Anyone who thinks that most or all Ranger buyers are shifting to F-150s is dreaming -- if there's one thing I've learned from pickuptrucks.com commentary, it's that although a lot of brand allegiance and fervor exists in buyers of half-tons, buyers of midsize and compact trucks tend to want the truck that suits their needs best, brand be damned.

As of 4 months ago, this former Ranger owner bought a 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X. I have a new found respect for Nissan's trucks and have been very happy with my purchase so far. Truck is rugged and has had no problems. In all fairness to Ford, I did test drive an f-150 for a day and it is a great truck. The cab is way up and its nice to see around but its just way to much truck for my purposes. Its size works against it and I've complained about it before and driving one for a day only reinforces my view. I couldn't even turn the thing around in my driveway. I have no large trailer to tow or horses etc...so a mid sized truck is the way to go for me. Great truck Nissan!

I will say I'm holding onto my 03 Dakota for has long as I can.

For a truck that's almost 10 years old mine works hard, and has barely any rust underneath.

Until someone comes out with a truck that makes it worth replacing that is...

Here's a Ranger/F-150 analogy: It's like going through a fast food line and they ask if you would like to super size your meal for ten cents more. No thank you. I'm not going to eat 2 pounds of fries and the drink won't fit in the cup holder anyways.

I agree with Michael and Uncle bud. If you dont need a big truck then you shouldnt have to be forced to buy one. Im a Ford guy but if i needed a small truck then i too would search for one that suited me whatever brand it may be.

The compact pickup buyer is practical by nature. We value a good deal no matter the brand. Price, practicality and dependability are among our highest concerns when buying a vehicle. Ford gave up on the Ranger a lot longer than last year.

@Dan; I'm thinking of making the same decision as you. The Nissan frontier is ranked most dependable by JD Power and is THOUSANDS less than the comparable Tacoma. I've owned 4 Toyota trucks and owning a "Toyota," in name sake, just isn't worth an extra $4k.

It's really pretty simple. A compact truck buyer would prefer to spend money on an affordable truck they need versus a similarly priced vehicle that they don't need, and in fact may be too big for what they need it for. Too often times a full size truck just gets in its own way.

"@03 Dak "-
I loved the looks of Dakota's,I almost bought one but it was a bit too much money for myself,even liked the last model year,maybe would of bought one of those now if they still had them.

"@Others/All"- .
I fall into the non brand loyal category I had a 1984 GMC Jimmy the small one S-15,before that a 1980 Toyota 4x4.Then I had a single cab long bed base model 2wd Magnum v-6 1996 Dodge Dakota model I bought cheap because a tree fell on the bed when brand new,repaired and was a great truck until 1998 when I bought my first Ranger,needed a 4x4 couldnt take not having a 4x with 7 months of winter back east .I bought my Ranger because it was the lowest cost truck on the market,plus I didnt mind the looks of it.Never owned a Ford before 98 and people I do know who owned Ford's had mid 60's Galaxies and big Mercury cars something they no longer make.I dont like the looks of Toyota's Tacoma,I drove it and wasnt impressed,also it is really ugly.My next truck looks to be a GMC Canyon,I drove the Nissan and think its too pricey for what it is,GM has the best SMALL trucks out right now.I need a truck asap because my 2010 Ranger was totalled and I have a rental car for 2 more weeks (aweful Nissan Versa rental,horrible car)If I was a taller guy I am pretty sure I would buy a Dodge Ram 1500 or maybe a F-150 or even a GMC Sierra but the Dodge looks the best and people I know who have them even older models swear they are the best. My Ranger was a good truck I bought a 1998 then a 2004 and my last one a 2010 all were good like i said if i were a tall guy I would buy a fullsize but i look like a child in a big truck being only 5'6 I am a tiny,tiny ,tiny man (as my x-wife used to tell me)So GMC canyon 4x4 for me,dealer just has to locate a loaded up black 4 door and its mine.Cheers Y'all.

Just goes to prove that auto manufacturers have no loyalty to their customers. So why should we have any for a company that hung us out to dry?

It does surprise me that ford was willing to piss on that many customers, 50000>? Reminds me of their lawyers "Let them burn" statement. In the rangers last few months of production ads were all over the airwaves touting some 'great' deal. Problem was the stealerships used the excuse that " There won't be any more" to tact another 5 grand on top of this 'great deal'.
I would really like to see dealership only sales -go away-. I would like to see dealerships replaced with corporate owned 'service centers'. I will believe no arguement that states or implies that these theft centers are nescessary.
As for Fords......... It looks like Jeep has green-lighted the gladiator pickup for 2015. Bye-bye ford. Too bad Chevy. Nice try ram, what part of no-diesel-no-deal, couldn't you understand?

Ford did give up on the Ranger a long time ago, and that's why it continued to lose market share until its demise. It really has barely changed since the early 90's. Did Ford expect the Ranger to even maintain market share with that strategy?

Ford has stated that they won't bring the Global Ranger to the US because it's 90% the size of the F150. The Tacoma & Frontier are ~90% the size of full size trucks (do the math on the dimensions listed on the mfg. websites) and they are selling plenty of midsize trucks.

Love my '12 Tacoma, perfect size. I didn't even consider a full size truck!

Chevy needs to fix the looks of the upcoming Colorado and capitalize on this. As is, they won't sell any of those things either. It's too ugly. Toyota and Nissan will be the beneficiaries by default.

I traded my 4.0L V6 Nissan Frontier for a new 2010 5.7L Tundra and I think the frontier was a great compact I bought it after test driving a Tacoma.

If I wanted an F150, i would have got one, if I wanted a Focus, Transit or Escape I would have got one. I wanted a Ranger because its cheap, fuel efficient easy and inexpensive to fix and its compact so its easy to get around tight areas and park. I don't think i'll want that global Ranger, its only a couple inches narrower than a fullsize like the rest of the midsize trucks.
I'll probably just end up getting a 4x4 Ranger in the used market and keep it in good condition and get a motorcycle when I don't need to use a truck.
As far as the other owners go, some(as in few) are getting a bigger trucks but most dont want a fullsize and are either keeping their Rangers or going to the Tacoma or Frontier.
Major loss for Ford considering the Ranger out sold the entire Lincoln line up and a bunch of other Ford vehicles for last couple of years.

Ranger = almost no R&D costs because the truck had no total redesigns from 1993-2011. Even the basic body was the same. Yet, it continued to be #2 in sales in it's category, right behind the Toyota Tacoma. That's a manufacturers dream...to have a truck that's been around for ages and doesn't cost you much to produce...yet it sells like hotcakes. And what does Ford do? They kill it.

E-series = same story. Almost unchaged from year to year, best selling work van in the nation. You see them EVERYWHERE. Ford is just raking in profits on the E-series. So what do they do? They kill it.

Escape = yet again the same story...except rather than killing it they do something even worse...they turn it into the ugliest car that wants to be a SUV on the road, then recall every one of them sold.

Is it any wonder that a company like this was struggling? With moves like this they'll be struggling again just wait and see.

Ford just handed sales to Nissan and Toyota. What a dumb move. They laid off hundreds of workers in Minnesota when they closed the Ranger plant. And now Ford refuses to build the new T6 Ranger here for fear it will hurt F-series sales. Hey, Ford, keep your buyers with a blue oval on the hood.

I have nothing against Ford but Ford just like any other manufacturer if they no longer have a product I need or want I will go elsewhere. Prior to the total demise of the Ranger there were Ford loyalists that told me on this site that I should just accept the fact that Ford no longer found the small truck market and that I should buy a Transit Connect or an F-150. When someone tells me to take it or leave it my reply is that I will leave it. Also my reply to the Ford loyalists is and was that I will go elsewhere for a smaller truck and if Ford ever comes back with a smaller truck I will consider it but I will not lose any sleep over it. I have no problems selecting from the current limited supply they are all good and if the next generation of Colorado doesn't look that great I will still consider it. I own a Ford product and I like it but I can live with any brand so long as it is reliable.

I've bought new 4wd Rangers in 1993, and 2005. The full-size trucks are too big; they don't fit in parking spots or in the garage. If I had to buy today, it'd be the Frontier Pro. I'm hoping the Colorado will be available before GM goes belly up again.

@Clatterman--GM will not go belly up, they are making plenty of money in Asia, particularily China. There is a greater chance that they will become a Chinese based corporation than going out of business. Presently GM anc Chrysler have record profits. There could be another dip in the economy next year which would hurt all of them but they will survive. The European market is bad for everyone but that eventually will improve as well.

Ford actually did something sensible. THEY KILLED OFF the ancient relic that was the Rump Ranger. You simply cannot offer twenty year old products these days and be competitive. The Super Duty is not far behind. Chalk it up to TWO LOSSES for Ford.

Most of the posts here echo my thoughts on Ford and the Ranger. I'm a long time Ford man. I have a 2000 Ranger and plan on keeping it a long time. I was interested in trading for a new Ranger but since Ford skipped out on us I'm no longer interested. If I had to trade I'd go with the Nissan Frontier.

@Michigan Bob--What is done is done, but many would have said that all the Ranger would have needed was an update and newer more efficient motors and drivetrain. If Ford would have done that and increased their advertising budget on Ranger they would still be at least number 2 in small truck sales and maybe even number 1. Who knows for sure but the Ranger is no more. Let's move on.

Ford should blame themselves for waning sales. That's what happens when you don't update a product or promote it.

I'm in the market for a compact pickup truck. The Frontier is my top choice. A used Ranger is a distant second. The Frontier is a better vehicle all around. The only thing that keeps me wanting a used Ranger is that they can be had for pretty cheap and parts are everywhere.

This is the second big mistake that ford has made for killing off a vehicle. The first was the Bronco back in 1996. It confuses me as to why Ford is doing this. They have so many great ways to make the Ranger the absolute best compact truck on the market like the eco-boost engines and great electronics like Sync and many other possible improvements and as long as they kept the price a lot lower than the grossly overpriced Taco then it would dominate for sure.

I have a friend (in his eighties) who recently sold his Ranger 4.0-liter and bought a 2012 Ecoboost F150 4-dr 2wd to replace it as his personal daily driver.

I do not believe that current Ranger owners will stray far from the fold when it is time to replace their Rangers, even if they now have to shell out $40K+ for an Ecoboost F150 with all the bells and whistles.

@MOAR BACON --Consumer Reports says that the Ford Ranger has average reliability butl that the parts are easy to find and affordable and that is why many of them run a longtime. Depending on where you live and if you want a V-6, 4 cylinder, or 4 wheel drive you can still find them new if you do a search on cars.com. Nationwide I found just under a 1,000 remaining 2011 Ford Rangers but most had V-6s. The October 2007 Consumer Reports had an article on vehicles that went over 200k miles and one of the featured vehicles was a 1994 Ford Ranger pickup with 488,000 original miles. The owner of this Ranger, Fritz Kysar of Kearneysville, W.VA kept up on all the maintenance and his advice "If you are going to drive a vehicle for a long time, buy replacement parts with a lifetime warranty. I haven't paid for a set of brakes in eight or nine years." Just thought I would pass that on to you MOAR BACON.

Thia is kind of off topic, but one thing that I think would be a win for everyone is if more manufacturers started offering v8s in their midsize trucks. The only two options in recent memory are the Dakota and Colorado -- one's gone, and one is soon to be redesigned, probably losing the 5.3 as an option in the process.

Oftentimes buyers of half-tons come home with a brand new truck, and when the discussion shifts to smaller trucks, you might hear sentiments like "yeah, I liked the (insert midsize truck here) a lot, but I'd miss the power and sound of a v8." I've seen it, and I'm sure many of you have, as well. This would help breathe some life into the segment, and provide an outlet for buyers who want a fun 4x4 toy that can do hard work when it comes down to it; the main limitations on towing and payload would be wheelbase and frame strength, not horsepower/torque. Since most manufacturers are coming close to 20/15 highway/town mpg with v8s in half-tons, the midsizes' mpg could be expected to be a little higher than that.

Can you imagine a Frontier with a 5.6? I'd buy that in a second. A Tacoma with the 4.6? While I'm dreaming, a global Ranger offered here with the 5.0? Sounds like a win-win to me.

@Highdesertcat-MPGs are not the only reason to buy a compact truck. Nothing wrong with the F-150 or the Ecoboost but I don't really need or want a full size. Ford has shifted to the one size fits all model for pickups and that will not work for everyone. Maybe Ford will get many Ranger owners to stay in the fold but many are already straying to Nissan and Toyota. Personally I don't need Ford and can choose from whats available and what Ford does or does't do is their choice and not my concern. I currently have an S-10 and Isuzu that have plenty of years left in them and when it comes time to replace them I will find a compact or midsize truck whether it be American, Japanese, Korean, or Chinese.

Where are Ranger owners going? To a much more modern and capable truck, whatever they buy. The Ranger was a good truck at one time, but Ford totally neglected it after the mid-90's.

Jeff S -

Thank you for that bit of info. My qualms with the Ranger are mostly due to the configuration options. No 4 door option with the 4 cylinder. Bucket seats only on the sport model or as an upgrade (I think this was possible?). Those are the 2 biggest things I take issue with. Small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, but important to me.

Oh yea, that 3.0 V6. I hate it when I find a reasonably priced Ranger only to find out that's equipped with the 3.0. The gas mileage of the 4.0 with only slightly more HP than the I-4. WHY DID FORD MAKE THIS ENGINE AN OPTION?

@MOAR BACON --What you said is true but I have to admit that Ranger was one heck of a good truck. I would opt for the 4 cylinder manual. In 1999 I almost bought a new Ranger but I got a much better deal on an S-10. I have no regrets but I would have no regrets with a Ranger.

Jeff S, that's why this article will cause much speculation as to what the current Ranger owners will choose to buy when it is time to retire their Ranger.

At some point it becomes economically not feasible to keep the antique running as a daily driver. Hence the reference to my friend who retired his antique Ranger in favor of a 2012 F150 EB.

His old Ranger was a 1985 model, I believe, and really, really tired. I know this first hand because I helped him to keep it running all these years. He referred to it as "Sir Smokesalot".

Although I myself have no need for a compact or midsize pickup truck, I believe that many current Ranger owners would gravitate to the Tacoma, the best-selling compact truck in America.

And with all the different versions and configurations of the Tacoma readily available in America, there's got to be one for everyone who wants a certain configuration to replace their old Ranger.

Personally I would like to have seen little pickup trucks from Tata and Mahindra become available in America, especially the small-diesel, stick shift versions.

Man! That would have been something! But the domestic truckmaker lobby and UAW lobby were just too strong for Tata, et al to get around.

Choice is good and I believe in the more, the merrier.

Jeff S., BTW, since you own an S-10, how much are they worth these days.

I have a buddy who owns a 1993 S-10 ExtCab, 4.3 and is considering trading up to a new Tundra 5.7 similar to mine.

Everything works on his S-10 and he recently had the AC completely rebuilt. I put a new radiator, waterpump, fan clutch, antifreeze and rubber hoses and serpentine belt on it for him, but I have no idea how much he should ask for it or how much it can sell for, on average.

Your input?

I bet they went to jump off a cliff after realizing what a outdated, low technology vehicle they were running around in.

As a long time shopper of trucks for my two bizz's, I have seen a lot of Nissan Frontier's & Chevy Colorado's being sold. A lot more then in the past.

@Highdesert cat--A quick look at Kelly Blue Book say the following:

4x4 Trade Fair $1,349 Good $1,649

4X4 Private Party Fair $2,239 Good $2,739

2 wd Trade Fair $ 999 Good $1,299
2 wd Private Party Fair $1,774 Good $2,274

Highdesert this factors in with 165,000 miles and nation average. Where you live in the West your values could be higher because you do not have the rust issues and used vehicles from the West are more desirable because of the rust in most of the country.

Trade-in is always lower as when I tried to trade my 99 S-10 extend cab in 2008 it had 84,000 miles with new tires, new clutch, new catalytic converter, just tuned up and I was offered $3,000 (that is why I kept it but I offered to give it to my brother-in-law but he decided to fix up his aging Land Cruiser). I will probably drive it for another 10 years because I am averaging 3k to 4k miles per year and use it to go to the bus stop 3 miles away and to haul things in. It now turned 97k miles on it and it runs like new and looks like new. If I travel I use my 2008 Isuzu I-370 4x4 Crew Cab with heated leather seats which has 22k on it. I got my money's worth out of my S-10 long ago and now it is paying me back dividends in good reliable service. Except maintenance I hardly spend anything on it. If a family member needed it I would give it to them because it is a good reliable vehicle.

Jeff S | Aug 22, 2012 2:30:31 PM, thanks so much dude!

I have extracted your comment and emailed it to my bud with the S-10 - his is 2wd in good shape, no dents, no damage, just 20yo paint.

My guess would be that he's going to keep his S10 around and not buy that Tundra.

His S10 does the job, has no issues, is all paid for, works as his daily driver, and he has an '89 Camry (was his wife's - now his grand daughter drives it) and a 2012 Grand Cherokee (for his wife) as well.

As an aside, in 1994 he bought a Mazda B4000, essentially a rebadged Ranger and it didn't last. It was a POS! By 2006 he had to dump it and take the loss with only 90K on the odo. A guy with a Ranger bought that Mazda, but his S-10 soldiered on, as it does to this day.

I think he'll keep it a while longer.

If I had to choose today and it had to be a new truck, then most likely I would go with the Canyon/Colorado simply because it appears to be the smallest available "mid-sized" truck in the US.
Fortunately for me, I don't have to make that choice and when I did need to buy a truck of any size, I took the cheapest available in decent condition, a 1990 F-150 at a whopping $2500. (Interestingly, I just took it through its first exhaust inspection today and the numbers were far, FAR better than I expected!)

As such, I have a truck that is useful and to some extent fun to drive, though it's also much, much bigger than I either need or want. Two good factors here is that in two years it qualifies as an honest Antique--earning status and perhaps even an increase in trade-in/resale value--and if another commenter is correct, a Jeep branded truck will arrive which could well tempt me to trade this monster on something I truly want. Increased trade-in value with a truck I'd want to own means the chances of that trade are very high.

So Ford burned a few truck that buyers that won't be buying F-150s. Some will however. The global mid-sizers are considerably larger than the old Ranger anyways.

Ford is primarily in the business half ton pickups and SUVs. Any thing else is either a bonus to, cannibalizes or is subsidized by them.

There are only X amount of mid-size truck sales to be had so why take a loss just to steal a few sales from Toyota and others? GM is going for it, but GM is GM.

@-Highdesert Cat--Nothing against the Tundra but that is what I would do if it is running great and it is paid for you can't do better than that unless he really wants the Tundra and then that will last him probably the rest of his life. Regardless of what some of the people say on this site I know lots of Tundra owners and all I hear is praise about them and how good they are. Same goes for Tacoma. The reason I bought a new truck 4 years ago because at the time I was doing a lot of traveling with my job and the bargains were everywhere. Now because of the Federal budget my travel is almost nonexistent but I do not regret buying the Isuzu especially at 10k off sticker and it has proven to be extremely reliable (it is the same as the Colorado).

@DWFields--If a vehicle is giving you good reliable service and it is safe then you always come out ahead by keeping it. Sometimes the new car or truck bites and we sometimes just want something new. There is nothing wrong with wanting something new if you can afford it. As for the Colorado since I own one of its cousins I am a lot more satisified with it than I expected to be. Reading various comments from Colorado, Canyon, and I-280 & I-370 Isuzu most of the owners are very well pleased and they usually rate it at 4 out of 5. Consumer Reports doesn't particularily like Colorados nor do some of the car magazines but Consumer Reports does not keep a vehicle long term and I do not always agree with their rating though I read CR. Any of the midsize trucks are good and I myself do not have a brand biased. I do agree with what you have said in the past that there needs to be a true compact truck along the lines of 80s and 90s Toyotas, Nissans, S-10s, and Rangers.

I went to a 2012 Tacoma sport 4x4 double cab short bed. If ford had updated the ranger I would of bought one, no I was not going to buy a f-150 don't need the size. I do miss my ranger but I have moved on ford bye bye.

Jeff S. From my own experience I can tell you that when reaching my age (66 and up) people tend to want to trade quantity for quality.

In this case it applies that many people want to go from owning several vehicles, to owning two relatively new vehicles with warranty coverage still on them. And so it is with my buddy.

He'd like to get rid of the S10 and the Camry and buy that new Tundra, and along with his wife's 2012 Grand Cherokee, they'd be down to two vehicles, and two less insurance policies since the Tundra could go on the Grand Cherokee's policy. The other two old policies are legacy policies and cannot be used for new vehicles since all the rules have changed with insurance companies.

At one time I had 21 vehicles parked on my property, ten of which I ended up selling to a local metal recycler, one that was brand new and 10 which I kept running.

In 2011 my wife told me that if I got that new Tundra I would have to get rid of my Silverado, my F150 and eight other cars I still had.

I sold all of them; all of them to illegal aliens for good money. At that point we were down to two vehicles: her 2008 Highlander and my 2011 Tundra. Since buying her that 2012 Grand Cherokee last year we're back up to three vehicles.

Besides, most of us codgers are too old now to tool and wrench on our own vehicles in the driveway. Let warranty cover them.

03Dak: I can only agree with you, I have had mine since new, and have had few problems with it, the only thing I have had to pay $ for is the ball joints, and that is because the dealer was only going to replace with the same non-grease fitting B Joints from the fac. it was part of the re-call, and for the price of the parts, the dealer went ahead and put my parts in for only the cost of said parts, the Chrysler Co. paid labor as part of the re-call! and the water pump went out under warrantee, that is all, these is also allmost no rust under or around it, and I drive on the beach, and live in the salt belt area, on an Island off the coast of New England to boot! all the tacos in the area have had there chassis replaced by toyota!, but not there bumpers, or rear bed panels! I also own other trucks so the Dakota is just a foul weather toy now, but it will last a long time. Oh , it is a reg cab 4X4 5spd 4.7, and it runs like a scalded cat.

update it with a four cylinder diesel and it'll sell like hotcakes

I find it funny to see people mad at Ford and complain about their lack of loyalty to customers.
DUH!
We are talking about multinational companies. They make decisions based on profits and loss, risk versus benefit, and what research tells them.
Fanboi's everywhere (regardless of brand) - WAKE THE F--K UP!
Companies do not give a rat's ass about you, so why worship them???????????
Welcome to the real world.
They killed the Ranger because the benefit of upgrading/replacing it wasn't good enough for them.
I do suspect that they under-estimated loyalty but who the hell cares?
It does not hurt me one flipping bit.
If I want a small truck I'll just go buy one from someone who does make one. Why is that so hard to accept or figure out?

It is extremely obvious that most people who buy small trucks look at factors other than price points and mpg. Logically, there is very little reason to own a small truck when a fullsizer offers similar if not better mpg, more capacity, more performance, more features, and with rebates often the same or less purchase cost.
If that is the case, why buy a small truck?
Simple answer..............
There are people out there that like/want small trucks!
Why else would the antiquated Ford Ranger sell well year after year.

I had a Ranger for 10 years. It was getting old, needed to replace it. Considered getting a new 2011 Ranger, but I wanted something more modern, and not an F-150. So, now I'm the owner of new Nissan Frontier. Had Ford redesigned a new North American Ranger, I'd probably be driving that right now.

Where Are Ford Ranger Owners Going?

Up Lou's A$$!!!

GUTS
GLORY
RAM!

Ok, First of all, the problem the truck industry (Especially Ford, Nissan & Dodge) is having is that it is being run by female designers (Yuk!!!); than it was back in the 1980's & 1990's-plus into the early 2000's. You can tell by all the trucks that look feminine today & this is Not to bash women (God knows I Love Them)..but I just feel it is better to have guys design trucks, for example the headlights on most of these trucks (including the Ford Ranger that is being sold over seas these days..diffidently has a feminine appeal with the headlights...This is the Wrong direction to take!!!..it is making the trucks look like only women should buy them with these sleek designs, which soon depreciates the truck value because only woman are interested in buying them than guys.
Now lets take a time machine back when trucks were selling like hot cakes. You would probably find more buying & interests back in the 1980's-2004..that's because more guys were designing the trucks..they were keeping them simple with square lights, sufficient engines, and a cool design-that both Men & Women enjoyed getting into with their purchase of their truck.
My recommendations for Ford, Dodge, & Nissan would be to bring back the mid-size truck, but this time bring it back with alot of masculine qualities. For example for Ford that was just dumped down the toilet the past 10 years is Where did their door handles go & where is the cute holes for the grill vent that used to be on the Ford Trucks hoods next to the front window???. These kinds of mistakes can hurt even the F-150 after awhile.
What Ford needs to do is bring back the Ford Ranger & design it around their 1997-1999 Ford Ranger plus the Tremor & Splash designs for that time mixed with the 2003 Ford Ranger Edge & some of the new designs of the F-150...at least this would be a great start. I would say for Nissan..go back to the starting gate when you used to make your Nissan back in the late 1980's & start with designs there..instead of the feminine truck you guys have now. Ok last but not least Dodge you guys only need to go back to 1998 & start over there with your Dodge Dakota..same thing has happened to your company aswell..too much feminine designers. Anyway, I Hope this reaches the right people to make some chances, Yours Truelly Jimbo....

Does anyone think the definition of what 1/2 ton, compact, etc really needs adapting?

For Example, a previous gen Dakota or current Ridgeline in essence carry 1/2 ton paid load almost pretty well. The requisite 4x8 test could be done in the Ridgeline (obviously not in the quad cab only version) or Dakota if it added another 1.5" of clearance in the bed on each side...

I just seem the believe that the global ranger is closer to what a real 1/2 ton should be size and capabilities wise. The new larger trucks currently like the F150 and Ram are really larger then the 3/4 ton trucks from 10 years ago. A 96 F250 is smaller in length then the Dakota that just passed...

At this pace, the dreaded micro truck is bound to come in to the market even if the price is more (similar to how the Fit and Civic are priced similarly) because it a size issue that more congested areas don't want to deal with.

as I see it the only problem with the Rangr was Ford has never givin it an update in yrs.! all it needed was for them to put a 3.7, or even a 4cyl Ecco-Boost engine in it as an option and the reg 4cyl from the Transit Van as standard! and with an updated tranny, maybe even a standard! that would have been sweet! I would love to be able to replace my Dakota with a reg cab 4X4 Ranger, with a 4cyl EB 6spd stand, or even a 3.7 v-6! that would be a nice little truck! forget abouot that "new global" Ranger, that looks more like an SUV or Heaven forbid a car! I kow folks that have Rangers with well over 150K on them, and have had no problem, and not any rust issues either. The Ranger was a fine truck! nothng wrong, all it needed was some updates! for better mpg, and maybe more power.