Next-generation Ford Ranger test mules have been spotted overseas, and if they're being brought to the U.S., compact pickup enthusiasts may have something to cheer about. The current U.S.-market Ford Ranger, dated design and all, is scheduled to stop production in 2011, but no official replacement has been named yet. The recently spotted 2012 Ford Ranger test mules may be the small pickup model Ford needs to gain traction in the U.S. compact truck segment.
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The next-generation Ranger is being built on a single global platform, codenamed T6, and is being designed in Australia. In typical Ford fashion, the mules are disguised with other Ford vehicle bodies, and both left-hand and right-hand variations have been spotted. The mules have been using the body of the double-cab Mazda BT-50 pickup truck that is sold overseas. Although Ford uses the Ranger name for its small truck offerings worldwide, the name is the only connection the North American Ranger and the overseas Ranger share.
Scant details exist on the next-generation Ranger for the U.S., but an industry source has stated the powerplant of choice for the U.S. version (should it make it here) is likely to be a new turbocharged EcoBoost I-4 with 1.6L of displacement and direct injection. At the least, the 1.6L EcoBoost is expected to produce 175 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque. For Ranger lovers outside of the U.S., the 3.0L Duratorq TDCi I-4 turbodiesel engine with 154 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque is expected to carry over from the current overseas Ranger.
Source: Pickuptrucks.com