The History of The Ford Ranger
This robust Ford pickup truck is Europe’s best-selling pickup, winning many awards in the pickup category. It offers excellent performance, versatility and reliability. We’ve decided to look into the history of the Ford Ranger to find out how this pickup became so popular.
Firstly, the Ranger nameplate has been used on multiple Ford model lines over the years, with the Edsel Ranger car being the first model in 1958. It wasn’t until 1982 that Ford introduced the Ranger as their first compact pickup truck designed by Ford. The first Ford Ranger, which was available in US showrooms, was priced at around $6,200 which is the equivalent of around $17,000 today. The first-generation Ranger was produced until 1992 and helped Ford to understand what customers really wanted from a pickup truck.
In 1993 the second-generation Ranger came along with a substantial redesign. This mainly aimed to improve the driving experience of the pickup, with a smoother ride and improved reliability. The Ranger was quickly becoming a market leader and over 300,000 units per year were sold between 1993-1995.
In 1998 Ford made a brave move by introducing an electric version of the Ranger pickup which had a 65-mile range and maximum speed of 65mph. As you can imagine, with it still being the early days on electric vehicles, the Ford Ranger EV wasn’t cheap. Pricing started at around $52,000 (approx. $84,000 today). The electric Ranger was mainly leased for large fleets rather than individual customers. However, the glory of the EV pickup didn’t last long and in 2002, Ford discontinued the Electric Ranger. Most of the remaining Electric Rangers were crushed, although some still remain as the owners were unwilling to get rid of them.
The third generation of the Ranger was produced from 1998-2012. This saw further improvements to the design, including larger rear windows, more legroom, a longer wheelbase and longer cab. This made the pickup more spacious and therefore appealed to a wider audience. In 2007 new standard features such as a Personal Safety System and tire-pressure monitoring were introduced to this pickup. Ford were truly making the most of all safety features available at the time and incorporating them into the design.
The fourth generation Ranger was introduced in 2019 as a bigger and more powerful version. It’s amazing to see how the Ranger pickup has developed and adapted from 1982 to the modern pickup truck it is today. Regular, Super and Double cabs are available for the Ford Ranger pickup, depending on which model you opt for. For the ultimate Ford pickup experience, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak is particularly recommended. The high-spec Ford Ranger Wildtrak (double cab) gives you superior comfort, premium materials, four full-sized door and extra technologies.
Today the Ford Ranger offers everything you’d expect and want from modern-day pickups. The Ford Ranger has clearly been built for toughness and can handle all terrains. This true pickup was awarded the International Pick-Up Award 2020 and continues to remain a huge success for Ford. Have you thought about a Ford Ranger lease? At GB Vehicle Leasing, our Pricing Team have been busy securing the very best Ford Ranger lease deals. Contact us today on 0161 667 5338 for a bespoke quote on a pickup truck.
