Mazda B-Series (North America)

Ford Ranger
Overview
Manufacturer	Ford
Production	1982–2011
Model years	1983–2011
Body and chassis
Class	Compact pickup truck
Layout	Front-engine, rear- / four-wheel drive
Chronology
Predecessor	Ford Courier
Successor	Ford F-150 Ford Ranger

First generation
Overview
Production	January 1982 – 1988
Model years	1983–1988
Assembly	Louisville, Kentucky, United States St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
Powertrain
Engine	Inline-four engines 1983–1988: 2.0 L Lima I4 1983–1992: 2.3 L Lima LL23 I4 V6 engines 1983–1986: 2.8 L Cologne V6 1986–1990: 2.9 L Cologne V6 1990–1992: 3.0 L Vulcan V6 1990–1992: 4.0 L Cologne V6 Diesel engines 1983–1984: 2.2 L Perkins 4.135 I4 (diesel) 1985–1986: 2.3 L Mitsubishi 4D55 I4 (turbo diesel)
Transmission	Manual transmissions 4-speed Toyo Kogyo TK4 5-speed Toyo Kogyo TK5 5-speed Mitsubishi FM132 5-speed Mitsubishi FM145 5-speed Mitsubishi FM146 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1 Automatic transmissions 3-speed C3 3-speed C5 4-speed A4LD
Dimensions
Wheelbase	107.9 in (2,741 mm) 113.9 in (2,893 mm) 125 in (3,175.0 mm)
Length	Standard bed 1983–1988:175.6 in (4,460 mm) 1989–1992:176.5 in (4,483 mm) Long bed 1983–1988:187.6 in (4,765 mm) 1989–1992:188.5 in (4,788 mm) Supercab 1983–1988:192.7 in (4,895 mm) 1989–1992:193.6 in (4,917 mm)
Width	1983–1988: 66.9 in (1,699 mm) 1989–1992: 66.8 in (1,697 mm)

1993–1997
Overview
Also called	Mazda B-Series
Production	August 1992 – July 1997
Model years	1993–1997
Assembly	Louisville, Kentucky, United States St. Paul, Minnesota, United States Edison, New Jersey, United States General Pacheco, Argentina
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door compact 2-door extended
Powertrain
Engine	2.3 L OHC I4 3.0 L Vulcan V6 4.0 L Cologne V6
Transmission	Manual 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1 Automatic 4-speed A4LD 4-speed 4R44E 4-speed 4R55E 5-speed 5R55E
Dimensions
Wheelbase	107.9 in (2,741 mm) 113.9 in (2,893 mm) 125.2 in (3,180 mm)
Length	184.3 in (4,681 mm) 196.3 in (4,986 mm) 198.2 in (5,034 mm)
Width	69.4 in (1,763 mm)

1998–2012
Overview
Also called	Mazda B-Series
Production	August 1997 – December 16, 2011
Model years	1998–2012
Assembly	St. Paul, Minnesota, United States Edison, New Jersey, United States General Pacheco, Argentina
Body and chassis
Body style	2-door compact 2-door extended (1998–2011) 2+2-door extended (1999–2011) 4-door crew cab (South America)
Powertrain
Engine	2.3 L Duratec I4 (gasoline) (2001–2011) 2.5 L OHC I4 (gasoline) (1998–2001) 3.0 L Vulcan V6 (gasoline / E85) (1998–2008) 4.0 L OHV Cologne V6 (gasoline) (1998–2000) 4.0 L 4.0 SOHC V6 (gasoline) (2001–2011)
Transmission	Manual 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1 Automatic 4-speed 4R44E 5-speed 5R55E
Dimensions
Wheelbase	111.6 in (2,835 mm) 117.6 in (2,987 mm) 125.9 in (3,198 mm)
Length	188.5 in (4,788 mm) 200.5 in (5,093 mm) 202.9 in (5,154 mm)
Width	70.3 in (1,786 mm)
Height	68.3 in (1,735 mm) 69.4 in (1,763 mm)

The Ford Ranger is a compact pickup truck that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company from 1983 to 2012 model years for North America; from 1997 to 2011, a version was also manufactured and sold in South America. Introduced to replace the Ford Courier produced in Japan by Mazda, the Ranger was produced in two distinct generations. While introduced a year after the Chevrolet S-10, the Ranger would go on to become the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004.

Over its production life, the chassis and underpinnings of the Ranger would be used for various compact Ford trucks, most commonly as sport-utility vehicles. During the 1990s and 2000s, Mazda adopted a badge-engineered version of Ranger, taking on the B-Series nameplate (the reverse of the Ford Courier produced by Mazda).

Over its 29-year production run, Ford produced the Ranger via three different assembly plants in North America. The Ranger was produced at the Louisville Assembly Plant in Louisville, Kentucky from 1982 to 1999; from 1993 to 2004, production also was sourced from Edison Assembly in Edison, New Jersey. For its entire production run, the Ranger was produced at Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota. The final 2012 Ford Ranger produced on December 16, 2011, also ended 86 years of production at Twin Cities Assembly as well as the production of compact pickups in general in the United States.

Ford has recently announced that they will be manufacturing and selling the Ranger again starting in 2019.

Ford began development of the Ranger in 1976, focusing on quality and fuel efficiency. The intent was to build a truck that was as capable as the full-size F-Series, but in a more economical package. The compact Ranger had a similar styling to the full-size Ford F-Series, used a similar architecture, and was offered with a four-wheel drive capability. This ability allowed the Ford Ranger to haul a 4-foot (1.2 m) wide sheet of plywood, which is a common standard for a pickup truck. In the compact Ranger, however, the space between the wheel wells was less than four feet; Ford designed the box with recesses to insert supports across the bed, allowing it to haul a standard sheet of plywood above the wheel wells.