Ford Ranger Review

2008 Ford Ranger XL Regular Cab

New Models

Used Models

  • 2008 Ford Ranger XL Regular Cab View photos
    2010 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $14,640 Find Used Inventory
  • 2008 Ford Ranger FX4 Extended Cab View photos
    2010 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $15,971 Find Used Inventory
  • 2008 Ford Ranger XL Regular Cab View photos
    2009 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $13,037 Find Used Inventory
  • 2008 Ford Ranger XLT 4WD Extended Cab View photos
    2009 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $14,181 Find Used Inventory
  • 2008 Ford Ranger Exterior View photos
    2008 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $10,108 Find Used Inventory
  • 2008 Ford Ranger Sport Extended Cab View photos
    2008 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $11,287 Find Used Inventory
  • 2007 Ford Ranger XL 2dr Regular Cab Styleside SB View photos
    2007 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $9,059 Find Used Inventory
  • 2007 Ford Ranger XLT 2dr SuperCab 4WD Styleside SB View photos
    2007 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $9,493 Find Used Inventory
  • 2006 Ford Ranger XL 2dr Regular Cab Styleside SB View photos
    2006 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $7,304 Find Used Inventory
  • 2006 Ford Ranger Exterior View photos
    2006 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $8,729 Find Used Inventory
  • 2004 Ford Ranger 4dr SuperCab Tremor 4WD Styleside SB View photos
    2005 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $6,204 Find Used Inventory
  • 2005 Ford Ranger Exterior View photos
    2005 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $7,846 Find Used Inventory
  • 2004 Ford Ranger 4dr SuperCab Tremor 4WD Styleside SB View photos
    2004 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $5,077 Find Used Inventory
  • 2004 Ford Ranger 4dr SuperCab Tremor 4WD Styleside SB View photos
    2004 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $6,722 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger 2dr Regular Cab Edge 2WD Styleside SB View photos
    2003 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $4,220 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger 2dr SuperCab Edge 2WD Styleside SB View photos
    2003 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $5,599 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger 2dr Regular Cab Edge 2WD Styleside SB View photos
    2002 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $3,657 Find Used Inventory
  • 2002 Ford Ranger Exterior View photos
    2002 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $4,814 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger Exterior View photos
    2001 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $3,168 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger Exterior View photos
    2001 Ford Ranger SuperCab Used TMV from $4,197 Find Used Inventory
  • 2000 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab Stepside SB View photos
    2000 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $3,781 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger 2dr Regular Cab Edge 2WD Styleside SB View photos
    2000 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $2,778 Find Used Inventory
  • 1999 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1999 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $3,280 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger 2dr Regular Cab Edge 2WD Styleside SB View photos
    1999 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $2,402 Find Used Inventory
  • 1998 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1998 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $2,771 Find Used Inventory
  • 2001 Ford Ranger 2dr Regular Cab Edge 2WD Styleside SB View photos
    1998 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $1,970 Find Used Inventory
  • 1997 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT Extended Cab SB View photos
    1997 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $2,184 Find Used Inventory
  • 1996 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XL 4WD Standard Cab SB View photos
    1997 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $1,551 Find Used Inventory
  • 1993 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1996 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $1,848 Find Used Inventory
  • 1996 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XL 4WD Standard Cab SB View photos
    1996 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $1,369 Find Used Inventory
  • 1993 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1995 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $1,555 Find Used Inventory
  • 1995 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Standard Cab SB View photos
    1995 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $1,311 Find Used Inventory
  • 1993 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1994 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $1,400 Find Used Inventory
  • 1995 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Standard Cab SB View photos
    1994 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $1,211 Find Used Inventory
  • 1993 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1993 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $1,355 Find Used Inventory
  • 1995 Ford Ranger 2 Dr XLT 4WD Standard Cab SB View photos
    1993 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $1,142 Find Used Inventory
  • 1992 Ford Ranger 2 Dr STX 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1992 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $1,299 Find Used Inventory
  • 1992 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $977 Find Used Inventory
  • 1992 Ford Ranger 2 Dr STX 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1991 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $1,156 Find Used Inventory
  • 1991 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $864 Find Used Inventory
  • 1992 Ford Ranger 2 Dr STX 4WD Extended Cab SB View photos
    1990 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Used TMV from $1,031 Find Used Inventory
  • 1990 Ford Ranger Regular Cab Used TMV from $789 Find Used Inventory

They say that in the event of Armageddon, the only thing to survive will be cockroaches. Well, there's a good chance the Ford Ranger will stick around, too. This compact pickup truck has soldiered on with relatively few revisions since 1983. Of course, there have been styling and interior overhauls over the decades, but the platform and mechanicals underneath it all are practically Jurassic. Even those styling and interior overhauls date back to the 1990s.

As such, the current Ford Ranger pales in comparison to its much newer competitors that offer more powerful engines, larger crew-cab body styles and a more modern level of refinement in practically every area. Older Rangers aren't quite out of date, and will certainly serve as cheap and perfectly capable work trucks, but you'll certainly want to shop around when looking for a small pickup.

Current Ford Ranger

Current Ford Rangers come in essentially four different flavors: XL, XLT and Sport, and the off-road-oriented FX4. Engine selection consists of a base 2.3-liter four-cylinder and an optional 4.0-liter V6. Transmission choices include a five-speed manual and a five-speed automatic for the four-cylinder, while the 4.0-liter V6 comes with the automatic only.

Although nimble on- and off-road due to its true compact size, the Ford Ranger is seriously dated in terms of features and available body styles. While its midsize rivals offer roomy crew-cab (four-door) models, more modern features and much more powerful V6 engines, the Ranger must make do with standard and extended-cab configurations only, and relatively low-tech power plants. For these reasons, our editors suspect that most truck buyers will be happier with one of its many newer competitors. A Ranger purchase could make sense for the right buyer, but only if he's interested in the truck's traditional compact size and capable off-road package.

Used Ford Ranger Models

Introduced for 1983, the Ford Ranger started life as a standard-cab, four-cylinder compact pickup truck with a choice of two bed lengths. The mid-'80s saw the introduction of the extended-cab body style known as the "SuperCab," which offered jump seats that were best left to kids. The Ranger continued through the early '90s with minor upgrades to the powertrains and small cosmetic changes until 1993, when the truck was completely revamped.

As Ford's popular small pickup approached the new millennium, features such as a five-speed automatic transmission (for V6 models) and rack-and-pinion steering were added in an effort to keep the Ranger competitive. Although it received a freshening in 2001 that brought more power and a serious off-road version called the FX4, the Ranger fell behind rivals from Toyota and Nissan that benefited from full redesigns a few years later. Up until 2009, a 3.0-liter V6 was available.

Throughout its life the Ford Ranger has offered a number of trim and body styles, ranging from serious off-road versions with raised suspensions, skid plates and big tires to sporty "flareside" trucks with flashy graphics and fancy wheels. For much of its early and midlife, the Ranger rode the top of the sales charts. But the one thing the Ranger didn't offer was the crew cab body style, a configuration that became popular among its competitors as automakers began to cater to buyers who wanted a pickup truck that could double as a work vehicle and a family car.

With its solid reliability record, wide choice of body and trim styles and lower pricing than comparable Japanese rivals, a well-maintained late-model Ford Ranger makes for a respectable choice in the used vehicle market.

For more on Past Ford Ranger models, view our Ford Ranger History page

Read the most recent review for 2011 Ford Ranger

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