...but no more. Ford seems to have fallen into a state of incompetence that is finally starting to reflect in its financials. And how could it not? First, it took Ford almost four years to resurrect the Ranger in the US (while it sold like crazy overseas over the past 5/6 years) and the Ford faithful here screamed they wanted one. So Ford stumbled and bumbled their way through the process of bringing the Ranger back to the US. And to add icing to the cake, its the first new vehicle introduction I can remember that won't show up in dealerships until sometime in late January or February 2019 (as opposed to late third quarter of the previous 2018 model year). Way to go Ford!

Then the number one complaint of the folks buying Ford Raptor trucks (you know, the $70k+ toy truck market buyers) is they want the truck offered with a V8 option. So what does Ford do? They acknowledge overwhelming consumer demand for this change, and refuse to offer the truck with a V8 option. Again, way to go Ford!

Thank god for the aftermarket vendors in this country who are not incompetent and who listen to consumer demands and seek to fulfill them.



I really don't know what will eventually replace my 2001 Ford F-150, but I doubt it will be another Ford product.

Not a Ford owner but I do think there's a pretty big market for a Ranger with a V8 or Diesel option in the U.S..

quote:

Originally posted by lkdr1989:
Not a Ford owner but I do think there's a pretty big market for a Ranger with a V8 or Diesel option in the U.S..

Sorry my friend but Ford isn't listening to you (or me, or anyone else for that matter). There will only be one engine offered in the Ranger for the foreseeable future, that being the 2.3L EcoBoost four banger. Might be a good motor for the truck, or it might not be. But there will be no other options. Again, there has been overwhelming demand for an American built Ranger, yet Ford acts as though they're only going to dip their toe into this market to see where it goes before they commit to it fully. Stupid!

Oh, and Ford won't even commit to bringing the recently released Ranger Raptor to the US. Really! That truck with a tuned version of Ford's 2.7L EcoBoost V6 would sell as fast as Ford could build them, assuming they didn't get stupid with the sticker price. Again, you have to wonder about the people running the company and the truck division.

A V8 ranger will never be a factory option. If Ford could get away with it there wouldn’t be a V8 option for the F150.

I was a die hard, dyed in the wool Ford guy until they started pricing their vehicles out of ranging for the working person.

When my Ford Explorer (2001) went down after 307,000 miles, I went looking for either a new Ford Explorer or a Fusion.

Then i saw the pricing. It took my breath away. I had to go with a Chevy Cruz after the deal the dealership offered me.

One of my favorite vehicles was my Ford Ranger. It was the first vehicle i ever bought and it lasted for years.

Ford sure had a problem bringing them back to to the US even with all the Ford owners wanting one but they sure did not have a problem supplying Southern AFG with them. It seems every ANP or ANA had a nice new Ford Ranger with the off road package.

Ford's pricing is insane. I really wanted to replace my previous Mustang with a new one when I inherited money from my grandmother's passing back in 2013, but the $47k price tag on the non-Shelby Mustang GT I looked at really turned me off.

I have to agree to a point on the dumb marketing. The Ranger introduction has been agonizingly slow. Then there's the tease known as the Bronco. I really have to wonder about the decision to mostly abandon cars. Yes, trucks and crossovers are where the market is at now, but what happens when the market changes?

That said I love my 2015 F-150. It's done everything I've asked of it including making a trip up the ALCAN Highway with less than perfect road conditions. The 3.5 Ecoboost in this truck provides a lot more usable torque than the 5.0 my 2013 had.

If I was in charge of Ford I'd have some fun. First off a twin turbo 5.0 in the trucks and Mustangs, call it the Ecobeast! Get the Ranger out as quickly as possible. Get the Bronco going with off road capabilities to compete with the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner. The Bronco nameplate has got the reputation to be successful.

Offer a 4 door sedan on a stretched Mustang platform, a bargain BMW 3 series killer (at least what the 3 series used to be). Do a modern version of stacked vertical headlights, a horizontal crossbar grill some butch angular styling to get a way from the non personality jelly bean shapes and call it the Falcon.

Next year's Explorer is supposed to be a rear wheel drive based unibody platform. Shouldn't be too hard to make a rear wheel drive sedan off the platform. Again a modern version of stacked vertical headlights and a horizontal crossbar grille and it's the Galaxy 5.0.

But then again, I'm just a trauma nurse in Alaska and not a CEO with focus groups...

When I was hauling feed and livestock I had a Dodge Ram 2500 for the Cummins diesel. But when I wound down, sold the farm, and moved to a gated community, I wanted a Ranger.

Couldn't get one in the US. I called Dearborn to ask why. After several layers of bureaucracy and help from a family friend who has been there since 1978, I was told by the secretary of the director of world marketing that the price point of the basic F150 and the price point of the basic Ranger were not too far apart and since most American men want bigger, they went with the better selling truck.

Then he asked me where I lived. I told him Texas. He asked me why on earth would a guy from Texas want a small truck for about the same price as a full sized truck. I told him That an F150 is too long for my 20 foot driveway.

He said he was sorry for that but it was a marketing/manufacturing decision.

So there it is. I think they found out though, that instead of buying a bigger truck, many buyers went Nissan, and elsewhere and that's maybe why they are bringing it back.

I have a 2017 F-250 with a 6.2 engine and my better half has a 18 Raptor. The only thing she complains about is her exhaust note,especially after hearing mine. That said, the Raptor has more than enough power for whatever it needs to do, and is very fast. Although a V8 is cool, that 3.5 twin turbo is plenty. Love both trucks.

The twin turbo in the raptor is a beast and can easily be tuned for a lot more. I have an eco boost in my platinum and much prefer it over the 5.4 i used to have. I do like the sound of the v8, but eco boost is a better motor.

We are not far from the day where only sports cars have v8’s. The govt mileage Rey’s are driving engines to become smaller and more efficient.

I’m still driving my 2003 F150 stepside 4x4 with a V8 and 5 speed and it’s approaching 200k miles. That said, I’d jump at the chance to buy a Ranger in that configuration as I no longer need a full size truck. Looks like I’ll have too look elsewhere.

quote:

Originally posted by KPSquared:
I have a 2017 F-250 with a 6.2 engine and my better half has a 18 Raptor. The only thing she complains about is her exhaust note,especially after hearing mine. That said, the Raptor has more than enough power for whatever it needs to do, and is very fast. Although a V8 is cool, that 3.5 twin turbo is plenty. Love both trucks.

And I'm not maligning the EcoBoost motor in the Raptor. Its a very capable motor. But buyers have overwhelmingly told Ford they want a V8 option (some want Supercharging with it), and Ford has completely ignored them. These are high dollar buyers that usually get what they want, or they shop elsewhere. A focused company would recognize this demand and adjust for it. Ford has proven time and again not to be a focused company which I find infuriating.

And just to prove the market exists for this truck, other vendors are moving in to fill the void.

Yup, And GM dragged its posterior by not selling their crew cab S-10 truck in the US for over 20 years.

Fords ultimate dumbass move was either turning down ownership of VW for free, or upon seeing the prototype for the Ford Carousel in 1973, Henry Ford II said 'there is no market for this type of vehicle'.

So, yeah, they can do a lot worse.

Why they don't offer a 1/2 ton Powerstroke is a mystery. They'd sell like hotcakes.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Why they don't offer a 1/2 ton Powerstroke is a mystery. They'd sell like hotcakes.

They do available in stripper trim to fleet customers and Lariat and above to the general public.

Just to reiterate: wife drives an F150 XLT, her second, because we tow a camper. The 3.5 intercooled twin turbo engine lacks for nothing in power, especially the newer version with 75 MORE lbs/feet of torque peaking at either 2500 or 3500 rpms depending on the source of the stat, and with the new 10 speed transmission, and gets very good gas mileage to boot. I understand many like the exhaust note of the V8, and like the notion of having a V8, but in the real world the 3.5 ecoboost is a much better option IMHO.

I've got a 17 XLT with the 3.5 turbo and 10 speed transmission. Love the thing.

Only thing I don't have is leather and cooled seats. Didn't have the change to get into a Lariat. Next time I will correct that.

I think Ford’s decision to kill off most cars like the Fusion in favor of SUV’s only is a really stupid move they will grow to regret.

They claim people don’t want them, but Honda and Toyota and Mazda seem to be selling their cars at a pretty good rate!

I believe that at Ford, GM and Chrysler (or Fiat) there are no "car guys" left below the CEO. Not one of them actually own a vehicle they enjoy driving or even (gasp!) working on. It isn't just profit driven anymore, it's plain old greed.