1998 Ford Ranger XLT

How do you fix what isn't broken? The obvious answer: carefully. For more than a decade, the Ford Ranger has been the hottest-selling compact pickup. Its attributes have been anvil-like toughness, crisp industrial design, and penny-wise affordability.

For '98, Ford built on those strengths and sent the Ranger out for some of the same finishing-school polish the new full-size F-150 received. The course requirements: Maintain the Ranger's iron gauntlet toughness while offering something more like silk-glove treatment for passengers.

The program to accomplish this started under the hood with upgrades to the 2.5-, 3.0-, and 4.0-liter engines. Then the standard cab was stretched 3 inches, the sheetmetal freshened, the frame stiffened, and the outdated front suspension scrapped.

To sample just some of the changes, we coerced Ford out of an option-loaded '98 4x4 XLT powered by the 4.0-liter V-6 bolted to a five-speed automatic and fitted with the roomy SuperCab and zoomy Flareside bed.

With the 4.0-liter OHV V-6, the transmission choices are a five-speed manual or a five-speed auto. The new 5R55E five-speed automatic impressed with its silky shifts and the short, lively ratio steps it provides for the gutsy but slightly industrial-sounding V-6. The five-speed's benefits are supposed to be better fuel economy, lower noise, and quicker acceleration. We noted the first two, but we expected faster track times with the close-ratio gear steps. Of course, this extended-cab XLT was burdened with lots of optional goodies and the hefty 4x4-drive package.

Speaking of off-road gear, our test truck had the new "Pulse Vacuum" hub-locks. This innovation enables virtually silent 4x4 engagement on the fly with a flick of the dash switch. This gadget also disconnects the hubs from the rest of the spooling front-drive parts, and thus reduces noise and improves fuel economy.

The '98 fuel economy is pegged by the EPA at 16/20 mpg city/highway in this rough-rider configuration. Around town that city number seems about right. But lots of easy, steady-state highway cruising at 65 mph netted us closer to 23 mpg.

The news for '98 is that the regular cab's interior volume is up 4.2 cubic feet. But as mentioned, we tested the even roomier SuperCab. And while there was no interior-volume improvement over the '97 SuperCab, it would still be our choice because of the huge measure of convenient storage and people-moving capability lacking in a standard cab. In our truck, two small seats with belts folded out of the right and left rear bulkheads to provide proper places for kids or even adults on short trips.

The Ranger's sheetmetal forward of the A-pillars has been tastefully cleaned up for '98. The fresh pieces include a new grille, bumper, valance, lighting, and aluminum hood. Designers also lowered the truck's hoodline and increased the rear-window size, which greatly improves outward visibility.

Also on the safety front, dual airbags are now standard. The passenger bag was optional in '96. (Note that the Ranger also offers a key-operated, passenger-side airbag deactivation switch.)

The Ranger comes standard with rear-wheel anti-lock brakes. An optional four-wheel system ABS provides yaw control and the additional benefit of steerability on slippery roads. As for this XLT's stopping distances (60-0 mph in 147 feet)-a bit more bite would be welcome.

With the '98 redo, the Ranger's previous C-section frame is now boxed from the front bumper to the A-posts, which greatly enhances overall solidity. The old recirculating-ball steering gear has been replaced by a rack-and-pinion unit that provides slightly crisper feel.