Ford has been discreetly deleting features from its top-selling Ranger ute over the past year or so, as the current model approaches the end of it’s decade-long lifecycle.
Some of these deleted features are more noticeable, and others might only be spotted by eagle-eyed owners.
It’s a tactic car companies use to maintain or boost profits at a time they think they may need to discount their prices.
Normally, new cars go into discount mode when in a model runout. Except, in this instance, it has turned into a pay day for Ford.
Ford cut costs out of the Ranger, but demand for it (and other utes) is off the charts, so prices have stayed high. It’s a win for Ford but customers are worse off.
While Ford has added some new technology to the Ranger in recent years, some smaller details have been removed to increase profitability for the ageing ute.
Ford announced the recent inclusion like FordPass Connect and the embedded modem that allows some Ranger features to be controlled remotely via an app, along with location tracking and other tech.
Radar cruise control trickled down to the XLT specification recently, and the Wildtrak also received an 18-inch alloy spare (rather than a steel wheel).
However, the electric seats in higher-specification Rangers lost thigh adjustment, moving from an eight-way seat to six-way seat.
Acoustic glass was removed from the front driver’s door, which would increase road noise from the reduced sound insulation.
The CD player has been deleted, and owners will notice a different sun visor: it no longer has vanity mirror illumination, nor does it have the ability to be extended along a sliding rod to better block side glare.
Why does Ford delete equipment? Car manufacturers often tweak the standard equipment on a car as it rolls through its life cycle.
Sometimes brands add features to keep appeal to an ageing model. Or, they subtract things to reduce manufacturing costs, providing them some wriggle room on the drive-away price.
Other elements that will be missed in future iterations of the Ford Ranger include engine stop-start (because of the ongoing semiconductor shortage), and the 230-volt inverter plug at the back of the centre console which has recently fallen foul of local design rules.
The Ford Ranger is due to be replaced with an all-new model in the middle of this year which, on high-end models, is touted to get a large Tesla-style portrait infotainment display, new technology and a V6 turbo diesel engine.
2022 Ford Ranger features added:
- FordPass Connect
- Adaptive cruise control for XLT
- 18-inch full-size spare wheel for Wildtrak
2022 Ford Ranger features deleted:
- Eight-way electric seat adjustment (now six-way)
- CD player
- Front window acoustic glass (replaced with non-acoustic glass)
- Vanity mirror illumination
- Sliding sun visor rod
- 230-volt inverter power plug (mid-2021 production onwards)
- Engine stop-start (January 2022 production)
- Plastic pocket under rear seat is gone, exposing bare metal
Keyword: 2022 Ford Ranger’s list of deleted features as it nears the end of the line