Existing as the oldest truck on the market engineered by Ford is the 2010 Ford Ranger. The vehicle hasn't received a redesign since the 1990s. Unfortunately, it aging looks are most evident in the vehicle's cabin. For 2011, the vehicle will be discontinued unless Ford suddenly changes its mind about the Ranger.
Despite its age, the Ranger has always been a top selling vehicle because it has an Inline-four cylinder engine and it gets great fuel economy for a truck. Its price tag has always been decent too. The Ranger has a small footprint and it offers the abilities of a bigger truck like the F-150, in a smaller truck body. Nevertheless, the interior of the Ranger is substandard and it is absent of a navigation system or a premium stereo offering. The lack of technologies inside the truck will disappoint some consumers.
The Ranger is sold with four-wheel-drive and there are two trims. All trims are sold with a V-6 motor option. If you choose the V-6 though, the price tag is upped and the fuel-efficiency it delivers is lower.
The Range
Bodystyles: Truck
Engines: 2.3L I-4, 4.0L V-6
Transmissions: 5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
Models: XL, XLT, Sport
What's New
For 2010, the FX4 Off-Road trim was discontinued along with the 7-foot bed to simply the lineup. Despite the lack of changes, EPA fuel economy for the I-4 and 5-speed manual combination improved by 1 mpg city and highway.
Exterior
The Ranger can be had in two cab configurations, regular cab or SuperCab, the latter with two or four doors. A six-foot bed is the only one available. Sport models get wide fender flares.
Interior
Ranger XL and XLT models come with a bench seat up front that can seat three. SuperCab models come with dual side-facing jump seats and seat five. Sport models get front bucket seats and a center console.
Performance & Handling
The Ranger's 2.3-liter I-4 with 143 horsepower, 154 pound-feet of torque is not the most powerful engine, but it offers the best fuel-economy of any truck on the market. Opting for the 207 horsepower V-6 allows the Ranger to tow up to 5,860 pounds, but at a substantial hit to fuel economy. Regardless of engine or cab choice, max payload is 1260 pounds.
Safety
The Ranger comes with roll stability control, which monitors yaw and roll motions plus four-wheel ABS and a tire pressure monitoring system. Four airbags -- dual front and front side – are standard.
EPA Fuel Economy
I-4: 22 mpg city/27 mpg highway (manual); 19 mpg city/24 mpg highway (automatic)
V-6 Manual 2WD: 15 mpg city/21 mpg highway
V-6 Manual 4WD: 15 mpg city/19 mpg highway
V-6 Automatic 2WD: 16 mpg city/21 mpg highway
V-6 Automatic 4WD: 14 mpg city/18 mpg highway
You'll Like
- I-4's fuel economy
- Smaller size
You Won't Like
- V-6's fuel economy
- Dated interior
Sum Up
Aged, but still capable
If You Like This Vehicle
- Chevrolet Colorado
- GMC Canyon
- Nissan Frontier
- Suzuki Equator
- Toyota Tacoma