1983 Ford Ranger Test Drive

The existence of mini pickups was in direct outgrowth of the Arab oil embargo’s. The Ford Ranger with it’s 108 inch wheelbase, was devised to slip neatly between the firms Mazda build Courier and the full size F-series, which measured 106.9 inches, and 116. 8 inches, respectively, center line to center line. The stated objectives for Ford’s first downsize domestic was that it deliver the fuel economy of a mini with utility and payload of a full size vehicle. The Implicit, but equally critical, goal was to keep the firm competitive in its ongoing battle with archrival Chevrolet for overall supremacy in the light truck field. Besides possessing a broad appeal in its basic configuration, Ford marketing mandated that the Ranger provide a suitable platform for a number of different future applications. Even though job No. 1 rolled off Ford’s newly modernized Louisville assembly line in mid January 1982, the Ranger was being called a 1983 model. Its original fall 1982 on sale date was hurriedly moved forward to mid-march in order to combat the effects of the mid size competitors the Chevrolet s10 and GMC s15, which began appearing in showrooms late 1981. Short cutting that schedule created a few headaches in the area of readying options. But even though was sold quite literally before its time, the Ranger marshalled a strong case for itself in the past for the future.