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64-599: Called a "garageable family van", the Carousel featured two-box design (as opposed to the one-box configuration of the Volkswagen Microbus ) and three-row forward-facing seating. Designed and styled by Dick Nesbitt (designer of the Ford Mustang II ), the Carousel prototype was built for Ford by Carron & Company of Inkster, Michigan . In 1972, Ford truck designers had begun final design work on

128-639: A fourth generation of the Ranger (after a seven-year hiatus). The first mid-size Ranger in North America, the model line is derived from the globally-marketed Ford Ranger (revised to fulfill North American design requirements). The first three generations of the Ranger were produced by Ford at its Louisville Assembly ( Louisville, Kentucky ), Edison Assembly ( Edison, New Jersey ), and Twin Cities Assembly ( Saint Paul, Minnesota ) facilities;

192-399: A joint venture with Nissan ). The Windstar would largely follow the design set in place by Chrysler, adopting front-wheel drive and unit-body construction based on a car platform. One-box design The configuration of a car body is typically determined by the layout of the engine, passenger and luggage compartments, which can be shared or separately articulated. A key design feature

256-471: A mid-cycle redesign with new front fenders, a restyled hood and grille, and flush-mounted composite headlamps (with larger marker lamps). To further improve aerodynamics, the front bumper was redesigned and enlarged to fit more closely with the front fenders. Badging was revised; the fender icons were restyled, and the "FORD" lettering on the right-hand side of the XLT-significant tailgate trim panel

320-407: A million sales per year. Project Yuma was centered around quality and fuel efficiency . At the beginning of the project, Ford researched additional elements that were valued by potential compact truck buyers. Along with flexibility for both work and personal use, Ford found that buyers desired additional interior room, including three-across seating, comfortable seats, and headroom and legroom for

384-401: A parametric academic model, provides an open-source wind tunnel dataset and serves as a benchmark, particularly valuable when combined with the original DrivAer Fastback (F) variation variant for aerodynamic analysis. Aero kits applied are in line with those found in motorsport categories like European DTM and American NASCAR series. Ford Ranger (North America) The Ford Ranger is

448-552: A profit from its redesign of the F-Series . Ford President Don Petersen kept the compact truck project alive for several reasons. By 1980, General Motors was developing its own domestically produced compact truck, with the Chevrolet S-10/GMC S-15 providing a potential competitor. Peterson also felt that, if equipped correctly, buyers would pay nearly the same for a compact truck as a full-size truck (such as

512-677: A range of pickup trucks manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company in North and South America under the Ford Ranger nameplate. Introduced in early 1982 for the 1983 model year, the Ranger is currently in its fourth generation. Developed as a replacement for the Mazda -sourced Ford Courier , the model line has been sold across the Americas; Ford of Argentina began production of the Ranger for South America in 1998. Through its production,

576-473: A sedan. The engine under the hood and surrounding compartment is the first box. The passenger seating area is another, or second box. The last or third box is the cargo or trunk area. There is no rule as to which box needs to be where. Where the Renault Dauphine is a three-box that carries its engine in the rear and its cargo up front, the styling of the Škoda Octavia integrates a hatchback with

640-410: A six-foot-tall driver; other minor details were discovered such as five-bolt wheels and a larger ashtray. During design, the body underwent extensive wind tunnel testing, to meet a planned 20 MPG fuel efficiency target (on its own, the standard front bumper spoiler added 1 MPG); its 0.45 drag coefficient bested that of the two-door Ford Mustang. To further improve fuel economy, the Ranger increased

704-580: A smaller-proportioned F-Series to a more aerodynamic design, no longer sharing its front fascia with the Ford Explorer . For the first time in the compact segment, the Ranger offered a stepside-style bed with the Ranger Splash. For the 1994 model year, Ford commenced production of the Ranger for Mazda , who began to sell the model line as the B-Series pickup truck (effectively in reverse of

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768-592: A three-box design —and most examples of the markedly bulbous styling of the ponton genre are three-box designs. In 2012, Hemmings Motor News wrote "the three-box sedan design is seen as traditional or—worse—conventional." By 2016 In the United States, the three-box sedan began to wane in popularity. In 2018, the Wall Street Journal wrote: "from gangster getaway cars and the Batmobile to

832-405: Is a five-passenger vehicle; a flat-folding rear seat (to match the height of the load floor) was developed for the vehicle. As part of its development, several interior configurations were designed, including two rear bench seats and side-facing perimeter seats. To further attract buyers of station wagons, the roofline of the Carousel was styled with glass (in line with the mid-1950s Chevrolet Nomad);

896-465: Is the car's roof-supporting pillars , designated from front to rear of the car as A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar and D-pillar. Common car body configurations are one-box (e.g., a van/minivan/MPV), two-box (e.g., a hatchback/SUV) and three-box (e.g., a sedan/saloon) designs. A one-box design, also called a monospace , mono-box or monovolume configuration —approximates in shape a single volume comprising engine, cabin and cargo areas, in part by locating

960-595: The Ford Explorer SUV was derived from the facelifted Ranger, sharing its front fascia, chassis, and interior components. The first-generation Ranger uses a body-on-frame chassis design; while using a chassis developed specifically for the model line, the Ranger adopts many chassis design elements from the F-Series. Along with traditional leaf-spring rear suspension, the Ranger is fitted with Twin I-Beam independent front suspension. To minimize unsprung weight ,

1024-647: The Louisville assembly line on January 18, 1982. While initially slated for a traditional autumn release, to more closely compete with the introduction of the Chevrolet S-10 , Ford advanced the launch of the 1983 Ranger several months, with the first vehicles reaching showrooms in March 1982. Initially sold alongside its Courier predecessor, the first 1983 Ranger was priced at US$ 6,203 (equivalent to $ 19,584 in 2023). While far smaller in exterior size than

1088-675: The Saab 900 , and minivans like the Chrysler Pacifica , 2001 Volkswagen Polo Mk4 and 1999 Skoda Fabia Mk1. Three-box design is a broad automotive styling term describing a coupé , sedan/saloon , notchback or hatchback where—when viewed in profile—principal volumes are articulated into three separate compartments or boxes: engine, passenger and cargo. Three-box designs are highly variable. Hemmings Motor News said: These three boxes, compartmentalized as they are, are used to denote distinct areas of an automobile—specifically

1152-500: The "Nantucket" design program, the codename for the 1975 Ford Econoline/Club Wagon. While moving its engine several inches forward would increase passenger space significantly, the body height of most versions of the Club Wagon were to be nearly 7 feet tall, having only several inches of clearance through an average garage door opening; the increased size decreased the functionality as a personal vehicle. In 1972, Lee Iacocca directed

1216-433: The $ 700 million project was compliance with the fuel economy standards of the mid-1980s. At the launch of the project in 1976, Ford predicted that for the company to properly comply with 1985 CAFE standards, nearly 50% of pickup trucks sold in the United States would require a four-cylinder engine. In 1976, compact trucks held a 5% share of pickup truck sales, with Ford predicting an expansion to 50% by 1985, equaling nearly

1280-585: The 1972 model year, the Ford Courier was introduced as the first compact pickup truck sold by Ford. Following the rise of the compact truck segment during the 1960s, Ford entered into a partnership with Mazda to market the Mazda B1800 in North America; the Courier would become the first of several jointly manufactured vehicles between the two companies from the 1970s into the 2000s. Along with minimizing

1344-480: The 1972–1982 agreement that produced the Ford Courier). For 1995, the second-generation Ranger underwent a mid-cycle revision; in 1996, the model line became the first compact pickup to offer dual airbags. The second-generation Ranger carried much of its chassis design from its predecessor, with a leaf-sprung rear suspension and a Twin-I-Beam independent front suspension. Two wheelbases were carried over from

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1408-485: The 1973 energy crisis and the recession of the mid-1970s, Ford was forced to cut back on new vehicle development. In 1974, Henry Ford II called for the end of the Carousel program, as it did not replace any existing Ford or Lincoln-Mercury model line. In 1978, Lee Iacocca was fired from Ford; several months later, Director of Product Planning Hal Sperlich also left the company. Soon after, both executives were hired in similar roles at Chrysler Corporation. This would lead to

1472-444: The 25% Chicken Tax on imported trucks, both vehicles were imported as chassis-cab trucks (taxed at 4% tariff). Following their importation to United States, pickup truck beds shipped separately from Japan were installed before shipment to dealers. In 1976, Ford commenced development on "Project Yuma" as a replacement for the Courier. In addition to designing the first domestically produced compact truck, another key factor driving

1536-682: The Aerostar shared many components with the Ford Ranger light pickup truck. Foregoing the previous two-box design, in a design similar to the European Ford Transit , the Aerostar used a one-box design with the hood and windshield sloped at a similar angle. After the 1997 model year, the Aerostar was discontinued; Ford had largely replaced by 1995 with the Ford Windstar and the Mercury Villager (the latter built in

1600-606: The Courier and B1800 (later B2000) were redesigned with a larger cab, redesigned pickup bed, and tailgate. While closer in appearance to its Mazda counterpart, the Courier was given signal/parking lamps inset in the grille (rather than the bumper); an optional 2.3L Ford engine was not available in the Mazda pickups. From 1972 to 1982, the Ford Courier was manufactured alongside the Mazda B-Series in Hiroshima, Japan . To avoid

1664-531: The Courier, the Ranger was offered with two pickup bed sizes; a standard 6-foot length and an extended 7-foot length. In 1986, a third configuration was introduced with the advent of the Ranger SuperCab. Extended 17 inches behind the front doors for additional cab space, the SuperCab was offered with the 6-foot bed length; four-wheel-drive SuperCabs were sold only with V6 engines. During its production,

1728-469: The Courier, the first-generation Ranger was approximately 18 inches shorter and 11 inches narrower than an equivalently configured F-100/F-150. While proportioned similar to the Chevrolet S-10 and Japanese-sourced compact trucks, it adopted exterior design elements from the F-Series, including its twin headlamps, chrome grille, "FORD" tailgate lettering, tail-lamps, and cab proportions. In line with

1792-538: The Econoline from 1975 to 1987). The Carousel was styled with its own body, distinguished by a lower roofline. Lowered to a height of approximately six feet, the Carousel was designed with a height lower than the 6'4" Volkswagen Microbus. The Carousel prototype adopted its powertrain from the Econoline and the Country Squire, using a 460 V8 and Ford C6 3-speed automatic transmission. The prototype Ford Carousel

1856-769: The F-100). Around 1980, the Project Yuma truck took on the Ford Ranger name, adopting the name of the mid to upper-level trim used by the Ford F-Series since 1965. In anticipation of the compact truck line, 1981 marked the final use of the Ranger trim for the F-Series and Bronco (replaced by XLS for 1982). The Ranger was produced at the Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky , from 1982 to 1999. From 1993 to 2004, production also

1920-641: The F-Series, 4×4 Rangers offered a payload of 1,600 pounds, matching or exceeding the F-100 in payload capacity. For 1984, the Ford Bronco II two-door SUV was introduced. Similar in size to the 1966–1977 Bronco, the Bronco II used a shortened version of the Ranger chassis, along with much of its interior components. For the 1989 model year, the Ranger underwent a major mid-cycle revision to improve its exterior aerodynamics and interior ergonomics. For 1991,

1984-490: The Ford Light Truck design studio to create a "garageable van" derivative of the "Nantucket" program under the "Carousel" codename. Along with lowering the roof of the Club Wagon passenger van approximately one foot (to six feet tall, closer in size to the first-generation Econoline), another design objective of the Carousel program was to give the vehicle more "automotive-like" styling. For its marketing, "Carousel"

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2048-523: The LTD Brougham (along with wheelcovers). In 1973, the Carousel had been fabricated into a running prototype ready for production approval, potentially for a 1975-1976 launch. While winning the support of Henry Ford II , the Carousel faced internal opposition from other Ford executives, who feared that an unproven vehicle design would have potentially threatened sales of the (highly profitable) Ford LTD Country Squire and Mercury Colony Park . After

2112-519: The Peugeot abandoning that segment since 2001 when the production of Peugeot 306 ended. Other, predominantly European manufacturers followed suit, with the most recent generation of Opel Astra may no longer to be offered as the four-door notchback. Since 2018, Ford reduced sales of four-door Focus as well as Mondeo to Eastern Balkans markets. Again, Volkswagen stopped sales of Jetta in Europe around

2176-476: The Pinto engine was introduced in 1989, remaining in use through 2001. In 1990, the 4.0L Cologne V6 was introduced; in modified form, the engine was used through the 2012 model-year discontinuation of the Ranger in North America. A four-speed manual transmission was standard on all engines for 1983 and 1984, with a five-speed manual as an option; a three-speed automatic was offered on 2.3L and 2.8L engines. For 1985,

2240-476: The Ranger GT option package from 1987 to 1989. Marketed as a "sport pickup," the Ranger GT was offered only for regular-cab two-wheel drive Rangers. Powered by a 140 hp 2.9L V6 (paired with either a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission), the Ranger GT was equipped with front and rear anti-roll bars , a limited-slip differential, and performance tires. Initially offered for short-bed Rangers,

2304-401: The Ranger GT package became available for long-bed two-wheel drive Rangers. The Ranger GT was available in either red, white, or blue paint colors; chrome trim was painted body color. In 1988, the exterior was modified, with a ground effects package, including a redesigned body-color front bumper, allowing for integrated fog lamps. For 1990, the Ranger GT was discontinued; a one-off prototype

2368-505: The Ranger in North America, although its high productivity spared it from The Way Forward . Twin Cities Assembly (built in 1925) was the oldest Ford factory in the world. Ford later extended the closure date of the factory to 2011, but in June 2011, a final closure date was announced. As Twin Cities was the sole production location of the Ranger in North America (from 1982), its closure brought

2432-566: The Ranger was given the capability to transport a four-foot-wide sheet of material (considered an industry measure of space in pickup truck bed design) through the use of recesses to insert supports across the bed, allowing such material to be placed above the wheel wells. The 1979 fuel crisis nearly doomed the Yuma/Ranger project, as it occurred between launch of the 1979 Ford LTD and 1980 Ford F-Series . After selling nearly one million F-Series trucks in 1978, in 1980, Ford had yet to gain

2496-545: The Ranger would be used for several compact Ford trucks and sport-utility vehicles . During the 1990s and 2000s, Mazda adopted a badge-engineered version of the Ranger, for their B-Series nameplate (the reverse of the Ford Courier produced by Mazda). In 2015, as part of contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers, leaked reports over the future of the Michigan Assembly Plant included

2560-577: The Twin I-Beams were constructed of stamped high-strength steel (rather than forged steel). Rear-wheel drive was standard, with part-time four-wheel drive as an option (never offered in the Courier). Dependent on configuration, the Ranger was produced in three wheelbases: 107.9 inches (6-foot bed), 113.9 inches (7-foot bed), and 125 inches (SuperCab, introduced in 1986). For 1989, rear-wheel anti-lock brakes became standard. From 1983 to 1992,

2624-455: The articulation of a three-box. This style was later used by its larger Škoda Superb , which marketed as the TwinDoor, within the liftgate operable as a trunk lid or as a full hatchback. As with the third generation European Ford Escort (also a hatchback), the third box may be vestigial. And three-box styling does not need to be boxy: Car Design News calls the fluid and rounded Fiat Linea

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2688-519: The base of a vehicle's A-pillars further forward. One-box designs include light commercial vehicles , minivans , MPVs and mini MPVs . Passenger cars with a one-box design include the 1984 Renault Espace , 1992 Renault Twingo I , 2008 Tata Nano , 2005 Toyota Aygo / Citroën C1 / Peugeot 107 and 1997 Mercedes-Benz A-Class . Two-box designs articulate a volume for engine and a volume that combines passenger and cargo volumes, e.g., station wagon/estate or (three or five-door) hatchbacks like

2752-635: The development of the Chrysler minivans for the 1984 model year. While the overall construction of the 1984 Plymouth Voyager and Dodge Caravan would differ greatly from the Ford Carousel (in their basis upon the Chrysler K-car compact sedan), they would follow a similar two-box layout, marketed as family vehicles with smaller garage footprints than full-size station wagons. At the same time Chrysler commenced minivan production, Ford revisited

2816-463: The exterior was fitted with simulated woodgrain siding. Similar to a station wagon, the rear door of the Carousel was equipped with a tailgate and retracting rear window. In line with the Club Wagon, the Carousel was equipped with front "captain's chairs". As a prototype, the Carousel adopted components from other Ford vehicles, including its dashboard from the Thunderbird, interior elements from

2880-513: The final 2012 Ranger was the final vehicle produced at the St. Paul facility. The current fourth-generation Ranger is manufactured by Ford at Wayne Stamping & Assembly ( Wayne, Michigan ). Ford of Argentina produced the Ranger in its General Pacheco plant from 1998 to 2011; it replaced the North American–designed version of the Ranger with the current Ranger T6 for 2012 production. For

2944-433: The first-generation Ranger was offered with several seating configurations. A three-passenger bench seat was standard, with various types of bucket seats offered (dependent on trim level). As part of the 1989 mid-cycle update, a 40/60 split-bench seat was introduced. The SuperCab was offered with a pair of center-facing jump seats, expanding capacity to five. From 1983 to 1988, the interior saw few major revisions. In 1986,

3008-480: The first-generation Ranger was powered by 2.0L and 2.3L versions of the Ford " Lima " inline-4; the 2.8L, 2.9L, and 4.0L Ford Cologne V6 ; the 3.0L Ford Vulcan V6 ; and four-cylinder diesel engines sourced from Mazda (Perkins) and Mitsubishi. Two long-running engines associated with the Ford light trucks made their debut in the first-generation Ranger; the twin spark-plug version (with distributorless ignition) of

3072-539: The five-speed manual became the standard transmission, with a four-speed automatic offered on non-diesel Rangers. For 1989, the Mazda M5OD-R1 transmission became the standard transmission. 1985–1992 (EFI) 1989–1992: 100 hp 177 cu in (2.9 L) OHV V6 244 cu in (4.0 L) OHV V6 1986–1992 (2.9L) 1990–1992 (4.0L) 2.9L: 4.0L: 160 hp (Perkins 4.135) naturally aspirated, IDI turbocharged, IDI Slightly larger than

3136-481: The humble family sedan, the basic three-box configuration of a passenger car—low engine compartment, higher cabin, low trunk in the rear—has endured for decades as the standard shape of the automobile. Until now." Sales and popularity of four-door notchback sedans/saloons began declining in Europe since mid-1990s, especially affordable ones. This is resulted in moving production of Volkswagen Jetta in Mexico, as well as

3200-462: The idea of a garageable van. In 1984, the company revealed the Ford Aerostar ; much like the Carousel, it was a prototype of an intended production vehicle. In mid-1985, the Aerostar commenced sales in production form. While fuel economy had played a key role in the demise of the Carousel, it would become a major factor behind the design of the Aerostar. In place of the full-size van platform,

3264-536: The instrument cluster was revised, allowing the fitment of a tachometer. To streamline production, the Ranger shared interior components with other Ford vehicles, sharing the steering column, door handles, and window controls from the Ford Escort, Ford F-Series, and Ford Bronco; nearly the entire driver's compartment of the Ford Bronco II was directly sourced from the Ranger. For 1989, the Ranger underwent

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3328-400: The model line has served as a close rival to the Chevrolet S-10 and its Chevrolet Colorado successor (and their GMC counterparts), with the Ranger as the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004. From 2012 to 2018, the Ranger model line was retired in North America as Ford concentrated on its full-size F-Series pickup trucks. For the 2019 model year, Ford introduced

3392-566: The potential decision of replacing Ford Focus and Ford C-Max production with an American-market version of the global Ranger. Along with the revival of the Ranger nameplate, the UAW negotiations also included a potential revival of the Ford Bronco SUV. At the 2017 North American International Auto Show , Ford confirmed the return of the Ranger and Ford Bronco, with the Ford Ranger as a 2019 model-year vehicle. The first Ranger rolled off

3456-454: The previous generation: 107.9 inches (short bed), 113.9 inches (long bed), with the SuperCab lengthened to 125.2 inches (0.2 inches longer). Rear-wheel drive remained standard, with four-wheel drive as an option; a Dana 35 TTB front axle was used. With four-wheel drive Rangers, a manually-shifted transfer case was standard; a "Touch Drive" electronically shifted transfer case was an option, using automatic-locking front-wheel hubs. For 1995,

3520-405: The production of the Ranger to an end after 29 model years. The 2011 model year was the final model year for retail sales, with a shortened 2012 model year for fleet sales; the final North American market Ranger (a white SuperCab Sport produced for pest-control company Orkin ) was produced just before 10 a.m. local time on December 16, 2011. Over its production life, the chassis and suspension of

3584-474: The risk for Ford of developing a vehicle in an unfamiliar market segment, the partnership provided Mazda with critically needed funds. While sharing the cab and chassis with its Mazda counterpart, to increase its sales potential in North America, the Courier adapted design elements of the Ford F-Series , with twin round headlamps, silver grille, and "FORD" lettering on the hood above the grille. In 1977,

3648-556: The same time due to too long dimensions, exceeding those with International Passat B8 . A related classification is based on the style of roof in the car design. The DrivAer aerodynamics model of the Technical University of Munich classifies roof styles as (F) Fastback , (E) Estate Back , (N) Notchback / Sedan . The bodies of stock cars can be modified for motorsport purposes while retaining their main characteristics. The DrivAer high-performance (hp) configuration,

3712-728: The successor to the 1970s " Free Wheeling " trims) while the XLT was offered with two-tone exteriors, chrome exterior trim, and upgraded interior trim. The Ranger STX was introduced in 1985 for Ranger 4x4s on the West Coast of the United States, becoming fully available for 1986. Offering a "sport" suspension and larger tires, the STX was denoted by the offering of a bucket-seat interior and model-specific two-tone paint scheme. Following an initial late-1986 introduction in California, Ford marketed

3776-408: The use of high-strength steel and other lightweight materials, including a magnesium clutch housing, aluminum transfer case (for four-wheel drive), and a magnesium clutch/brake pedal bracket. To further save weight, the design of the front suspension was computer-optimized, rendering the front stabilizer bar optional. Though narrower than the F-Series and other full-size competitors, the cargo bed of

3840-488: Was constructed in 1989 by the Ford Truck Public Affairs office, using a V6 from a Ford Taurus SHO and a 5-speed transmission from a Mustang GT . After a ten-year production run, Ford introduced the second generation of the Ranger for the 1993 model year with much of its chassis carried over from the previous generation. Sharing no body panels with its predecessor, the redesigned Ranger shifted from

3904-572: Was intended for marketing to buyers of full-size station wagons and passenger vans; a production vehicle (a production name is unknown) would have slotted between the Ford LTD Country Squire and the Ford Club Wagon in terms of size and cargo capacity. The Ford Carousel derived its chassis from the third-generation Econoline/Club Wagon (then in development) with a 124-inch wheelbase length (the standard wheelbase length for

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3968-490: Was marketed in five trim levels: S , Ranger , XL , XLS , and XLT . Intended largely for fleet sales, the Ranger S (introduced in 1984 ) was offered with virtually no available options. While still largely a work truck, the Ranger XL offered color-keyed trim, floor mats, and chrome bumpers. The XLS was marketed as the sportiest version of the Ranger, offering bucket seats, blackout trim, and tape stripe packages (essentially

4032-606: Was sourced from Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey . For its entire production run until 2011, the Ranger was produced at the Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St Paul, Minnesota . The final 2012 Ranger produced on December 16, 2011, ended 86 years of production at Twin Cities Assembly as well as the production of all compact pickups in the United States. In 2008, Ford made its first plans to end production of

4096-441: Was switched for a blue oval. The interior was given a redesign, including new door panels, new seats, and an all-new dashboard (introducing a glovebox). To improve ergonomics, the instrument panel was redesigned for improved legibility, with automatic transmission Rangers receiving a column-mounted gearshift; manual-transmission versions saw the removal of the key-release button from the steering column . The first-generation Ranger

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