Diesel Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado Ready for 2012 Release

2012 Ford “Global” Ranger

This is Ford’s new mid-size pickup which will be available pretty much everywhere in the world except the US as MP has complained about inthe past.  It will be available in regular cab, extended cab, and quad cab versions with choices of a gasoline 4-cylinder engine and 5-speed manual, or 4 and 5-cylinder diesels with 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmissions.  Read it and weep at PickupTrucks.com: First Drive: 2012 Ford Ranger

2012 Chevy Colorado

The good news is that we will likely get the new Colorado within the next few years.  The bad news is that engine options for the US are still undisclosed.  MP is a big proponent of GM installing the upcoming 4-cylinder diesel set for the Chevy Cruze in the new mini ‘rado.  Bolt up a 6-speed manual or 6-speed (or more) automatic and that engine could be a decent performer in a little pickup, but we will wait and see.  Read more at PickupTrucks.com: Next Gen Chevy Colorado Gets Ready for World Debut

Source: PickupTrucks.com

April Fools Day Revisited

2011 Ford Harley-Davidson Ranger via PickupTrucks.com

 

PickupTrucks.com’s “Ford to Continue US Ranger Production Indefinitely” article from last year was an instant classic.  Well worth checking out a year later.  Funny and tragic at the same time… like a Robin Williams movie from the 80’s and 90’s.

Insert The World According to Garp/Mrs. Doubtfire/Patch Adams/Good Morning, Vietnam/etc. scenes here.

 Ford Continues Ranger with Improvements: Mahindra Beware

Source: PickupTrucks.com

Jewels of Geneva: Ssangyong SUT 1 and Ford Ranger Wildtrak

The 2011 Geneva Motor Show is underway and it sure seems like the Europeans are getting a glimpse of far cooler machinery (both in concept and production form) than Americans have seen at US shows in several years. Okay, the Ford Raptor, GMC Granite, and Sierra All Terrain HD concepts are a few recent truck market exceptions.
Two vehicles that will stand out to Americans hoping for a legitimate US small pickup offering with diesel power are the Ssangyong SUT 1 and Ford Ranger Wildtrak.



2011 Ssangyong SUT 1 Concept



Ssangyong SUT 1

Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor (recently acquired by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd) has unveiled their SUT 1 concept pickup truck at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The concept pickup is likely to be based on a unitized platform shared with the Ssangyong Korando C SUV (Editor 11-Mar-2011: The SUT 1 is not based on the Korando C unibody platform.  It is actually an updated version of the body-on-frame Actyon Sports pickup.) The engine is a 2.0L 4-cylinder diesel (likely a design licensed from Mercedes-Benz) putting out 153 hp and 265 lb-ft torque, and backed up with either a 6-speed manual or automatic transmission.

Despite its unfortunate name (sounds like ‘suck one’ to us, S-U-T doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue), the pickup is styled quite well. We suspect that the body concept was outsourced to an Italian design house as Ssangyong has done with the Korando C. Nothing against Mahindra’s styling department, but they should seriously consider using some Western consultation on their body design (although the W201 seems promising).



2011 Ssangyong SUT 1 Concept



The SUT 1’s wheelbase is about 2 inches shorter than a Honda Ridgeline’s and looks to have about the same amount of cargo space. It’s likely that a production version would get the same rear wheel drive or full time all wheel drive configuration options already available on the Korando C. Will we ever see it in the US? PickupTrucks.com thinks we will. Based on the minimal success of recent trucks like the Honda Ridgeline and Subaru Baja, it’s questionable. Factor in the completely unknown Ssangyong name, and it’s probably a hard sell unless it has a really ridiculous base price. MP has been wrong before.

2011 Ford Ranger Wildtrak



Ford Ranger Wildtrak

The Ford Ranger Wildtrak is highest trim level of the new Ranger mid-size pickup that has been known for some time as ‘T6’ or the ‘Global Ranger’. This is the truck that many people wish Ford would bring to the US. The photos pretty much speak for themselves: it’s a killer truck and there are undoubtedly thousands of Americans who would love to own it, if they actually brought it here. How Ford can justify a prohibitively expensive halo truck like the Raptor but refuse to replace the outgoing Ranger with the new global Ranger is completely baffling. Seriously Ford, WTF?

2011 Ford Ranger Wildtrak



With a 7,385 pound towing capacity and a 197 hp/346 lb-ft torque, 3.2L 5-cylinder diesel engine, with manual or automatic transmission options… I’m sure that no one in America would ever want such an anemic and weak little truck. Obviously it’s terrible, so that is why 188 countries will get it, but the US and Canada will not. We can dream anyway.

Source: PickupTrucks.com, Jalopnik.com

Is The Compact Pickup Still Relevant?

The compact pickup has become the unloved, redheaded stepchild of the American auto industry. Marketing is non-existent. Even the most popular small pickup in the States, the Toyota Tacoma, gets only the tiniest of television ad time. Usually the ‘Taco’ is relegated to a glimpse in a Toyota ad for other models. It certainly doesn’t get the dedicated print and television advertising that the Tundra enjoys.

Ford has declared that the Ranger (the #2 selling compact pickup) will be replaced with… the Focus and F-150. Basically, telling Americans that they do not see a future with compact pickups in it.

In MahindraPlanet’s humble opinion, the popularity of compact pickups began to wane when the major players (except Ford) all mid-sized their compact pickup offerings. We have no hard evidence to back this up with, but it seems to us that when the manufacturers decided to close the gap between compact and full-sized pickups 5 or 6 years ago, consumers were forced to make a decision between two trucks which weren’t all that different in size compared to the previous model. So, they either super-sized their truck, or resigned themselves to a smaller sedan or SUV.

The past week has seen a couple of great stories emerge on the relevance of small pickup trucks in the United States:

1 - PickupTrucks.com: What About the Little Guys? Small Pickups Snubbed in Detroit

Mike Levine gathered quotes from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and Suzuki for their take on the compact pickup market. The debate continues in the comments section with Joe Callimachus (a http://www.mahindratruckforum.com/ regular contributor) leading in with a Mahindra rallying call. Of course, MahindraPlanet had to throw our 2 cents in as well.

2 – TundraHeadquarters.com: Will Consumers Buy Compact, Unibody Scion Pickups?

Jason lays out his view on the possibility of a small, cheap, and economical pickup coming from Toyota’s entry-level/youth brand, Scion. Jason makes good points both for and against the concept. It’s a great read. The MP opinion is that there is indeed a place for this truck. It’s a great introduction to Toyota’s truck line, and it’s practical for anyone who needs to carry small loads on occasion and doesn’t want the limitations of a wagon (who makes those anymore anyway?), and certainly doesn’t need a larger pickup.

Also check out: Tata Xenon: Your Next Dodge Dakota?

Sources: TundraHQ and PickupTrucks are also located permanently on the sidebar

Ranger photo: http://www.fordpic.com/

US Will be Denied Next Generation “Global” Ford Ranger

Ford announced this week that the US will not get a version of the next generation Ranger compact pickup. Reaffirming our last post that domestic truck manufacturers effectively don’t believe there is demand for compact diesel pickups in the United States.

A real shame, as the Australian-developed ‘T6’ Ranger appeared to be a great package for stateside compact truck buyers. As reported by PickupTrucks.com back in May, the 2012 Ranger might’ve been powered by Ford’s 175 HP, 1.6 liter, direct injection, EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine.

On the up side, rumors are circulating that a mid-sized Ford F-100 pickup with a width similar to that of the current F-150, but with a significantly shorter wheelbase may become the current Ranger replacement.

Powertrain options galore may be speculated upon if the F-100 were to come to fruition. However, we feel it would be a shame if they didn’t offer at least one diesel option.

For further reading on the F-100, also check out these TruckTrend.com articles: Here

Via: All Cars All the Time and PickupTrucks.com
Rendering: F-100 by Mark Stehrenberger and Lifted from PickupTrucks.com