Fans of sports trucks, which is also the name of a magazine that Invoice Pricing used to put out until about fifteen years ago, have been teased by Ford Pro Europe with the words “ultimate street truck.” The Ford Ranger MS-RT is what the last sentence was about.
The MS-RT, which was brought over from the previous Ranger to the next generation mid-sizer, gets a bulging body and lowered suspension on top of huge 21-inch wheels, along with a bunch of other small changes. Any proof of go-fast enhancement is obviously missing from the list of mods, which calls the truck the “ultimate street truck” useless. But the fuel it was made with would be very different from anything else found on Earth. (The diesel Ranger used to be sold in the US, but that was a long time ago.)
Don’t stress; it doesn’t matter. We won’t be able to get the MS-RT in the United States, as shown by the reference to the diesel engine, which our new Ranger doesn’t have. Instead, we need to see this one-of-a-kind Ford Ranger from afar. It might give us ideas for our aftermarket and even help Ford make the local sport truck Ranger of our dreams. Ford couldn’t make enough; come on.
Now, let’s talk about the lovely Ford Ranger again. The Ford Ranger MS-RT is based on Asian race-use Rangers and has a mean-looking front end with a lip and a honeycomb grille built in. For the classic “wings ‘n skirts” sport truck look, you need flared fenders, a tailgate spoiler, a cab spoiler, a diffuser built into the rear bumper, and molded side skirts. These things also make airflow better. There will be many colors to choose from, and the mirror caps and door buttons will all be painted agate black.
The big 21-inch wheels with diamond cuts and 275/45R21 tires fit the wheel gaps that are too big. Is a medium-sized truck full of made twenty-ones? That is ridiculous. You may be interested to know that this is the biggest wheel Ford has ever put on a Ranger. Wheels and tires make the Ranger’s track wider by more than three inches, and bigger cars are more lively. Because of new, stronger front dampers and a retuned back setup, the suspension has been changed. This has caused the stance to drop by about 1.5 inches. Ford says that owners of Rangers that are used for work-related activities will not have to worry about changes to their towing and pulling capabilities.
The inside looks just as sporty as the outside. The seat backs and bolsters in the front seats are more comfortable. Each seat is made of “non-animal eco-leather” and suede, and they are all stitched together in blue with the well-known MS-RT pattern. There is a lot of MS-RT branding on the car; the steering wheel is strong and has a blue 12-o’clock marker, and the inlay has the MS-RT logo on it.
On the inside, though, there is no extra security to be found. The 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel engine in the European Ranger MS-RT makes 237 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. It comes with a 10-speed automatic gearbox. Other models use the same engine. Hans Schep, general manager of Ford Pro Europe, says, “If the Ranger MS-RT is the best truck for the street, then the Ranger Raptor is the best truck for off-road.” The Ranger sport truck would need the Raptor’s 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine, which makes 405 horsepower and 430 pounds of torque. For extra shine and glitz, a special drive mode could also be added.
A 12-inch touchscreen with Sync 4A, intelligent adaptive cruise control, an intelligent speed limiter, a rearview camera, front, and back parking assistance, and intelligent adaptive cruise control were all things that modern sport trucks had.
M-Sport Road Technology, or MS-RT, is what Ford came up with by working with M-Sport, a company that makes rally cars like the Ford Puma Rally1, GT3, and Global Rallycross race cars. This brand-new, state-of-the-art plant will be built on Ford’s Dagenham Estate in the UK. It will make the Ranger MS-RT medium truck and the Ford Transit Custom MS-RT van. Around the middle of 2024, Ford Pro shops in Europe will be able to sell it.
Enjoy a glass of champagne in honor of yet another great truck that won’t be coming to our local Ford stores any time soon, even if it’s not the modern take on the classic sport truck.
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