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The shooters at KGP Photography caught Ford engineers testing a prototype for their updated global Ford Ranger pickup in the mountains of Colorado. Whenever a Ranger prototype is spotted testing in the United States, especially when it's in prototype form like this test truck, fans of the sub-F-Series trucks get renewed hope that the Ranger may once again be destined for U.S. showrooms.
The facelifted prototype captured here gets a new front fascia, and the camouflaged interior shows that it is also getting some attention. The mid-cycle facelift applied to this Ranger could be viewed as a new chance for Ford to better tailor the Ranger for U.S. tastes, just as GM overhauled its global Colorado pickup specifically for the U.S. market. Of course, it would be very interesting to see the Ranger hit the U.S. market in light of the increased focus on smaller trucks from GM, Nissan and a new Tacoma likely in the works from Toyota. Still, there are no signs that Ford is looking to join the party, and likely with good reason.
With Ford's truck attentions all so heavily directed toward launching the new aluminum F-150, and developing a thoroughly-overhauled Super Duty lineup, it's unlikely that a U.S.-spec Ranger is high on the priority list for Ford's U.S. product planners.
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Photo credit: KGP Photography