The Ranger shares its instrument panel with the Explorer sport-utility,
an outstanding piece of design. This is how a modern truck instrument panel
should look; integrated, properly spaced, with a minimum of color and surface
variations. The dials and indicators are just about perfect. There is a
visible, palpable richness to the quality of the plastic and fabrics, making
it an altogether pleasant place to be. (It wasn't always this way. Remember
that this is the end of a 14-year evolution.)
Vinyl bucket seats are standard, with 60/40 split bench seats the prime
option and sport buckets a second option, including a floor console with
cupholders. If you get a SuperCab without the optional jump seats, there's
a locking rear storage compartment back there instead.
Ranger's cab, whether standard or Super, is fitted with a cross-truck
steel beam and side-guard door beams for added stiffness and intrusion
protection. In both the five-window and standard-cab models, the Ranger
and all of the other trucks in this class yield the roominess title to
the new 1997 Dodge Dakota, which is slightly bigger in all dimensions.
Ranger's standard-cab cabin is not the most hospitable place for taller
drivers, with short legroom and restricted seatback rake, but the SuperCab
version allows plenty of backrest rake, more legroom and plenty of floor
space for cargo, or for the kids to use the side-facing jump seats.
The Splash bucket seats are very comfortable, roomy and supportive for
long treks. We confess we didn't try out the jump seats, but we did use
the rear cargo floor frequently and found it very convenient. The tailgate
operates smoothly and easily, even for those of feminine size and musculature.
The Ranger lineup is among the broadest in the industry, and includes
short- and long-wheelbase regular cab models, flat-sided and rear-fendered
models (which Ford calls Styleside and Flareside, respectively), SuperCab
models with or without rear jump seats, and, of course, both 2WD and 4WD
models, in XL, XLT, STX and Splash trim levels. The Flareside version has
a padded step built into the side so you can hike yourself up to retrieve
small cargo from the left or right side without having to drop the tailgate.
And, of course, it looks cool.
The Ranger SuperCab Splash 4x4 is thus right at the top of the line.
With a Ranger, the 4x4 model always gets a monochromatic paint treatment,
including the bumpers, and we think the 4x4 is much the better looking
and more modern truck than the chrome-grille 4x2 versions, especially when
it is painted in high-impact colors.
The base 2.3-liter four that's standard on 2WD Rangers makes only 112
horsepower, and the first option is a 3.0-liter V6 at 147 hp, standard
on 4WD models. Even the top engine, the 4.0-liter V6 in our test truck
is rated at only 160 hp when some of the competition has 190-hp V6 engines.
It's a 25-year-old design, and its age is definitely beginning to show.
Both V6 engines tend to be a bit shaky and fairly loud at full throttle,
and above 4000 rpm there's not much gain in power.
The five-speed manual, with its long-stick shifter, is pretty slick,
and if you're planning on going off-road, it will be far more flexible
than the automatic. But if you're going to stay on ubran/suburban pavement,
opt for the new five-speed automatic. The drive system in the 4x4 Ranger
is a straightforward part-time setup with automatic locking hubs and a
simple three-way dashboard switch with lighted indicator that will swap
between 2- and 4WD instantly, or into 4WD Low for slogging.
On the road, the Ranger behaves much more like a tall car than a truck.
It has been smoothed out and quieted a little bit each year for the past
dozen years, to the point where it is really quite a refined vehicle, but
not especially in the powertrain area.
The Ranger 4x4 suspension system is a modification of the Ford Twin
I-Beam with coil springs at the front and regular old truck leaf springs
at the rear, and it works well, delivering a good ride on good to medium
pavement, without jarring your teeth loose on choppy pavement. That's not
to say that the Ranger handles like a sports car, because it doesn't. It's
tall, and you have to respect its high center of gravity, or it will get
tippy on you.
Steering is power recirculating-ball, and it is quick and lively for
such a system, with a narrow dead spot when driving straight ahead. We
found the disc/disc ABS brakes worth every bit of the option price, because
they stopped short and tamed the usually bad braking behavior of an unladen
pickup truck.