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Let The Mid-Size Pickup Battle Begin: Ford Reveals 2019 Ranger To Take On Chevrolet Colorado

Chevrolet has had a relatively easy go in the mid-size truck segment since it re-introduced the Colorado in 2014. Since then, the Toyota Tacoma has been its only real worry. That changes this year. At the 2018 North American International Auto Show, Ford finally revealed the 2019 Ranger pickup.

The Ranger has been absent from the U.S. market since 2011 and it’s absence left a gaping hole for the Chevrolet Colorado, and GMC Canyon, to fill.

The 2019 Ranger will arrive with one powertrain: a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. 2WD and 4WD will be offered, with the latter boasting a shift-on-the-fly transfer case with RWD, 4-High, and 4-Low settings. An electronically-locking rear differential will be a standalone option, but standard on FX2 and FX4 models. Dana Trac-Lock differentials handle power distribution in both 2WD and 4WD models.

Off the bat, the Colorado has the Ranger outgunned in powertrains. Chevy’s mid-size truck offers a four-cylinder engine, V6 and a four-cylinder Duramax diesel engine at current. And, ahead of the Ranger’s launch in late 2018, we expect a refresh of both the Colorado and Canyon. Additional equipment could further counter the Ranger’s impending arrival.

Surely, the Ranger will find a host of buyers, but Ford still has some catching up to match the Colorado tit for tat.

Former GM Authority staff writer.

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Comments

  1. Colorado better update their interior ASAP. The materials in the Colorado are nowhere near the new Ranger. Step up GM.
    DO NOT let Ford steal your thunder in this segmant due to a lackluster interior design but more specifically materials.

    Reply
    1. So you have been in and sat in the new Ranger? Tell us how it is… The canyon interior is very nice (Colorado is right there) so the Ranger must be tits if it is no where near it…

      Reply
      1. You don’t need to sit in it. It has soft touch everywhere and stitched interior. The instrument cluster is much better. GM needs to step up the interior game.

        Reply
  2. Looking forward to seeing this at the Auto SHow

    Reply
  3. GM better get that 3.6 up to 335hp

    Reply
    1. 100%
      I would also love the 2.0T to be the base engine.
      GM doesn’t utilize that engine in enough vehicles. VW stuffs their 2.0T in almost all of their vehicles.

      Reply
    2. Would be nice if torque was bumped up past 300, too.

      Reply
  4. instead of focusing on the classic crosstown rivalry between ford and chevy, shouldn’t the discussion be if the new Ranger will shake up the mid-size truck market and and if the Colorado along with the Ranger are enough to make up lost ground after letting the Toyota Tacoma completely take charge when they left the segment. The Tacoma sold 70% more trucks than the Colorado last year (198.124 vs 112,996) still after the Colorado has been on the market for 3 years. I’m interested to see if the Ranger will eat away at F-150 super-colossal sales.

    Reply
    1. Brand loyalty is strong here. Toyota has a solid base and GM has slowly been eating into it as Toyota has gone conservative on the present model.

      Also it is closer once you factor in the Canyon sales to Toyota too.

      Ford will be like GM and pick up legacy sales from past Ranger owners as GM did with the past Canyon and S10 owners who left to the CUV and SUV segment.

      Cross over sales to the full size buyers is there but limited. as long as discounts are heavy most mid size buyers are buying because they want a smaller truck not a deal. The deals are on the larger trucks but like me I bought mid size because I wanted a smaller size over discount.

      Mid size trucks are not for everyone and often not for traditional buyers. Today many MFGs are finding many of the sales of the most popular crew cab short beds are SUV and CUV owners. These are people who live in suburban areas that want a truck when they need it but want a SUV the rest of the time. They need to fit in a 24×24 garage with the bikes and lawn mower and the other vehicle.

      The mid size will not eclipse the full size but it will grow and the brand loyalty will remain in play.

      I would not be shocked to see an even smaller CUV based pick up come to market at some point if trends remain strong on cross over buyers moving in.

      GM is doing the major refresh next year and you will see changed in styling and features. Word is a Turbo 4 and an improved diesel are coming too. The power is good now and more would not hurt but it is not lacking by any means. MPG is still a factor and my V6 is getting 19.7 City. It is not a Camaro so I am fine with a high 14 second quarter mile and the MPG I am getting. It is a truck not a race car. It also has more power than anything else in class at this point and can easily tow 7,000 pounds. Bigger numbers do not always mean better trucks unless you have the need and in this class how much do you really need?

      Reply
  5. I have been watching the mid-size market for a couple of years now. Saw the Tacoma get refreshed (Meh…) and watched the Colorado\Canyon sort of freshen up over the last couple of years. I had a 2002 Dodge Dakota for 10 years and loved it. Sold it and started buying Jeeps. I am ready for a truck again and want a mid-size unit but I want a lot of safety\technology\comfort features in an extended cab size. I was leaning heavy to the Canyon but waiting for the Ranger debut. I do not have heavy truck needs but will be towing a small motorcycle trailer and probably a small light camper.
    I am impressed with what the new Ranger has to offer, a lot of what I’m looking for without having to resort to a Honda Ridgeline. It will be very interesting to see what happens to the GM twins since all they have done so far is a new engine\transmission. We have all seen the lists of what people would like to see in the twins but they haven’t really done any of it. I hope they do very well as I am historically a GM buyer but the new Ranger is very convincing to me right now 🙂
    Cheers

    Reply
  6. I would like to see Canyon and Colorado both Ext Cabs and Crew cabs make better use of the interior.. Wider would really be nice but I guess that won’t happen.. High off the ground and narrow… not exactly my fav. I will be looking at Ranger Specs.. But for sure GM needs to make these interiors.. particularly the back more useful. Stop with the compartments and BS and just have a total open space when the back seat is put up and make sure it puts up flat. I have a Silverado LTZ and there is quality interior space… Come on GM. AND make the interior a but more luxurious.. Make one model for street use.. nice interior. tons of features and maybe a tad lower to the ground for shorter people.. not real low but lower. Tall guys don’t respond…. we aren’t all 6’4″.

    Reply
    1. Wider? Just buy a Silverado or Sierra then. The width is basically the difference between the full and midsize versions.

      Reply
  7. Can we get some different interior colors instead this sea of black. This is getting ridiculous. Its funny people say they buy then though. Well no kidding when its the only thing the damn dealers are ordering. I saw a nice blue GMC Canyon except it had the boring black interior. But they could order it with the tan its much sharper.

    So to GM give us more color options for the interior for the Colorado and Canyon not just black and gray.

    Reply
  8. GM will be facing heavy competition from not just the Ranger, but also the new Jeep Scrambler “truck”.

    When the latest Colorado/Canyon had a successful debut, GM could have easily put in motion a plan to build a new BOF SUV on the same platform. Even if they just tweaked the existing “global” Trailblazer, they would have something else to offer on this platform?? What do they do instead? They go cheap and make the new Blazer a twin to the existing GMC Acadia.

    Reply
  9. The interiors need to be made nicer along with the seats which I find kind of hard and narrow. Also a 6 or 8 way power seat needs to replace the 4-way setup, more interior color choices need to be offered and the price does not need to go up.

    Reply
  10. How about a sunroof. Is that possible GM?

    Reply

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