The Ford Ranger describes five generations of Ford pickup trucks, from a compact released in 1982 up to the current generation of what’s unofficially known as a “midsize” pickup. Over the years, Ranger pickups have been available in regular cab, extended cab, and crew cab variants, in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive, and with both short and long beds. All of these pickups have competed with the Toyota Tacoma, the Nissan Frontier, the Mazda B-Series, the Chevrolet S10 or Colorado, the GMC S15 or Canyon, and the Dodge Dakota.

Early Rangers were equipped with four- or six-cylinder engines, but the current version has a single powertrain option: a 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline four cylinder equipped with a twin-scroll turbocharger and a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The Ranger offers what many people are looking for in a truck: the ability to occasionally haul stuff from the lumber yard without making a career out of it. Ford Rangers have always provided decent fuel economy, in a form factor that tucks neatly into a small garage and even lets you close the door.

Generations: Five

• Ford Ranger 1st Generation
• Ford Ranger 2nd Generation
• Ford Ranger 3rd Generation
• Ford Ranger 4th Generation
• Ford Ranger 5th Generation

Pros: Sized for easy parking, better fuel economy, Generally rugged, reliable powertrains, A still-thriving aftermarket
Cons: Rust in older generations, Expensive on the used market, The 4.0-liter V6 was particularly problematic

Ford Ranger 5th Generation, 2022-present

The current generation of Ranger pickup is known internally as the P703. Somewhat confusingly, it’s also known as the second generation of the reconstituted Ranger brand here in the United States.

The current Ranger debuted in 2021 as a 2022 model. Though it has the same basic midsize pickup body shapes and measurements, door openings, chassis, engines, transfer cases and transmissions, few of the parts are interchangeable with those of the generation that preceded it.

The fifth-generation Ranger is a bit longer in wheelbase, with a wider tread width than the earlier trucks for better stability. The suspension was all-new for the 2022 model year, and it has better spring articulation and wheel travel, which provides not only a better ride on the road but also an improved ability to climb over obstacles off-road.

The body looks a lot more like a baby F-150 than the more “European” styled truck it replaces. The Ranger is currently only available with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine. But the significant changes that the Ranger underwent for this generation allow for the addition of a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel, which isn’t currently available on the Ford Ranger order guide. A Ranger with a diesel was displayed in March of 2022, along with a Ranger Raptor with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, but neither is available at the time of this writing, and they aren’t expected until the 2023 calendar year.

Belying the basic simplicity of the first few generations, the current Ford Ranger is a technologically advanced truck with all the adaptive safety equipment that has become relatively ubiquitous over the last half-decade. Ford Co-Pilot 360—a suite of safety equipment including automatic high beams, BLIS blind spot alert, cross-traffic alert, trailer tow monitoring, lane-keeping assist, lane-keeping alert, driver alert, pre-collision assist, automatic emergency braking, dynamic brake support, pedestrian braking and forward collision warning—is available as low on the Ranger trim level hierarchy as the base Ford Ranger XL trim, as long as you choose the 101A appearance package. That equipment become standard on the Ford Ranger XLT trim, and the XLT also opens the availability of adaptive cruise control on the 301A and 302A preferred equipment packages.

Infotainment system availability is similarly packaged. Even the base XL features an AM/FM stereo, Bluetooth connectivity, and four speakers, along with a FordPass Connect 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot and access to an app that provides remote locking and unlocking, remote start, and the ability to schedule times for remote starting. Up the trim ladder, the XLT includes six speakers, Ford SYNC 3 with enhanced voice recognition, an 8-inch touchscreen, 911 assist, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and two smart charging ports.

Ford Ranger 4th Generation, 2019 to 2021

The fourth-generation Ranger made its debut at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit as a midsize truck after an eight-year hiatus in the United States. This “new Ranger” had remained on sale in the rest of the world since Ford made the decision to kill the brand off after the 2011 model year. The internationally available Ranger pickup was modified to meet US crash standards, and Ford also increased the truck’s payload, thanks to fully boxed frame rails.

The truck was only available in two body configurations in North America: a SuperCab with reverse-opening rear access panels and a full four-door SuperCrew.

The truck is available in both rear-wheel drive (RWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD), but regardless of drivetrain, these trucks sit higher than you’d expect a rear-wheel drive pickup to, thanks to one “HiRider” four-wheel drive chassis being the basis of all Ranger pickups for the United States.

Like the current generation for the moment, the fourth-generation Ranger had a sole powertrain: the 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder, offering 270 horsepower, 310 lb-ft of torque, and up to 23 mpg combined, as rated by the EPA. Regardless of body configuration, trim level, or driveline option, the Ranger features a 10-speed 10R80 automatic transmission.

Fourth-generation Ford Rangers had the same levels of advanced safety equipment as the fifth generation, with Ford Co-Pilot 360 optional on the low-end XL trim level, as long as the 101A preferred equipment package was selected. That package was standard on the XLT, and adaptive safety equipment including adaptive cruise control and the forward-sensing system was optional on the 301A and 302A preferred equipment packages on the XLT trim level. That equipment was included in the optional 501A preferred equipment package on the top-level Ranger Lariat trim.

Infotainment was also similar to the fifth generation’s, with the XL featuring an AM/FM stereo, Bluetooth connectivity, and four speakers, along with a FordPass Connect Wi-Fi hotspot and access to an app that provides remote locking and unlocking, remote start, and the ability to schedule times for remote starting. The higher-trim XLT includes six speakers, SYNC 3 with enhanced voice recognition, an 8-inch touchscreen, 911 assist, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and two smart charging ports, along with satellite radio.

Ford Ranger 3rd Generation, 1998 to 2012

The third generation of the Ford Ranger was the longest-running version of the popular pickup. It was offered for 15 model years before finally leaving the consumer market in 2011 and petering out completely as a fleet-only truck in the 2012 model year.

The Ranger underwent three different major facelifts over that period. For the era, the third-generation Ranger was a modern truck with attention paid to the chassis, suspension, and drivetrain, making it a much more roadworthy vehicle. The frame was updated with fully boxed frame rails ahead of the firewall. The wheelbase increased, allowing for more cab space in all the body configurations. The suspension up front became a true independent suspension, rather than the Twin I-Beam setup that had been under Ford pickups since 1965.

The third-generation Ranger was initially offered in a regular cab and a two-door extended cab that required folding the passenger seat forward for access to the tiny SuperCab storage and seating area. For the 1999 model year, the Ranger was offered with reverse-opening doors as an option, making the seating area much easier to access.

Rear-wheel-drive Rangers offered the stout 2.5-liter overhead cam four cylinder from 1998 to 2001, when it was replaced by the 2.3-liter Duratec four-cylinder. The first engine upgrade was the 3.0-liter Vulcan V6, which ran from 1998 to 2008. 1998 to 2000 also offered a second upgrade for four-wheel drive trucks: the overhead valve “Cologne” 4.0-liter V6. In 2001, Ford replaced that engine with the single overhead cam 4.0-liter V6.

Transmissions included a Mazda-sourced five-speed manual, a 4R44E four-speed automatic, and a later 5R55E five-speed automatic.

Like the two generations before it, the third-generation Ranger was the basis for the Mazda B-Series.

Ford Ranger 2nd Generation, 1993 to 1997

The second-generation Ranger only lasted five model years, but these trucks sold like crazy and provided a solid lead-in for the all-new third generation. They were essentially a carryover from the late first generation, with a more aerodynamic body in keeping with the design of the Ford F-150 that would arrive in the 1996 model year. Underneath, the trucks were nearly identical to the first generation, with a leaf-sprung rear suspension and the by-then antique Twin I-Beam front setup that Ford had been marketing since the Johnson Administration.

The trucks were available in both six-foot and seven-foot beds for the regular cab, along with a stylish FlareSide short bed beginning in 1992, typically sold in the popular Splash trim level. The body was by far the biggest change since the first generation, featuring flush-mounted glass, a lower hood, elimination of the rain gutters, and a three-inch-wider cab that made the truck feel much larger inside.

Engines included the 2.3-liter OHV “Pinto” four-cylinder, the 3.0-liter Vulcan V6, and the overhead valve 4.0-liter V6. Transmissions included a Mazda five-speed manual as the base transmission, with a four-speed automatic transmission as an option. Later trucks offered a five-speed automatic.

Safety equipment was limited. A steering wheel-mounted airbag was standard beginning in 1995. In 1996, a passenger airbag was optional, making the Ranger the first compact pickup to be offered with dual airbags.

Infotainment was similarly sparse, consisting of AM/FM radios with two speakers at the base level and increasing to multiple speakers, cassette players, CD players, and finally CD changers by the end of the run.

Ford Ranger 1st Generation, 1983 to 1992

The first-generation Ranger wasn’t Ford’s first attempt at a compact pickup. It produced a native import from Mazda called the Ford Courier, which introduced Ford customers to small pickups in the 1970s. In order to avoid a 25% tax on fully constructed pickups, Mazda would ship these trucks to the United States without beds. The beds would be installed at the port and the trucks sold through Ford dealers. It didn’t take many years for Ford to realize that it could build its own compact pickup for less, and the Ranger grew out of something called “Project Yuma” that began in 1979.

The first-generation Ranger was a major step up from the Courier. First, it was available at the outset in four-wheel drive (4WD), which the Courier never was. Second, while these trucks were small, they were very capable. They had a 1,200-pound payload capacity, which was higher than that of the base-level Ford F100, the lightest duty pickup of the F-Series range.

In 1986, Ford added 17 inches behind the rear door and developed its first-ever Ranger SuperCab. Center-facing jump seats wouldn’t be found back there until the 1989 model year, when the truck underwent a major facelift that changed its appearance to mimic that of the “Bricknose” era of the F-Series.

Engines included a tiny 2.0-liter four-cylinder from 1983 to 1988, a 2.3-liter four-cylinder that would eventually get electronic fuel injection in 1985, three “Cologne” V6 engines (a 2.8-liter, a 2.9-liter and a 4.0-liter), and the two-year-only 3.0-liter “Vulcan” V6.

A four-speed manual transmission was standard in 1983 and 1984, with a five-speed as an option. The standard gearbox increased to five cogs in 1985 and stayed there throughout the generation. In the first two model years, the automatic option was a three-speed, and in 1985, that increased to a four-speed automatic with an overdrive.

Safety equipment was basically a three-point seatbelt.