. Built-in navigation is optional as part of a Technology package that also adds adaptive cruise control (ACC) functionality to the standard automatic emergency braking system. Sounds like a good deal, but the catch is the ACC is not a full-speed implementation that works down to zero mph. It disengages and beeps at 10 mph, so you'd better be paying full attention.

2019 Ford Ranger Pricing and Release Date

The new Ford Ranger won't appear on dealer lots until the first quarter of 2019, but complete 2019 Ford Ranger prices are available right now. You can see detailed pricing and noodle around with various option combinations over at the Edmunds 2019 Ford Ranger build and price page.

But here are some broad strokes. There are three trim levels: XL, XLT and Lariat. You can get a crew cab (SuperCrew) with a short bed or an extended cab (SuperCab) with a regular bed. There is no long-wheelbase version that pairs the crew cab with the regular bed. All are available with or without four-wheel drive. The cheapest XL 2WD extended cab goes for $25,395 with destination included. The swankiest Lariat 4WD crew cab starts at $39,480. Heard about the Ranger Raptor sold in Australia? Yeah, well, don't hold your breath. We suspect Ford isn't ready to cannibalize F-150 Raptor sales just yet, and it's got a Bronco coming as well.

Meanwhile, the XLT crew-cab 4WD is destined to be the most popular combination, and that's the one we sampled. It starts out at $35,210. Ours had a few options, namely Equipment Group 301A (Sync 3 touchscreen, leather-wrapped wheel, satellite radio), the FX4 Off-Road package, the Sport Appearance package, a trailer tow package, the Technology package, remote start, and a spray-in bedliner. All that brought the cost up to $40,410. A decked-out Lariat with our optional gear would cost $44,455.

Is the Ranger worth it? From our recent stint behind the wheel, we say yes. It's a well-mannered truck with credible off-road features. Its on-road manners seem to exceed those of the Tacoma, but its off-road performance might not. Likewise, its off-road capability does look set to best the Colorado, but its road manners may or may not. If you're thinking three-way comparison test, so are we. However that turns out, the reappearance of the Ford Ranger can only be a good thing for the midsize truck buyer. We're glad it's back.