[spvd02]

It's 1 step away from being a great all rounder. It does everything most people would want, apart from its poor acceleration. This will be a turn-off for a lot of potential buyers, and it seems Ford is ignoring this.

I'm sure the Ranger will continue to do as well as it has, but it could have done much better, perhaps even turning into a sales leader if it offered a competitive advantage with performance. As it stands, the competition offers stronger performance for a similar price, albeit less capable off-road. Because of this fact, many potential buyers will be swayed towards other brands, something that could've been avoided had Ford opted for a stronger engine.

It appears Ford have shot themselves in the foot on this one, although on a global level they might do well. I, and I'm sure many others, would never consider the new Ranger because of it's engine alone. The 3.2 will be OK, but should've been improved. The 2.0L, marketed as the premium offering, doesn't offer anything that the 3.2 doesn't already offer, so effectively you pay more and get nothing. A very unconvincing line-up from Ford that, to the average buyer, won't make sense. It looks like a big waste of Ford's development budget.

For most people the new Ranger won't be seen as any more than a minor facelift, meaning that the Hilux should easily remain at the top of the sales charts, especially with their recent addition of off-road ready models.

With a confusing line-up that doesn't offer much in the way of improvement, the updated Ranger doesn't deserve to do that well, and I'm sure sales (at least in Australia) will reflect this.