2021 Ford Ranger

Small pickups seemed like a dying breed when Ford ended production of the previous-generation Ranger in 2011 amid the fallout of the great recession. Since then such trucks have boomed in popularity. Facing new models from General Motors and an updated Toyota Tacoma, Ford revived the Ranger in 2019. 

This new Ranger is based on the Ford-of-Australia developed international version, first introduced in 2011 and bears little resemblance to the pre-2012 Ranger or any of Ford’s other trucks. It’s starting to feel its age, but this pickup covers all the bases compact-to-midsize pickup buyers are shopping for and it’s a practical machine just like its forebears.

For 2021, the Ranger gets a variety of new option packages including the Tremor, which adds an appreciable amount of off-road talent to the package. Many of the Ranger’s competitors have added serious off-road variants in recent years, and the Tremor is a shot at the Tacoma TRD Pro and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.

There are three basic trim levels and two cab configurations, starting with the base model XL SuperCab at $26,295 (all prices include a $1,195 destination fee). SuperCabs are extended cabs with teeny-tiny back seats and six-foot beds. Upgrading to a SuperCrew cab means a five-foot bed but a rear cabin with conventional doors that adults can actually fit in. It also adds $2,175 to $2,400 to the price. Four-wheel drive (4WD) is a $3,700 to $3,855 option.

The XL is meant as a small work truck and comes with a standard black vinyl floor. You can also get vinyl seats and the delete the rear seats. The infotainment screen is an ancient and basic 4.2-inch LCD screen. Even cruise control and a remote key fob are part of a $1,135 package, but many packages can personalize this trim, including the off-road FX2 (rear-drive), FX4 (4WD), and STX packages, some of which add extra equipment, primarily bigger wheels and off-road tires but in some cases infotainment and materials upgrades.

The mid-grade XLT (from $30,315) comes with nicer interior appointments, Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 Suite of active safety features, power locks with keyless entry, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, carpeted floors, two USB ports and an 8-inch touchscreen with Ford’s Sync3 system. The top-trim Lariat ($34,355) adds leather seating and interior trim, LED headlights and taillamps, 18-inch wheels, power heated front seats and a remote starter.

Both XLT and Lariat offer the FX2 and FX4 packages as well as cosmetic Black, Chrome and Sport appearance packages. More importantly, 4WD SuperCrew models can unlock the new Ranger Tremor package, a $4,290 addition. 

The Tremor adds an off-road optimized suspension with Fox-branded suspension dampers that add roughly an inch of ground clearance, 17-inch wheels with beefy all-terrain tires, a terrain management system, trail control, tow hooks, skid plates and six pre-wired auxiliary switches for accessories like winches and lights. Cosmetic upgrades inside and out also signal the Tremor’s adventurous intent.

Irrespective of how they’re dressed up, all Rangers are powered by a turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a smooth-shifting ten-speed automatic transmission. 

The Ranger may be compact, but it’s no lightweight. Even the base model weighs over 4,100 pounds, which helps give it’s best-in-class payload capacity, 1,860 pounds in rear-drive SuperCab form. On paper, the engine’s 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque look overmatched, but the Ranger is surprisingly peppy in a straight line.

The surprising oomph of the engine also makes for good towing capacity by midsize trucks standards. With the $495 towing package the Ranger can lug up to 7,500 pounds, more than the Tacoma, but just shy of the Diesel Jeep Gladiator or GMC Canyon.

Fuel economy is decidedly average among midsize pickups, at 23 mpg combined for rear-drive models and 22 for 4WD ones. That’s a little better than the Tacoma but not as good as the Honda Ridgeline, and well shy of the Diesel Jeep and GM models.

Agile around town, the Ranger feels smaller than its weight, though nobody will confuse it with a sports sedan. For a truck that’s almost the size of a 1990s-era full-size pickup, or when compared with the  Gladiator, it’s nimble on pavement. Off-road, the regular Rangers are capable on light terrain, but don’t offer as much talent as Jeep or Toyota.

The Tremor package puts the truck closer to adventuremobiles like the Tacoma TRD Pro and Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, but they still have advantages for serious off-roaders. In our testing the Tremor it acquitted itself well on mountain trails and forest roads, eagerly tackling deep ruts and rocky surfaces with aplomb. Importantly, even the cheapest XLT Tremor is going to run over $42,000 out the door.

Stepping inside, the cabin looks dated irrespective of trim. Lots of black and grey plastic abound, although the Toyota Tacoma’s interior isn’t much nicer. The front seats are roomy and supportive, but tall adults will find the back seat unwelcoming for long journeys even in the SuperCrew cab. GM, Jeep, and Honda all offer far more legroom in back, and even Toyota has two more inches of rear legroom than the Ranger. For parents and a pair of younger kids, however, the arrangement isn’t terrible.

The 8-inch infotainment unit in the XLT and Lariat models works well and offers standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto if you’d rather use those interfaces.

There’s a certain low-tech feel to the Ranger, but one area where it isn’t lacking, tech-wise, is in active safety features. The Ranger’s scores from NHTSA and IIHS are strictly mid-pack, and only automatic emergency braking is standard, but Ford makes many safety add-ons affordable. 

Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 system is a $625 add to the XL, but included on the XLT and Lariat. It brings blind spot monitoring with trailer coverage, lane departure warnings with lane keep assist, cross-traffic alerts and a driver monitoring system. On XLT and Lariat models, a $995 technology package layers on adaptive cruise control and navigation with live traffic alerts. 

Overall, the Ranger is a solid choice as a vehicle which can work, commute and transition easily to light off-road use on the weekend. It’s a jack of all trades, though not quite a master of any of them. The best value pick in the lineup is probably the 4WD SuperCrew XLT with the FX4 and technology packages, which includes some of the nicest gear and a little extra off-road ability for a price under $40,000.