Ace of Base: 2019 Ford Ranger XL

Last summer, fans of mid-sized pickup trucks got a quick look behind the virtual curtain when the build-and-price tool for the new Ford Ranger leaked to the internet like a screen door on a submarine. Spox at the Blue Oval rapidly shouted but the base price of $24,300 proved accurate.

At the time, we did an Ace of Base using the quickly-hauled-down pricing tool. Six months on, has anything changed? Are our readers still interested in a base Ranger priced $3,000 north of a base Colorado? Did NFL referees blow that call this weekend?

One thing that has changed is the pricing tool finally shows an image of the base interior. Previously, it only showed a high-zoot trim, regardless of model selected. We see the base Ranger is a festival of black surfaces, with a vast expanse of empty area around the HVAC controls. This may or may not be the Blank Space to which Taylor Swift was referring. Poverty-spec Rangers also get an infotainment system peppered with buttons to make the thing look like Worf’s forehead.

It also annoys your author when manufacturers install a steering wheel with buttons on just one spoke. Not only does it advertise to you and your passengers that you’re a cheapskate, but it makes the wheel looks like it is winking at you — or that it has suffered a pirate-like injury. Either way, Ford is not alone in committing this sin.

The rest of the base pickup reads remarkably similar to what was reported back in August, despite Ford’s protestations. The only non-greyscale color available is Lightning Blue, with the Tang Orange Saber hue only available when an optional package is selected. Buyer are treated to Those Wheels — 16-inches in diameter and wrapped in 255/70/16 blackwall tires. The truck’s grille, mirror caps, and bumpers are all flat black.

No-cost vinyl seats are still an option for those who enjoy sticking to the things in summertime. Air conditioning is standard to relieve some of that burden, a piece of standard kit not confirmed back in the August leak. SYNC is also included, something which went unmentioned last time around.

In a fit of pandering to the Ace of Base crowd, Ford will credit your account to the sum of $240 if you choose to bin the rear seats and use the space for storage instead. Carpet is absent unless buyers pay extra, a development with which your author will not argue.

So how about it, B&B? Are you still as excited for a base Ranger as you were during those hot August nights? Or has the cold reality of winter dampened your enthusiasm?

[Images: Ford]

Not every base model has aced it. The ones which have? They help make the automotive landscape a lot better. Any others you can think of, B&B? Let us know in the comments. Naturally, feel free to eviscerate our selection.

The model above is shown in American dollars with American options and trim, absent of destination charges and available rebates. As always, your dealer may sell for less.