For 2001, the "Built Ford Tough" Ranger - sales leader among compact pickups for the past 13 years - has more power, more performance, more personality and the type of refinement not often found in working-hard, playing-hard compact pickups.

The 2001-model Ranger, easily identifiable by its bold new styling and new trim levels, is designed to offer customers more choices within the compact pickup market. Design elements from Ford's F-Series pickups give a visual cue to the Ranger's tough-truck evolution. On 4x4 XLT and an all-new Edge series, the hood is raised - giving a hint at the added power under the hood. Alternative grille treatments include high-tech mesh or the more traditional two-bar chrome grille cues creating a strong family resemblance.

Under the hood, Ranger offers three engine choices: a new optional 4.0-liter SOHC V-6, which produces 207 horsepower, 29 percent increase than the previous model's V-6; a 3.0-liter OHV V-6, and an I-4 engine. At introduction, the 2.5-liter I-4 engine currently offered in the Ranger will be available. Later this winter, an all-new I-4 engine will be introduced.

Ranger's suspension has been revised to accommodate the new engines and to provide refined ride-and-handling characteristics. Changes include updated front-end geometry, stabilizer bar rates, spring rates, upgraded bushings and shock tuning modifications. The 2001 Ranger also has a quieter interior cabin, thanks to improvements made to isolate noise vibration and harshness (NVH). Stopping performance also is improved through the use of a four-wheel anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and innovations in the braking system that optimize braking performance with the vehicle loaded or empty.

Configurations

Ranger is available in three trim-levels and several configurations to deliver a wide range of choices to customers. Customers in the compact truck segment often "customize" their trucks by buying a base-model and adding accessories to suit their taste. Aiding the ability to customize, the 2001 Ranger will be available as a Regular Cab or SuperCab, with three wheelbase choices, a traditional Styleside or a more distinct Flareside box and several payload capabilities. The SuperCab version, most popular with buyers, is expected to account for more than 60 percent of sales.

In addition to the value-level XL and the most popular XLT model, the Ranger has a new trim level for 2001 - the Edge.

Edge

The Edge, with its aggressive styling and high stance, is a new series aimed at young, active-lifestyle customers who want a vehicle with a distinctive appearance at an affordable price. Edge is positioned in the Ranger stable between the XL and XLT models and offers custom appearance and performance features normally not found at this price level.

Key Edge features include:

The 2001 Ranger is available with a 4x2 or 4x4 powertrain and three engines: an optional 4.0-liter SOHC V-6, a 3.0-liter OHV V-6 and an I-4 engine.

New for 2001 is the optional 4.0-liter SOHC V-6, which boasts 207 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and produces 238 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,000 rpm. The new 4.0-liter SOHC gives customers an increase of 47 horsepower over the previous model.

The 4.0-liter SOHC engine is coupled with either a new five-speed automatic transmission with adaptive shift technology or a heavy-duty, five-speed manual transmission.

The 3.0-liter OHV V-6 engine will continue to be offered on Ranger and is standard on 4x4s, SuperCabs and the Edge series. It produces 150 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 185 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,750 rpm.

The 2.5-liter SEFI I-4, currently offered on the Ranger, will remain in the 2001 Ranger powertrain lineup until later this winter, when it will be replaced by an all-new I-4 engine. The I-4 engine is standard on the XL and XLT 4x2 Regular Cab models. The 2.5-liter I-4, available at introduction, achieves 119 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 146 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,000 rpm. Further details regarding the all-new I-4 engine will be provided at a later date.

Special Package

In addition to the new Edge series, the Ranger Tremor will be offered as an optional audio package. It brings an aftermarket-grade audio system to a compact pickup. First introduced in summer 2000, Tremor includes a premium, high-powered stereo with 560 watts of power and a custom designed-in subwoofer enclosure that fits nicely in the rear floor area. In order to accommodate the built-in subwoofer, the Tremor package only is available in Ranger SuperCab models. The stereo system has been tuned to deliver tonal accuracy and imaging over a wide audio spectrum, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

It includes:

In addition to achieving fuel economy ratings of up to 29 miles per gallon, both Ranger V-6 engines sold in the United States are certified as Low Emission Vehicles (LEV), further demonstrating our commitment to the environment. Ranger also is 90 percent recyclable by weight.

Ranger will continue to be offered as an Electric Vehicle (EV) to customers in California. The EV Ranger will feature carryover styling and be equipped with advanced nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. The NiMH Ranger EV offers useful range and payload.

Market Trend

The compact pickup truck market has grown from total sales of approximately 500,000 in 1980 to 1.4 million vehicles in 1986. Since then, segment sales have been in the range of one million units a year.

Ford sold 104,396 Ranger compact trucks in 1982, the first year the model was available. Since then, more than five million Ranger trucks have been produced.

Ranger quickly became the segment's sales leader, a position it has held since 1987, with sales consistently in the range of 300,000 units. Ranger unit sales reached 348,358 in 1999, when it captured a record share of the compact pickup market segment, at 32.2 percent. First-half sales figures for 2000 indicate that Ranger will retain its segment sales leadership this calendar year.

Markets

In addition to the U.S. and Canada, the Ford Ranger is sold in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, South America, Central America, Caribbean Islands, Guam, New Caledonia, Saipan, Tahiti, and U.S. Samoa. In South America, where Ranger serves as family transportation for many customers, Ranger is offered in a four-door crew-cab configuration.

Assembly Plants

The 2001 Ranger will be built at Ford's Twin Cities, Minn., and Edison, N.J., assembly plants in the U.S. The new models begin production in the summer of 2000 and will begin arriving in dealer showrooms in late summer or early fall of 2000.