The first generation "Ranger" pickup truck, designed for the Pacific region and Europe, was introduced in 1998. At the same time, the car entered mass production, and its assembly was carried out in Thailand at a joint venture between Ford Motor Co and Mazda.
At the heart of the "global" pickup was the Mazda Proceed platform, on which the Mazda B-Series "truck" was built. In 2002, the "first Ranger" underwent an update, receiving a corrected appearance and modernized equipment.
The production of the car lasted until 2006, after which it was replaced by a second generation model.
The first generation of the "global" Ford Ranger was offered as a pickup truck with a two- or four-door cab. Depending on the body version, the length of the car ranges from 4998 to 5020 mm, the height is from 1740 to 1750 mm, and the width is 1695 mm. But the indicators of the wheelbase and ground clearance (clearance) do not differ from them - 3000 and 207 mm, respectively. The machine is capable of taking on board from 540 to 750 kg of cargo.
The "first" Ford Ranger was equipped with two types of engines:
- The first is a four-cylinder petrol unit Mazda G6E SOHC with a displacement of 2.6 liters, the output of which is 134 horsepower at 4500 rpm and 206 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm.
- The second is a 2.5-liter Ford Duratorq SOHC WLT turbo diesel with four in-line cylinders, developing 121 horsepower at 3500 rpm and a maximum torque of 277 Nm at 2000 rpm.
In tandem with the engines, a 5-speed manual Mazda M5R1 gearbox was offered (final drive ratio - 4.44). Since 2004, a 4-band automatic transmission from the Japanese company JATCO has also been installed on the car.
The first generation Ford Ranger pickup was equipped with a Part time all-wheel drive. The car has driving rear wheels with a rigidly connected front axle. All-wheel drive can be activated at speeds up to 90 km / h, while it is worth noting that the maximum speed of the "Ranger" is 130-155 km / h.
The body of the "global" pickup truck is mounted on a powerful spar frame, which provides it with a high margin of safety for transporting goods. On the front axle of the "first Ranger" there is an independent torsion bar suspension on wishbones with a pair of hydraulic shock absorbers and an anti-roll bar, on the rear axle there is a continuous axle on leaf springs with shock absorbers and a stabilizer.
Ventilated disc brakes are used on the front wheels of the first generation Ranger, and self-adjusting drum brakes on the rear wheels. They are combined with a four-channel anti-lock braking system.
In 2018, the first generation of this model in Russia can be purchased only on the secondary market at a price of 300 ~ 500 thousand rubles (depending on the condition and equipment of a particular instance).
Despite the resemblance to the fifth generation Mazda B-Series pickup, the "first" Ford Ranger was divorced from it in terms of trim levels and positioned as a more expensive model. The initial version of the car boasts a pair of airbags, electric windows for all doors, standard "music", power steering and ABS. Air conditioning was optionally available.
The owners of the first generation "Ranger" note that the pickup has a reliable design, good cross-country ability and decent carrying capacity, and is quite affordable in service. Of the minuses, they usually complain about a stiff suspension and not too comfortable interior.
