Sam Krahn 
In 2019, Ford and Volkswagen announced they will team up for development of their next-generation small pickups. This means the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok should share a platform. VW has gone to release a teaser image of their next Amarok, giving the first official look at the pair of trucks.
The image is classic design sketch: massive wheels and tires and overdramatic bodywork. The hood is bulging, and there aren’t even any door handles. Interestingly, the image looks like it only has two doors. This indicates the continuation of the two-door Ranger in the U.S. While the production model won’t be as exaggerated as the sketch, it still gives an idea as to what the truck will look like. And in our eyes, it’s good.
While the current Ranger is a great and popular midsize truck, it’s getting old. Ford and VW announced their partnership to produce their new pickups, expected to be built on the same production line. The trucks should enter the market in 2022. Also, the collaboration could create a new Transit based on the recently revealed Volkswagen Caddy.
The next Ford Ranger could also get a 2.7 L EcoBoost V6 and diesel options. Currently, Ford only sells you an EcoBoost four-cylinder in a Ranger. We also guess the interior should get a complete overhaul, as it is currently the part of the truck that ages it the most.
Most of all, we hope the next generation Ranger brings the Ranger Raptor to America. There is a Ranger Raptor offered in Europe, Australia, South Africa and Asia, so it’s safe to say the U.S. is very left out. Whereas a powerful V6 powers our F-150 Raptor, a lackluster four-cylinder diesel powers the overseas Ranger Raptor. While there have been rumors about it coming to the U.S., nothing has come to fruition. Let’s hope the next-generation model gets a smaller Ranger to the U.S., and it can look as fantastic as VW’s Amarok teaser.
