Seeing a Ford Ranger on the streets of Detroit is no big deal, but this one is special. This is the next generation model, which debuted for the global market just over a year ago. That doesn’t include North America, and in the months since its debut, we’ve seen occasional camouflaged test vehicles. Now, our spy photographers back at Motown captured the new US-spec Ranger in full view, revealing everything on the outside.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that the Ranger aimed at North America looks like a global model. Actually, maybe a number of surprising, considering we’ve seen camouflaged trucks around Ford’s world headquarters in recent months. The cover suggests some styling tweaks would set this pickup apart from the rest, but that’s not the case at all. The only notable differences we saw on this camo-less Ranger include a sliding rear window, a backup camera and a high-mounted brake light. The cameras and brake lights help confirm that this is a truck for America.
That doesn’t mean it’s a pure carbon copy. The grille on this truck – believed to be the Lariat trim level – appears to have a slightly different pattern than the global model. The front fascia, despite having the same body lines, looks slightly smoother overall. It’s worth noting that we’re also seeing camouflaged Rangers with a longer bed, a feature that may be optional for United States buyers.
Global market Rangers offer both petrol and diesel engines, but gas power will likely be the only option for North America. The current-generation Ranger uses the turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine exclusively, producing 270 horsepower (201 kilowatts) and 310 pound-feet (420 Newton-meters) of torque. A hybrid option could arrive for the standard Ranger trim level, but we do know a twin-turbo V6 will be available for the Ranger Raptor, which is confirmed for the US market.
Ford has confirmed this year’s debut for the North American Ranger. With the automaker ditching its mid-size trucks any longer, the official debut could be weeks or even days away. In the meantime, enjoy more truck content on the Rambling About Cars podcast, available below.
