2009 Ford Ranger Pick Up Truck Review
Posted in Ford Trucks, Truck Reviews on November 17, 2009
Introduction of 2009 Ford Ranger
The 2009 Ford Ranger priced at MSRP $16,395 – $25,805 is the most affordable and competent off road pick up truck. It is ideal for hard core off roader or business owner who is need of basic pick up truck. Trucks like Dodge Dakota and Nissan Frontier are more comfortable and easier to drive and offer a tough competition to this rugged vehicle.
What’s new on offer?
The 2009 Ford Ranger does not add anything new to this edition; in fact they have dropped the 3.0 liter V6 engine and the 4×4 regular cab.
Silhouette
The 2009 Ford Ranger is a compact pick up truck with its exterior appearance similar to the 1998 edition. The designers have not changed much of its outward appearance except for a minor hood and bumper updates for 2004.
The Ranger features horizontal-slat grille and monochromatic themes for the sports package.
The 2009 Ford Ranger is available in two body styles regular cab and extended cab also called as Super Cab.
Inside the cabin
The 2009 Ford Ranger offers basic interiors with few grills. The interiors are well styled with leather seats. The controls and gauges are quite conveniently placed at easy to reach places.
The front seats are comfortable only for medium stature. Tall passengers may find it a little cramped.
Overall the interiors are quite simple with bare bone basic features.
Features of 2009 Ford Ranger
The 2009 Ford Ranger is available in three trims XL, XLT and Sports FX4 off road trim is also available in the super cab edition.
The XL trim is equipped with 15 inch wheels, Vinyl upholstery, and AM/FM stereo.
The XLT gains air conditioning, chrome exterior trims, and CD/MP3 player with an auxiliary audio jack.
The sports trim additionally adds unique styling elements like color keyed grille and bumpers, satellite radio, class III trailer hitch.
The FX4 sports trim includes16 inch alloy wheels, two tone paints, bucket seats with centre console, full power accessories, keyless entry, all terrain tires, cruise control, and a leather wrapped tilt steering.
Ford Ranger Powertrain
The 2009 Ford ranger is equipped with standard 2.3 liter inline 4 cylinder engine which produces 143 hp and 154 pounds feet of torque. It also offers option of 4.0 liter V6 engine which generates 207 horsepower and 238 pounds feet of torque.
The Ford Ranger offers a choice of 2WD or 4WD. This edition is also mated with standard five speed manual transmission and offers an option of five speed automatic transmission.
When properly equipped the standard edition can tow a maximum of 6,000 pounds. We noted that the base edition offers good acceleration but feels underpowered with the base engine.
The 2009 Ford Ranger with standard engine and 2WD offers a fuel economy of 21/26 and 23 mpg while the 4WD with the 4.0 liter five speed engine offers fuel economy of 14/18/15 mpg.
2009 Ford Ranger Safety
The 2009 Ford Ranger is equipped with standard four wheel antilock brakes, and seat belts with front pretensioners. This edition does not sport safety features such as stability control and side curtain airbags.
During the various crash tests that were conducted this edition scored complete five stars for driver and front-passenger protection in frontal impacts. Super Cabs scored four stars out of five for front-passenger side-impact protection, while regular cabs earned a full five stars.
Conclusion
The 2009 Ford ranger is an affordable pick up truck with very few features. The main drawbacks that were noted are crammed interiors, subpar handling and braking, lacks basic safety features, and outdated interior design.
