Ford announced that it would be
bringing the Ranger to the United States in 2019, and our spy photographers
have now spotted it being tested in the Rocky Mountains. The made-for-America
pick-up truck can be seen wearing a few specific tweaks over the current T6
model sold in the rest of the world.
Most notable is the new front bumper, which is
longer and lower and carries a similar design to that of the larger F-150. Also
visible is a double-bar grille that differs from our split three-bar version,
as well as a side-exit exhaust. Expect changes to the interior, too, in order
to cater to North American tastes. We also received photos of the rear
suspension, but as far as we can see, the US Ranger will retain leaf springs rather
than adopting the coil-sprung setup from the Everest SUV.
The engine lineup remains unclear for now, but
expect range-topping models to feature an EcoBoost petrol V6 from the F-150,
either in 325 hp/540 Nm 2.7 litre or 375 hp/640 Nm 3.5 litre form. On the
diesel side, the Ranger could receive the new 2.0 litre EcoBlue four-cylinder
turbodiesel, which is currently offered on the Transit and Transit Custom in
three outputs (105 PS, 130 PS and 170 PS).
However, Ford has said that the mill can be pushed
as high as 240 PS for high-output applications, making it a likely replacement
for the outgoing Puma 3.2 litre five-pot. The new Getrag 10R80 10-speed
automatic transmission is also expected to replace the current six-speeder.