Aaron Brzozowski 
In case you missed it, Big Blue has a brand spankin’ new Ford Ranger on offer, totally redesigning the plucky, right-sized pickup truck that originally debuted in some markets back in 2011, before making its way stateside as recently as 2018.
We here in the North Americas might have to survive another year or more with the current design, which is fine, as Ford is giving our current Ranger plenty of love with new variants like the Tremor and upcoming Splash, plus a treasure trove of accessories.
the brand new Ford Ranger (program name P703) as we know it is just for international markets. The US/Canadian version – the P703N Ford Ranger – is expected to bow some time next year, likely with its own market-specific tires, suspension, and payload and towing specs, at the least, but no real changes are expected when it comes to the frame and sheet metal.
But speaking of, the all-new 2022 Ford Ranger for global markets unveiled late last month looks proportionally similar to current-generation truck on sale here in the US. Sure, the wheels have shifted slightly, with a longer dash-to-axle ratio and a wider track than today’s Ranger model, but the external dimensions are just about identical. Is it really a brand-new truck?
Engineering Details On The New Ford Ranger
Australian automotive news outlet Drive spoke to Ford Ranger Global Chief Engineer Ian Foston to find out, and the answer, it seems, is a definitive “yes.”
“Pretty much every part of the platform has been touched to some degree,” Foston told Drive. “Every part you’re going to see on the vehicle, whether that’s the underbody or the upper body, it’s pretty much been tooled up brand new for this program.”
As a result of all this engineering work, the platform that underpins the new Ford Ranger carries the name T6.2, whereas the old Ranger utilized the T6 platform.
The new Ford Ranger frame is very similar to the one underpinning the outgoing truck, Foston explained, but it’s been tweaked significantly, most notably with regard to the frame’s hard points – where components like the axles, driveline, and suspension bits attach. The new version is designed to accommodate a V6 engine, and hydroformed construction meant a total reworking of the engine bay. And despite its dimensional similarity to the current truck, every single bit of the cabin is a new stamping, too – even the roof. None of the cabin glass is interchangeable with the outgoing truck. Minute details, such as the positioning of the doors relative to the cowl and how they seal against the body, have been optimized for better comfort and cabin sealing.
At a glance, it can be hard to spot the difference, but rest assured that this T6.2 Ranger is all brand new.
Preferred Proportions
So why keep the new 2022 Ford Ranger the same dimensionally, especially in a world where passenger vehicles seem to be growing larger with each passing year? Because customers like it that way.
“We have kept the proportions of the vehicle, because customers love the size of the truck,” Foston told Drive. “People have told us they don’t want us to make the Ranger much bigger [because of] where customers need to park, the tracks they drive down, that kind of thing. The exterior of the truck, it’s kind of the right size [but we have] maximized interior space.”
Look for the US-market version of the brand new P703N Ford Ranger to debut some time next year as a 2023 model. Expect the US version of the powerful, highly-capable Ford Ranger Raptor off-roader some time after that.
