Ford Ranger: Things we wish were different

Ford Ranger. The name commands immense respect as we all know. The pickup is known for its off-road as well as towing capability. Did you know that Ford is based out of Michigan, Detroit? Of course, you do. But then, Ford had stopped selling the Ranger pickup in the US. Apparently, sales were overshadowed by the F150 and the Ranger didn’t quite cut it with the customers out there.

However, after a long break, the pickup will be sold again in the US starting from next year. Now, why are we talking about the Ranger from US market when we have our own. It is because there are certain changes to the pickup we wish were here too. Here are some of them:

Ford Ranger extended cab rear seats

The Ranger’s extended cab version has got jump seats at the back. These are very uncomfortable and we wish Ford gave a proper bench there. It will ease off the inconvenience of sitting scrunched up at the back. If you read the online forums, none of the complaints have been as rampant as this one and it shows that Ford should finally listen to customer feedback as well as get this fixed. We hope the fix will come with the 2019 update that is expected in a couple of months. This is something which the Toyota Hilux and the Chevrolet Colorado offer.

A bare-bones trim

Many customers of the Ford Ranger expect a bare basic unit and not an electronic computer controlling all the functions. The off-road cruise control mode for the updated SUV will be an overkill and something which most of the purists aren’t happy about either. They wish to control the car on their own, something that they were used to right till 2012. That was the year when Ford started introducing electronics in the Ranger. A pure brute vehicle is what the driving off-road enthusiast demands then. Ford, please do the honours.

Attention to detail

The Ford Ranger is a well-built vehicle and everyone knows it. However, there are some small bits that could have a bit more of attention lavished on them. These include the rear canopy which has a slight ungainly gap that lets the dust inside. This means any kind of electronics or even sleeping material gets very dirty and that too very quickly. After all, there is so much dust in the air.

Transmission issues

Few owners have reported that the Ford Ranger has had issues with the transmission. The Ford Ranger’s automatic transmission is what is problematic. Customers have reported that the shift from second to third is delayed and sometimes doesn’t happen as well. The service centres say that this may be a software issue. However, most of this has resulted in the transmission being changed and can’t be resolved with a software update. If Ford could take care to ensure these incidents, however isolated they may be, won't happen again, then they will rectify this issue. Much like a Toyota Hilux would.

Tow hook not being strong enough’

There are also reports that the Ford approved tow hook is built shoddily and would break off any moment. Customers have often gone in for an aftermarket solution. This is more like the way Apple still gives customers a charging cable that is known to break within a month’s use. They haven’t changed the design either. This has led customers to go in for aftermarket solutions. If Ford customers have to continue to look for aftermarket solutions, they may as well go for alternative vehicles in the class like the Isuzu D-Max.

We hope that Ford rectifies all the mistakes and issues mentioned here when they launch the new 2019 Ranger. Till then we wait and wish that the things were a tad different on the stylish, yet brute, Ford Ranger.