<!–The Next Ford Ranger Could Be a Powerful Plug-In Hybrid • Gear Patrol<!– –>

but will Ford let us have it?


Ford is hard at work on the next generation of its Ranger midsize truck, which is due to arrive for the 2022 model year. (Whether it arrives in America at that time, though, is up for debate.) A new report from the Aussie site CarExpert lists the purported engine options available for the new Ranger outside of North America, including a powerful plug-in hybrid — which seems like the one most likely to come to the United States.

The plug-in-hybrid would be a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which we assume would be based on the four-pot engine of the same size in the current Ranger. The hybrid would produce a combined output of 362 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque — numbers would blow away any current engine in the midsize segment. In fact, it would give the Ranger more torque than any current full-size truck other than the F-150 Raptor.

No pick-up trucks currently offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain, but the Ranger wouldn’t be alone in having one by the time it arrives, if the rumor is true. The 2021 Ford F-150 that’s expected to debut later this year will all but certainly have a PHEV version of its own, one that may well be more powerful than any other engine in the truck. If so, the idea that the Ranger’s beefiest heart would be a plug-in hybrid seems like a little less of a stretch.

The other two engines listed by CarExpert were a twin-turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel and the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 diesel used in the F-150, neither of which we expect to come to the U.S. All three engines would use a 10-speed automatic transmission.

While that plug-in hybrid Ranger sounds badass, as with the Ranger Raptor, Ford could ultimately decide it’s not right for us in the U.S. After all, the Ford F-150 is not just America’s best-selling vehicle; it’s a crazy-profitable one, with an average transaction price of $51,000. Ford has a strong incentive not to mess with those F-150 sales by making the cheaper Ranger too appealing.

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Tyler Duffy

Tyler Duffy is Gear Patrol’s Motoring Staff Writer. He used to write about sports for The Big Lead and The Athletic. He has a black belt in toddler wrangling. He’s based outside Detroit.

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