Top 10 Ford Rangers

Introduced in 1982, Ford's Ranger—initially categorized as a compact truck (best-selling in the U.S. from 1987-2004)—was the successor to the company's Mazda-built Courier.

In its first generation, which ran until 1992, Ranger grew a large following of mini-truck customizers, "artists" if you will, who took the platform to new levels of floor pan-scraping "low" through chassis and suspension modifications, and brilliant paint-and-graphics schemes that became a signature look for the small-truck trend.

Future generations provided builders with body/interior (second-gen, 1993-1997) and chassis/suspension/drivetrain (third-gen 1998-2011) updates to manipulate until, similar to its Chevrolet nemesis (Colorado), Ranger's production took a hiatus that lasted from 2012-2018. In the following year, Ford reintroduced the truck as a larger, stronger, completely remodeled version for the midsize segment.

Powered primarily by I-4 and V-6 engines, Rangers have proven to be great platforms for Ford 5.0L V-8 (pushrod, not Coyote) through the years and even Cummins 4BT diesel swaps, and they have been modified for everything from the aforementioned slamming and riding low to being set up and used for all of the popular off-road driving disciplines.

As we explained in our report about the Top 10 Chevy Colorados, Rangers from the OEM perspective are well covered by TruckTrend. Diesel Power, Truckin, and Four Wheeler focused on mods for the little rigs, and here's a collection of some of the popular reports.