The All-New 2023 Ford Ranger Looks Tougher Than Ever
The all-new Ford Ranger returned for the 2019 model year with a brand new look, hoping to compete with other trucks of similar size, like the Toyota Tacoma. The new 2023 Ranger is teased by Ford as the toughest one yet, but it hasn’t officially been revealed. Tough tends to be an adjective often used to describe trucks, but what does it mean for the Ranger? Here’s how Ford teased the all-new 2023 Ranger as the toughest yet.
A tough teaser video
The video shows a 2023 Ford Ranger, camouflaged from top-to-bottom traversing a few different extreme terrains. Most notably the desert shows off the Ranger’s ability to climb. The Ranger moves up hills through the sand, over rocks on a mountain, and more in the video. “Making sure everything works when it’s full of mud” is proudly displayed as the Ranger tears through loads of it. Aggressive drifting through the wet dirt shows off the ability of the truck to move through these types of terrain. This is how Ford displays just how tough the Ranger actually will be. Ford is working on loading up the Ranger with offroading capability, but drifting through the mud is an easier way to show it.
What we know about the 2023 Ford Ranger
Though the official reveal of the Ranger won’t take place until later this year, here’s what we do know. Ford says the Ranger will have “superior off-road credentials paired with dynamic driving DNA”. From the teaser, it is very obvious that Ford is taking the offroad additions to its small pickup seriously. This statement goes hand-in-hand with the video as Ford doubles down on the claim that the off-road credentials will be improved from previous model years. Ford referenced the technology and other features being added when it said, “the toughest, most capable, most connected and most versatile Ranger yet”.
This new Ranger will also be the first to get a plug-in hybrid variant. The plug-in hybrid engine is rumored to be the 2.3 EcoBoost with an electric motor that will together produce 362-hp. Other likely engine options are the 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder with 300-hp, 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 with 330-hp, and the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 with 400-hp. The latter being for the Ranger Raptor, borrowed from the Bronco Warthog.
Catching the competition
In an attempt to climb towards competing with the Toyota Tacoma, the Ranger needed a little more offroad prowess. The Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro has Fox 2.5-inch diameter internal bypass shocks;16-wheels and tires; a TRD exhaust system; Progressive-rate leaf springs support the back and the suspension is lifted up an inch in the front. The Tacoma is an excellent selection for everyday driving, offroading, and even for hauling loads. It can even tow 6,400 lbs, which is quite a bit for a compact pickup truck. There’s a reason the Toyota Tacoma is the best-selling truck in its class, with more than 150,000 sales during 2020.
To get all the details about the new 2023 Ford Ranger, we’ll have to wait until the official premiere. It should take place closer to the end of the year. In the United States, the 2023 Ranger is likely to become available in 2022 as a 2023 model year. If you wanted a Ranger the last few years but needed more, especially offroad capability, this may be the year. That’s why the all-new 2023 Ford Ranger looks tougher than ever.
