2020 Ford Ranger Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The Ranger returned to Ford’s North American lineup for the 2019 model year, ending an eight-year hiatus. During that sabbatical, Ford sold the Ranger internationally, albeit as a very different truck from the one that left the North American market in 2011. The current generation is based on that international version. As such, it’s larger and far more sophisticated truck than the third-generation pickup was.

Ford tries to tie the current truck in with the F-Series lineup with similar grille styling, but that’s where the similarities end. The Ranger’s time abroad resulted in different styling language, mercifully avoiding the “bigger-and-blockier” trend of American trucks over the past decade. The Ranger has a clean, somewhat aggressive appearance that conveys its sporty, capable nature.

Inside, the Ranger has a purposeful, function-first cabin. It is modern, but not entirely welcoming. Like most trims of the larger Ford F-Series trucks, the Ranger’s cabin is outfitted with hard plastics. The upside is that it can take a bit of abuse, which is good for trucks. But compared to other midsize pickups like the Jeep Gladiator and especially the Honda Ridgeline, the Ranger’s cabin feels low-rent.

Trim levels for the 2020 Ford Ranger are XL, XLT, and Lariat. The base XL comes standard with steel wheels, a black grille, black door handles, and a black steel bumper. Inside, the XL comes with vinyl floors, manual air conditioning, two 12-volt power outlets, cloth upholstery, and eight-way manually adjustable front seats. Bluetooth connectivity and power windows with a one-touch up/down driver’s window round out the features on the XL.

CarGurus recommends moving up to the XLT trim, as it delivers a host of additional content for the price. Standard features on the XLT include 17-inch aluminum wheels, body-colour bumpers, remote keyless entry, a remote locking tailgate, and halogen fog lights. Inside, the XLT adds dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a 4.2-inch colour instrument panel screen, and a wall-style power outlet. The XLT also provides Ford SYNC 3 and Ford CoPilot 360 (more on those in the tech and safety sections, respectively).

The range-topping Lariat trim features upscale touches like 18-inch machined aluminum wheels, a chrome-accented grille, LED bed lighting, and power-folding side mirrors with integrated turn signals. The Lariat’s cabin features leather upholstery, eight-way heated-and-power-adjustable front seats, push-button start, and ambient cabin lighting.

Ford also offers several appearance packages, including STX Special Edition, Sport, Chrome, and Black Appearance Package. The Ranger is also available in the FX4 package, adding beefed up tires and running gear.

All trims of the Ford Ranger come equipped with a 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This powertrain makes 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission routes power to the four-wheel drive (4WD) with low-range gearing, which is the standard drivetrain in Canada.

The turbo engine is punchy and provides plenty of power at low speeds and for passing on highways. When properly equipped, the Ranger can tow up to 3,401 kilograms (7,500 pounds), which is terrific for a midsize truck. The Ranger also comes standard with Trailer Sway Control. If you’re looking to haul stuff in the bed, the SuperCab provides the best payload capacity in the lineup at 748 kilograms (1,649 pounds).

In normal driving, the Ranger feels a bit stiff, like a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon when it’s not on the trail. This truck is not as comfortable to drive as a Honda Ridgeline. There is some chatter and vibration when going over even small bumps in the road, and you feel body roll going around corners. In short, you give up a bit of drivability to achieve the Ranger’s capability.

Ford offers the FX4 Off-Road package. This adds off-road tires, an electronically locking rear differential, an off-road-tuned suspension, and the addition of an off-road status page to the instrument panel screen. It also removes the front air dam, and adds skid plates under the transfer case, differential, and fuel tank, as well as Trail Control and the Terrain Management System. Trail Control is like cruise control for the trail. At speeds up to 30 kilometres per hour, it controls the throttle and brake, allowing the driver to focus on the trail ahead. The Terrain Management System provides drive modes that optimize the throttle, transmission differential, and ABS for various off-road conditions. Modes include Normal, Grass, Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts, and Sand.

Ford offers the Ranger in SuperCab and SuperCrew configurations. The SuperCab seats four and is your typical extended cab style with a 2+2 layout. The rear seats are tight and aren’t very adult-friendly. These seats are more suited for kids, however, the second row is accessed via rear-opening clamshell half-doors that require opening the front door. This makes it a bit more awkward to open to let anyone in, though the opening is massive once you do.

The two-seat rear layout also makes for a space between the rear seats where you can stow gear. The rear seats also fold up, revealing additional storage cubbies. If you routinely need even more cargo space than seating space, the rear seats can be deleted altogether.

The SuperCrew is a full four-door crew cab. It has seating for five thanks to a full rear bench. The rear seats in the SuperCrew are more suited for adults, and both rows have comfortable, spacious seats.

The front row in both body styles provides deep in-door pockets and bottle holders. The centre console bin and cup holders are also deep, as is the tray at the bottom of the centre stack. The Ranger also has a helpful coin/key tray atop the dash.

The Ranger pairs a 1,848 mm (six-foot) bed to the SuperCab and a 1,550 mm (five-foot) bed to the SuperCrew. It is available with a remote locking tailgate, LED bed lighting, and wall-style power outlet. Unlike the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, the Ranger does not offer a bed-step. Ford does offer an optional spray-in bed liner.

Ford keeps the entertainment setup in the XL basic. You get an AM/FM stereo with four speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, and a USB port. Ford does include FordPass Connect on the XL. This app-based feature includes the ability to remotely lock and unlock the Ranger and remotely start it. FordPass Connect also includes Wi-Fi hotspot capability that can connect up to ten devices. All these features are subscription-based and included for a year. After that, keeping these features active will come out of your pocket.

Moving up to the Ford Ranger XLT swaps out the base stereo for SYNC 3 and an 8-inch touchscreen. SYNC 3 has a logical menu layout and is very intuitive. SYNC 3 also includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The touchscreen is available with voice-activated navigation and includes pinch-to-zoom functionality for the screen itself.

The range-topping Ford Ranger Lariat includes an optional B&O sound system by Bang & Olufsen. This premium stereo features ten speakers.

The Ranger comes standard with a full array of front- and side-impact airbags, a child-seat anchoring system, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. The Ranger also comes with Ford’s CoPilot360 suite of technologies, which is optional on the entry-level XL and standard on other grades. This includes automatic headlights, automatic emergency braking, forward collision avoidance, pedestrian detection, and blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert.

Moving up to the XLT, an available Technology Package adds forward parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, and navigation.

These are all comprehensive tech features, but many of them come standard in the Toyota Tacoma. That said, driver assistance features as-an-option is a more common practice among midsize trucks.

In evaluation by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Ranger earned top scores in most phases of crash testing. It earned the best score of Good for driver’s side small-overlap, moderate overlap, side, and roof-strength crash tests. It only earned a score of Average in small overlap passenger-side crash tests. The IIHS also gave the Ranger a best score of Superior for vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention technology, and Advanced (A.K.A. "average") for its pedestrian-sensing tech.

The Ranger earns an overall Four-Star rating (out of a possible five) in testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earns five stars in most crash tests, though netted four stars in front passenger side testing and just three stars in rollover crash testing.

There is one recall for the 2020 Ford Ranger. This recall involves the ten-speed automatic transmission. The gear position indicated might not match the position of the shifter. This is an issue we actually experienced with the 2019 Ford F-150, which has the same ten-speed automatic.

With standard 4WD, Natural Resources Canada estimates the Ranger will consume 11.8 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 9.8 on the highway, and 10.9 combined.

The 2020 Ford Ranger has base pricing of $37,020 for a Ford Ranger XL SuperCab, which includes MSRP plus a $1,995 destination charge. The XLT trim starts at $38,955 for the SuperCab. Moving up to the Lariat trim, which is available only with the SuperCrew cab, starts at $45,135.

The Ranger benefits from the indifference of GM and Nissan. The Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Nissan Frontier are all more dated products. As a result, the Ranger and its mature global platform aren’t taken to task. The Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma are fresher trucks, and the Honda Ridgeline is far more comfortable. The Ranger does what is asked of it, but never stands out. The Ranger’s driving feel, cabin feel, and styling are all mid-pack.

But the Ranger delivers where it counts. It leads mid-size pickup trucks on towing capacity and hauling, has comfortable seats for long trips, and comprehensive tech features that will avoid headaches when using them. The Ranger may not stand out in any subjective field, but it doesn’t fall below average in any field either. When it comes to trucks, even midsize trucks, that balance matters more than anything else.

Note: Images show a US model.