Video: 2024 Ford Ranger Up Close: New Styling, Tech and Features

And also for performance truck fans, they now have the option of the Ranger Raptor in the US. Let's take a closer look at the changes to this pickup. If you follow the international truck market at all, this model's gonna look a little familiar to you because it's debuted overseas back in 2021 but is now arriving in the US. And it has design cues we've seen on other Ford vehicles like the headlight style from the Expedition and the F-150. It's also now a wider vehicle than the existing Ranger in that has these bulging kind of front and rear fender flares. So it's got more of an upright, kind of boxy appearance than the outgoing Ranger, and that's in keeping with Ford and what they're doing with their other pickup trucks. At the back of the truck, it gets a different tailgate, different taillight designs, and it also has available power in the bed, which is a nice-to-have feature, up to 400 watts with a household outlet, also a 12-volt outlet. You can't get the Pro Power Onboard system that the F-150 offers, so it's limited to 400 watts in this vehicle. One thing you can get, though, is this kind of work surface, which we've seen on the F-150. It has spots for clamps if you need to clamp something down here. It's got an integrated ruler, some spots for holding things. Another nice feature is now in the bed, you can put four-foot sheets of plywood or drywall flat because of the wheel wells have been moved out. Another nice feature that is offered on the Ranger is this integrated step, so if you need to step up and get into the bed. We've seen it on models from Chevrolet like the Colorado. They have it in the bumper. Ford has put it up here, and it's rated for up to 300 pounds but a nice thing for just kind of accessing what's in the bed without having to lower the tailgate. So Ford has upgraded the technology in the new Ranger's interior, along with its design. It has kind of a more horizontal appearance to it, these different kind of vent treatments. Another thing customers are gonna really notice are the screen technology. So this is the up-level Lariat trim level. It comes with a larger digital instrument panel for full digital instrumentation just like you can get in the F-150. And it also has this large vertically oriented center touch screen that you've probably seen in vehicles like the Ford Mustang Mach-E. It's a different screen than that one because the Mach-E has the volume control integrated right in the screen. This one, it's below it. But a similar layout, similar icons that Ford offers in the Mach-E is in here. One thing I like about it, though, is that even though this is a pretty nice layout in terms of the air conditioning controls and accessing 'em on the screen, some systems are not as easy to use when they're integrated in the screen, but Ford gives you the option. It has hard controls below it for air conditioning, a physical volume knob too, which is nice. So it gives you the choice of how you wanna interact with this screen. The multimedia system also includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for connecting your phone and also an available wireless charging pad too. So Ford offers a lot of trailering technology in the new Ranger, and that includes Pro Trailer Backup Assist, which does the work for you for when you're trying to back up a trailer. You can also store up to 10 trailer profiles in the truck, and that's helpful if you use different trailers at different times. The blind spot warning system can actually incorporate the trailer too. So if you have a vehicle approaching you, it'll give you a warning when it's near your trailer, which is a helpful safety feature. And there's also an available integrated trailer brake controller, which is great to have if you plan on towing heavy trailers with brakes because the Ranger's ready to tow up to 7,500 pounds. So the Ranger's gonna be offered initially in crew-cab body style, so four full-size doors. The backseat is reasonably roomy for adults. It's passable comfort-wise. You can either lift up the whole seat cushion for storing things that maybe are taller, and you need that extra space. There's some storage cubbies as well under the seat. Or you can also lower the whole backrest if you want another different type of flat storage area enclosed in the cab. So the Ranger used to be a single powertrain truck, but now Ford offers three different engines you can get in the Ranger. There's a turbocharged 2.3-liter four cylinder, an available turbocharged 2.7-liter V6. And if you get the Ranger Raptor, it comes with a turbocharged three-liter V6 engine. Now these engines work with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The 2024 Ford Ranger arrives at dealerships late this summer with a starting price just over $34,000. And it's gonna be up against some new competitors in the mid-size truck class, including the redesigned Chevrolet Colorado and a new version of the Toyota Tacoma. If you wanna read more about the Ranger and see more photos of it, be sure to check out our coverage on cars.com.