The New 2012 Ford Ranger (not coming to the U.S.)

I have always been a fan of Ford trucks. Before coming to Germany, I owned a 2007 Ford Ranger...my first truck. However, because the streets in Germany are so narrow, my wife and I decided to trade the Ranger in for a Honda Civic. (Also a very good vehicle!) I miss my truck. Quite often, I find myself searching the Internet for new Ford trucks, and I have to keep myself from drooling on the keyboard. (Not really!) My favorite Ford truck to date is the new Raptor. (Holy cow, that's a NICE truck!) Second to the Raptor is the new 2012 Ford Ranger.

According to Car Connection: "The new 2012 Ranger is powered by a 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, or a 3.2-liter in-line five-cylinder turbo-diesel, making 200 hp. The larger engine makes 347 pound-feet of torque—as much as some V-8s. Those engines come mated to six-speed manual or automatic transmissions; a version of the 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission are also offered. While the exterior of this truck bears a strong likeness to the 2011 F-150, the interior carries some design cues that are part of Ford's new global look (with a central controller and high-mounted screen), as well as some detailing borrowed from the F-150 as well as Bosch and DeWalt power tools and G-Shock watches, according to the automaker. The new truck comes with the all the updated connectivity features including an iPod connector and Bluetooth, as well as steering-wheel controls."

Want to know what SUCKS about the new 2012 Ford Ranger? Can you guess? IT'S NOT COMING TO THE U.S. Yep, you heard me right. This beautiful, awesome truck will NOT be sold in America.

Want to know why? Here's what Car Connection has to say: "The new Ranger that was just introduced at the Australian International Auto Show in Sydney is a good deal larger than current versions—so much larger that it might overlap, to shoppers, with smaller F-150 models."

So what they're saying is, they will not be bringing the new 2012 Ford Ranger to the States because THEY'RE AFRAID THAT AMERICANS WILL CONFUSE THE TRUCK FOR AN F-150?! I agree that the body style looks a lot like a small F-150, HOWEVER there are enough differences between the two trucks (in appearances, especially) that I honestly don't believe that Ford manufacturers need to worry about Americans getting the two confused. Even so, the worst case would be that someone might look over at the 2012 Ranger and say, "That's a NICE F-150! I want one of THOSE!" Just saying...