Some lucky auto journalists have already gotten the opportunity to test drive the new Ranger. Not a huge fan of the fake engine sound, and Ford really needs to develop another normally aspirated V6 for this platform. Regardless you can have a look/listen of their first impressions.

I agree about the fake cabin noise and think that if Ford wants their truck to sound like a V8, they should just equip it with one. While the entry price is decent, I don't know how many people are going to have an interest in base spec.

Not sure how well Ford is looking at their customer demographics but its shifting and new buyers don't care for fake sounds nor due they care that fuel efficiency is the new priority.

The way things are now is, when you get bored of SUV's, move onto pickup's, beyond that they have no where to go.

I had a feeling that Ford would do something like this, ever since they announced the Ranger would only be available with a sole V4. They've already got other EcoBoost engines that they could easily place here. A V6 will come for sure, don't know about a V8.

If it wasn't risky business to get into this segment then we'd probably see at least 1 more powertrain option. In the future I hope that will be a hybrid.

I don't know if its risk or the fact that Ford is looking to protect their bottom line. There has been a need for more midsize options in NA for years now. It took a top selling position in AUS to convince them of the T6 platform.

Toyota seems to have a good grip on this segment and with Ford here, if Toyota makes drastic changes to stay even more competitive, it will say a lot about the potential of this segment.

I think they were just hesitant of a new pickup in a market that has become so focused on crossovers/SUV's. Since the amount of luxury options have increased significantly with newer trucks however, less people are using them solely as workhorses.

I don't know how you came to that conclusion which is incredible far from the truth.
Numbers don't lie... the Tacoma has been one of Americas top selling vehicles, hitting around 200k sales and beyond in recent years.

I think it was more of a matter of bringing the costs in line to be competitive in NA. They probably could have relaunched the Ranger at the same time the T6 platform debuted overseas, but it would have been much more expensive than what we are seeing now.