Is a Mustang-Based Ranchero Reboot Next?
Slideshow: In a New Ford World populated almost completely by trucks, is there room for the Ranchero to return?
If Wishes Were Pickups
We're with you. It's only natural to wonder, as many did aloud in comments responding to the recent news that Ford is working on not one but two unibody pickups, whether a new Ranchero is possible. Actually, that's not an entirely accurate characterization of the comments, which followed leaked information that Ford is readying a Fusion-based pickup and planning to revive the Courier nameplate for it. "No thanks, bring back the Ranchero instead," was closer to the sentiment expressed. While we'd love to see a new Ranchero ripping down boulevards and backroads near us, we wouldn't bet the farm on it. Oh Ranchero, how do we love thee, but doubt thou art coming back, let us count the ways...
The Torino is No More
Both the new Courier and another as-yet-unnamed pickup are being developed from surviving Ford passenger cars—the Fusion and Focus platforms, respectively—but what medium-size coupe is there to base a Ranchero on? There's no Torino—or any of the other cars on which the Ranchero was based—anymore. Which leaves us with one other option: Mustang. If a Ranchero is coming back it would have to be based on the Mustang, something that's that's alright by us, but also something that has never happened before.
One Throwback Car (or Truck) is Enough
Though the Mustang has evolved since the introduction of the retro-styled 2005 model, it still carries a healthy dose of golden-age-inspired looks, as do GM's Camaro and FCA's Challenger. Despite an impending Bronco reboot, truck- or SUV-like retro designs haven't shown staying power. Think PT Cruiser or Chevy HHR. So, even if a Mustang-based Ranchero were to see the light of day, it couldn't safely resemble Ford's Ponycar. No one wants a half-Mustang to fail.
Ranchero Would Compete Against Mustang
Another thing no one wants is intra-company competition for Mustang. Remember the final Cougar? It was a Thunderbird companion, not a Mustang sales rustler. As great as a Coyote-engined Ranchero would be, it's not in the cards if it threatens sales of America's other sports car.
Price Point
Let's say we're wrong, let's assume there's enough room on this big blue marble for a Mustang with a bed—would the public pay Mustang Dollars for one? Such a model would likely start above the Mustang's base price, and like most everything else, climb rapidly from there. With the twin-turbo V6 Fusion Sport starting at around $35K, the possibility of a loaded Courier Sport coming in at $40,000-plus is very real, which means a fast Ranchero would be priced at a tier above. That's some serious money for what would probably be a niche vehicle.
Utility
Know what else you can get for that same 50-ish-thousand? That's right, a darned nice F-150. They're no sports cars but they can get up and move, and not being hampered by an attached-bed unibody structure gives a traditional pickup truck the utility and flexibility no Ranchero ever made can approach. Rancheros are currently as cool as they've ever been, but they're less muscle car than a Mustang and less truck than an F-150, which in all likelihood, would translate into less-than-enthusiast sales for a vehicle competing in the same sticker-price leagues.
Racing and Australia
One thing that could drive visibility for a new Ranchero, ensuring interest if not increased sales, is racing. Pickup truck racing, while still a thing in other parts of the world, currently doesn't officially exist in the U.S. While people will probably always autocross and drag race trucks head-to-head against cars, there isn't a series for pickups stateside, so scratch that one off the motivating factor list. Did we just mention other parts of the world? Yes, but while Ford's planned unibody pickups might make it to Australian and Kiwi markets, they'd be filling voids created by very recently-expired Ford models. With the Oceania-based Ford Falcon Ute biting the dust down under in 2016, don't look for Ford to resurrect it, slap a Ranchero badge on it, and export it any time soon.
Safety
If you need one more nail in the coffin holding your Ranchero hopes, look no further than safety regulations. One reason Mustangs are as hard to see out of as they are, both frontward and rearward, is the structure needed to keep occupants safe. Without the benefit of stocky B- and C-pillars we can't see a short cab Ranchero surviving the first round of testing. A mandatory roll bar would solve things but that's simply a non-starter in 2018. Would an extended-cab Ranchero be a real Ranchero? Signs point to 'No'. That's today though. Only the Magic 8-Ball knows what will happen tomorrow, so 'ask again later' is as good an answer as any.
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