What You Need to Know Before Buying a 2019 Ford Ranger
Cars.com photos by Aaron Bragman
The return of the Ford Ranger for 2019 was a welcome one, as the mid-size pickup truck class is long on competitors but short on innovation, and arrival of the Ranger could spur a new wave of one-upmanship to benefit shoppers. Our impressions of the Ford Ranger since it came back have been positive, and PickupTrucks.com/Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman recently published his full review of the Ranger calling it "seriously compelling." We also tested the at the end of last year where the Ford came out on top against the most popular truck in the class.
Related: Find a 2019 Ford Ranger for Sale Near You
There are a few things Ranger shoppers should know before buying the truck — it has a few quirks that will either endear it to shoppers or cause others to take pause.
Limited Configurations
The 2019 Ranger is offered with only a single powertrain and one wheelbase. The only thing you're choosing between is a SuperCrew cab (crew cab) with a 5-foot bed or a SuperCab (extended cab) with a 6-foot bed. Neither offers a large amount of space for backseat passengers, but if you're going to be putting people back there regularly you pretty much have to go for the SuperCrew version; the quarters in the SuperCab are extra tight.
One Powertrain to Rule Them All
The Ford Ranger offers only a single engine and transmission pairing, but thankfully it's a good one. The 270-horspower, turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine makes 310 pounds-feet of torque and is mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. You do get a choice between rear- or four-wheel drive, but other than that, this is it.
The powertrain is very responsive and while it does shift a lot to use all of those gears, it doesn't take away from the Ranger's smooth power delivery. Bragman wrote that the eagerness of the engine makes the Ranger "a genuine joy to drive" and I concur. It absolutely crushes the base powertrains (and even some optional powertrains) of competitors. Hearing about a four-cylinder engine in a truck may cause some to wrinkle their nose, but it's only because they haven't tried this four-cylinder.
Dated Interior
On higher trim levels, the materials and technology offerings (an 8-inch touchscreen with Sync 3, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is available) are modern, but the overall design and feel of the cabin is not, especially compared to other Fords that have been recently redesigned. Lower trim levels lose out on tech offerings, as the XL comes with a 2.3-inch monochromatic display and the XLT has a 4.2-inch color display. Things are better on the top trim level, the Lariat, but there is a .
Normally, being so limited in cab and bed choices would cause me pause, but the strength of the powertrain and the fact that the Ranger's bed lengths and cab size mostly fall in line with the rest of the class helps mitigate that concern. Ford has delivered a mid-size truck that is instantly competitive and among the most fun to drive — on the road at least. For off-road chops, the Ranger's FX4 Off-Road Package doesn't offer nearly as much capability as the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 or the Tacoma TRD Pro. We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed for the Ranger Raptor to eventually make the same journey to American shores, as it's currently only slated for .
Read our full-length review of the 2019 Ford Ranger, and be sure to check out the rest of PickupTrucks.com's coverage of the reborn Ranger below:
2019 Ford Ranger Review: It's New to You
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