When ranking the best trucks ever produced in the world, no list would not be complete without a Ford. With a landmark of a million sales of the Ford F-series in 2017, the Ford name remains one of the most reliable brands in the world of trucks, with the highest purchases being made in the United States and Canada.
The Ford Ranger is one of the most popular and sought-after trucks today due to its performance, compatibility, durability, and of course, the Ford name. Its easy-to-modify features make it a favorite among both old and young alike, and you are sure to fall in love with it at first sight. Ford launched its first Ranger in 1983, and over the years, the automakers have continued to improve their qualities. There have been many generations of the Ford Ranger, and based on your age range, it can be pretty tricky to pick which is the best. Here, we've ranked the best Ford Rangers ever made based on their performances and capacity.
10 1988 Ford Ranger Pickup
The 1988 Ford Ranger Pickup was among the best-selling trucks in the US till the year 2004. Although it wasn't built to run fast, what the classic Ford lacked in speed, it capitalized on durability. The pickup was designed with rocky terrain in mind. It had about seven different models, each with very little or no distinct characteristic. The 1988 Ford Ranger Pickup came in two drive modes; two and four-wheel-drive models.
The two-wheel-drive models were equipped with a 2.3-liter I4 engine and a 90 horsepower capacity, while the four-wheel-drive had a 2.9-liter V-6 engine with a 140 horsepower capacity.
9 2000 Ford Ranger Pickup
Next on the list is the 2000 Ford Ranger, which was also a best-selling compact pickup. The truck has a five-speed manual transmission and also a five-speed automatic transmission. Its two-wheel-drive came with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 119 horsepower, while the four-wheel-drive model had a standard 3.0-liter V-6 engine with 150 horsepower.
Renowned for its incredible strength, the 2000 Ford Ranger Pickup a towing capacity of 4360 lbs, and a 1272-lb maximum payload.
8 2003 Ford Ranger Pickup 4WD
For 2003, Ford built a Ranger Pickup with 4WD and a cab extension. The truck was installed with a 3.0-liter V-6 engine and a 154 horsepower capacity. At the time, the 2003 Ford Ranger Pickup 4WD was the perfect off-road vehicle with the ability to tow well above 5000 pounds.
With a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission, it has a city cruising range of 396.00mi and a highway cruising range of 478.50mi. The 2003 Ford Ranger is a very durable truck, and like other Ford Rangers, it could last as long as 20 years with proper maintenance.
7 2010 Ford Ranger
Seventh on our list is the 2010 model of the Ford Ranger. Sturdy, reliable, and durable, the vehicle with regular-cab and extended-cab body style options. The truck came with a standard 2.3-liter I4 engine and a 143 horsepower capacity. It had only a rear-wheel-drive engine.
With a 207 horsepower V-6 engine, the truck is capable of towing well above 5000 pounds. It has a five-speed manual transmission w/ overdrive and also an optional five-speed automatic transmission. The 2010 Ford Ranger is said to be the most reliable and safest truck one can get.
6 2001 Ford Ranger
The 2001 Ford Ranger makes it into this list for its sheer strength and capacity. Designed as a robust and compact truck, its 2WD models were equipped with a 2.3-liter I4 engine and 150 horsepower capacity. It came with a five-speed manual transmission and an optional automatic transmission.
The 4WD models came with a 3.0-liter V-6 engine which was more preferable and had an impressive towing capacity, although the V-6 engine had only the five-wheel automatic transmission. The truck itself was well built and was capable of performing high-tasking jobs.
5 2008 Ford Ranger
The 2008 Ford Ranger had three available engine options: the 2.3-liter I4 engine with 143 horsepower capacity, the 3.0-liter V-6 engine with a 207 horsepower capacity, and the 4.0-liter V-6 engine with 207 horsepower capacity. Ford's 2008 Ranger continued the impressive lineup as it was a powerful truck that could effortlessly tow up to 6000 pounds.
The V-6 engine proved to be a capable truck, with the FX4 trim proving to be the pick of the bunch. The Ranger came with a standard five-speed manual transmission and an optional five-speed automatic transmission.
4 1994 Ford Ranger Pickup 2WD
Arguably one of the most rugged and resistant trucks built by Ford, the 1994 Ford Ranger came with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine and a 100 horsepower capacity. It had a five-speed manual transmission and a torque capacity of 130Ib-ft. Not so much on the truck, but it always got the job done.
The 1994 Ford Ranger wedges itself into this list as a work-horse of some sort, and buyers knew they were getting a truck that could stand the test of time. Due to how reliable and formidable this Ford Ranger was, along with its high loading capacity, it became a favorite of owners who wanted to get stuff done.
3 2011 Ford Ranger
In third place is the 2011 Ford Ranger. As reliable as Ford Rangers come, it had a standard 2.3-liter I4 engine and a 143 horsepower capacity. With its standard five-speed manual transmission and optional five-speed automatic transmission, the 2011 Ranger's engine was only available with rear-wheel drive.
When equipped with the 4.0-liter V-6 engine, it produces a 207 horsepower capacity. The 2011 Ford Ranger's maximum payload capacity of 1130Ibs and a towing capacity of 2160Ibs, making it one of the best Ford models in its decade.
2 1999 Ford Ranger
The 1999 Ford Ranger had both regular and extended cab body styles. With the optional 4.0-liter V-6 engine and a horsepower capacity of 158, the truck's acceleration was a joy to handle. The truck comes with a five-speed manual transmission and has one, four, and five-speed automatic transmissions.
Equipped with a V-6 engine, the truck has a towing capacity of 5820Ibs. Like all Ford Rangers, this truck can last up to 300,000 miles making it a very durable truck to own.
1 Ford Ranger WildTrak
Slightly edging out all internal competitors is the Ford Ranger WildTrak. The truck's engine is a 2.0-liter 10AT that produces up to 170 horsepower. With a single variable-geometry turbocharger, the weakest of this truck model produces 170 horsepower. The wildtrak has a variable-geometry high-pressure turbocharger at the highest level and can produce up to 213 horsepower.
It also has a fixed-geometry low-pressure turbocharger. Equipped with a ten-speed automatic transmission, it is the best Ford Ranger ever made, with very high demand because of its remarkable capacity. It conquers off-road and rocky terrains with no difficulty and also does well on paved surfaces.