Ford Ranger
The (better, cooler) Ford Ranger was produced from 1983 to 2011. It is a compact truck replacing the Ford Courier which was built by Mazda. Mazda rebadged the Ranger as the B-Series for 15 years. The Ranger was produce in the Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant
The Ranger came with so many options from engines, drivetrains, trims, cabs, beds, transmission, etc. It'd be a lot to get into, so I'm just going to talk about the ones that intrigue me the most.
From the first generation, there were two diesel options. 2.2L I4 produced by Mazda, and the 2.3L turbocharged I4 produced by Mitsubishi. The Mazda engine had 59hp and the Mitsubishi 86hp. There was also the Ranger GT in 1986 with a 2.9L V6, rollbars, limited-slip differential, and special tires. I think they look pretty cool, and there's some sick modded ones out there.
Second gen has a cute face. They came either in an I4 or V6. Automatic transmissions built by Ford, and manual transmissions built by Mazda. This generation had one of my favorite trims, the Ford Ranger Splash. This trim was targeted towards surfers. The bed had flaresides to make it easier to reach for your surfboard. The rear window also rolled down! They came in a lot of fun colors too.
Third gen had the Ranger Sport which is visually similar to the Splash. The most noticable thing about the Sport was the grille that matched the body paint. 2002 had the Ranger Tremor package. As far as I can tell, the only interesting thing about the Tremor was the sound system. "Tremor" in modern Fords is the offroading packages now. Third generation Ranger is my ideal Ranger.
The Ford Ranger stopped production in 2012 and was on hiatus until 2019. I think they're too big and boring.
Random stuff
-From 1998 to 2002, there was an EV Ranger.
-Mazda B-Series trucks are exactly the same. They just look different.
-2012 South American Ranger looks strange.
-Rangers are lovingly called "Danger Rangers"
-Rangers have a towing + carry capacity. However, it feels like it should be infinite.
