2024 Ford Ranger Revealed, And It's All About America
Ford's new midsize pickup is finally ready to take North America seriously. The arrival of the 2024 Ford Ranger isn't the first time that U.S. drivers have been able to buy the truck. However, with the current generation designed with the rest of the world in mind first, this new model was heavily influenced by demands in the automaker's home country. That goes for style and performance, of course, but most of all in practicality.
The Ranger has been "the F-150 of the world," Juan De Pena, chief engineer for the new truck, says. Unsurprisingly, it has cherry-picked a fair number of features from its full-size sibling as a result. That includes a 2024 Ranger Raptor version, already launched in Europe, and now available in the U.S. for the first time, but also more technology as pickups continue to push into the mainstream.
It definitely looks the part. Ford C-clamp headlamps pick up on F-150 and Maverick cues, with the new Ranger spreading 2-inches wider than its predecessor. More muscular wheel arches — with either contrasting or body-color moldings as standard — and either 17" or 18" wheels help with visual heft, as does Ford's decision to push the front wheels forward slightly.
It's not over-detailed, though what is there generally serves a practical purpose, as well as an aesthetic one; like the functional fender vents, which help pull hot air from the engine compartment. Customers, Ford says, wanted a tougher-looking, more dominant, and better-stanced truck.
Bigger and more practical
It's also a more practical pickup. The 5-foot bed taps the width increase to now fit 4-foot wide plywood sheets flat between the wheel arches. There's an integrated box side step — attached to the frame, rated for 300 pounds, and scaled to fit two feet (or a beefy work boot) — and a power inverter option that adds a 400W 120V outlet to the bed, too. That power outlet also doesn't need the engine to be running, and the truck will automatically shut the inverter down to reserve enough power to safely start the Ranger up again later.
Chris Davies/SlashGearThe tailgate has ruler markings, C-clamp pockets, and molded depressions for sorting screws, fishing lures, or anything else. There's also a bottle opener and a bag holder on the outer edges. The bed caps, meanwhile, have push-out sections to make mounting tools cleaner and easier. The 2024 Ranger is rated for up to 7,500 pounds of towing, or up to 1,805 pounds of payload.
Chris Davies/SlashGearFour-zone exterior lighting — controlled from the cabin and the FordPass app, along with remote locking, start, and location — is optional. The blind spot warning system can be programmed with up to 10 different trailer lengths, and take those into account when flashing up alerts for neighboring lanes. Pro Trailer Backup Assist and Trailer Reverse Guidance are available options, too.
Two engine choices, and optional 4x4
Under the more muscular, molded aluminum hood (like the tailgate and front fenders, versus the steel body), there'll be a choice of two engines. Standard is the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder — 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque — but Ford will also offer the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 from the F-150 and Bronco. That packs 315 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. Either way, a 10-speed automatic is standard, with an electronic shift-on-the-fly 4x4 system as an optional extra.
Chris Davies/SlashGearIt's a fully boxed high-strength steel frame, with about two inches length added to the wheelbase versus the outgoing Ranger. The rear shocks and their mounts have been moved outboard of the frame rails, adding stability and promising less jitter with an empty bed. Ground clearance is 9.3-inches in the SuperCrew 4x2, and 10.4-inches in the SuperCrew 4x4, with approach, departure, and breakover angles of 29.2, 25.8, and 21.8 degrees, respectively.
Inside storage includes a rear bench that lifts up, revealing two small bins, scaled for shoes and accessories. The rear bench also has a fold-down backrest to make loading/unloading boxes and crates more straightforward.
Chris Davies/SlashGearThere'll be three trims — XL, XLT, and Lariat — all in SuperCrew body styles, plus the Ranger Raptor, with Ford building the U.S.-spec Ranger at its Michigan Assembly Plant. Options include a 360-degree camera system, Terrain Management System, Trail Control, and the ever-popular SecuriCode keyless entry keypad on the driver's door. The FX4 package is also available with an electronic locking rear differential, among other extras.
A higher tech, more spacious cabin
Inside, the 2024 Ranger's cabin gets a glow-up, too. It's more spacious, thanks to the size increase and the front wheel repositioning, and strikes a balance between Maverick and F-150 in terms of tech, too. Unlike the Maverick, Ford's smallest pickup, there's less of an expectation that owners will bring their own gadgets. The new Ranger gets a digital instrument cluster as standard — 8-inches on the XL and XLT; 12.4-inches above — and a portrait-aspect SYNC 4A infotainment touchscreen that's either 10.1-inches or 12-inches in size.
FordThat supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and comes with an embedded 4G LTE modem that Ford plans to use for over-the-air (OTA) updates. Not everything is touchscreen-controlled: HVAC and volume are adjusted with physical controls, and there's a physical shifter — an e-shifter on Lariat 4x4 — because Ford says customers prefer that to knobs or buttons.
Two USB ports are standard, and a wireless charging pad is optional. While we've seen this software before on models like the Mustang Mach-E, Ford has added Ranger-specific info pages to SYNC 4A.
FordFord Co-Pilot-360 incudes features like lane-centering and auto high-beams, pre-collision assistance with automatic emergency braking, interaction assist, and mode. Ford also offers Active Park Assist 2.0, adaptive cruise control, and other ADAS features, though BlueCruise (Ford's Level 2 hands-off highway driving system) isn't available.
Chris Davies/SlashGearThe 2024 Ranger will start at $34,160 (including $1,595 destination), with the order books opening later in May 2023. Availability will begin late summer 2023, with the 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine available in late fall.