Ranger

Make
Ford
Segment
Sports Car

The Ford Ranger currently on sale actually dates back to the 2011 model year. It took until 2018 for it to come stateside. Now a decade old, the Ranger is showing its age but remains competitive. This isn't hard to do considering rivals like the Toyota Tacoma and Chevy Colorado/GMC Colorado are aging as well. The all-new 2022 Nissan Frontier is the new kid on the block.

Overseas, meanwhile, the Ranger remains popular and ahead of its upcoming redesign for all markets, a new special edition has arrived that looks very American. Only it's not for America but rather Thailand. Meet the Ranger XL Street Special Edition.

Priced from just under $21,000, according to current exchange rates, the XL Street lives up to its name and street racing purpose with a lowered suspension a body kit consisting of front and rear bumper extensions, side skirts, and a tailgate spoiler. There are also black mirror caps and door handles, and 16-inch wheels.

And then, of course, there are the body graphics consisting of red, white, and blue stripes going from bumper to bumper across the top and another graphic on the sides. Inside, there's an eight-inch touchscreen, six speakers, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. But what's happening under the hood is where America has always missed out on.

A 2.2-liter turbocharged diesel rated at around 158 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque is linked to a six-speed manual transmission that sends power to the rear wheels only. It's for street racing, after all, hence the lack of 4WD. Production is limited to just 300 examples. Ford hasn't confirmed yet when the completely redesigned Ranger will arrive, but chances are an all-electric variant (rendered below) will be part of the lineup.

Last month we reported that Ford filed a trademark application with the USPTO for "Splash," a name used back in the 90s for a sporty Ranger trim. We're unsure whether it'll be reused for the all-electric truck, but we'd certainly like to see America get its own street racing 4x2 Ranger.