After Years Of Promising, Ford Makes Good And Offers The Ranger Here

With all the noise generated by various electric car manufacturers, including Ford, lately, you probably don’t remember the predictions made about a decade ago as various automakers, including Ford, its models would be EVs.

Offered Outside the US

Indeed, buyers wanted models offered outside the United States such as the Ranger. There were no grand pronouncements that the Ranger would be electrified, but rumors have swirled that it would be available as a standard ICE pickup.

Key Story:  Ford offers the Ranger Here after years of promising even as EV challenges mount.

The handwriting was on the wall, as rumors abounded that Ford would finally bring the Ranger to this market as a standard ICE pickup, even after years of lobbying.

To many potential buyers, it made sense. Ranger was sold in Europe, Australia, and other markets but not in the U.S. It took about another decade to get it here, and thankfully not as an EV, even though there were one or two rumors that way. And, now, for 2024, it is here.

Who would have thought that the new Ford Ranger Raptor, available in several international markets as an ICE pickup, would remain in that mode? The “redesigned pickup,” according to FA, was scheduled to launch last summer here with a wide range of models that included:

• Models equipped with Ford’s EcoBoost 2.3-liter I-4
• Models equipped with Ford’s 2.7-liter V-6 EcoBoost model

Now, Ford is holding these models and has only slowly started to send them out to customers.

Company Confirms It Is Here

Here’s what a Ford spokesman has confirmed to the Ford Authority (FA): The lineup is “now officially on its way to dealers, meaning that the brand-new mid-sized pickup will be on the road.” As noted, they are ICE models. Will they eventually be EVs? No one is saying at this time. The only thing said is that they are ICE versions that the U.S. market has been waiting for years.

After holding, Ford confirms many models don't he way to dealers

Ford notes that the 2024 Ranger “features several notable changes – including the biggest in the debut of the high-performance brand-new mid-sized pickup that will soon be hitting American roads. The key being sold is supposed to be Ford’s EcoBoost twin 3.0-liters. This is the first time it has been sold in the United States, and there is no hint that it will be anything but an ICE version, not for the foreseeable future.

A Ford spokesman told the “FA that the 2024 Ford Ranger lineup is officially on its way to dealers, meaning the brand-new mid-size pickup will soon be hitting American roads. The 2024 Ford Ranger features a number of notable changes—including perhaps the best news for buyers that it will be powered by Ford’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost powerplant that puts out at least 400 horsepower.” As noted, this is new to the U.S. market, though it has been on sale in other markets for years.

Top Configurations

As the FA previously reported, the top 2024 Ranger configurations thus far have been the Ranger XL STX with four-wheel drive finished in Oxford White, the Ranger XLT Sport 4WD with the available tow package in Cactus Gray, and the Ranger Lariat Sport 4WD with the available tow package. In total, 80 percent of 2024 Ford Ranger customers have opted for four-wheel drive, too.

So far, the “most popular model has been the Ranger XL STX with four-wheel-drive completed in Oxford White, the Ranger XLT Sport 4WD with the available tow package in Cactus Gray, and the Ranger Lariat Sport 4wd with the available two package.” The FA notes that 80 percent of the 2024 Ranger customers have opted for four-wheel-drive.”

Interestingly, the 2024 Ford Franger nearly matches its predecessor's EPA fuel economy ratings, in addition to “new styling inside and out, " coupled with a handful of other significant changes.

FA noted that this new goodness also comes at a cost, as the new Ranger is more expensive overall. However, in some cases, that increase can be attributed to more standard equipment.

Ford Motor Photo

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.