2021 Ford Ranger STX package caters to the budget-minded pickup buyer
For just under $1,000, you can have your base model Ranger XL with fancier wheels, an upgraded infotainment system and more.
This is a smart move.
The Ford Ranger was always a pretty affordable pickup truck, but that changed with the latest Ranger. Today, you can't touch a well-equipped model for less than $30,000. Ford noticed the gap and hopes to remedy that with the new STX special edition package.
Ford revealed the new package on Wednesday and it pairs exclusively with the Ranger's base model variant, the XL trim. Typically, the XL trim is pretty spartan with steel wheels, a comically small center screen by today's standards and lots of gray plastic inside. That's fine for those who just want a work truck, but some people do crave an affordable truck with no intentions of getting it incredibly dirty or hauling max payloads. The STX edition package should appeal to those folks. It tosses in far nicer 18-inch black-painted wheels, an 8-inch touchscreen to run infotainment and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Ford gives the interior a once-over with some more premium materials. Consider it a work truck in a business casual dress.
This is way better than the standard XL interior.
It hits a lot of the important marks and only costs an additional $995 atop the base price. Before ticking the options box for 4x4 and other goods, the truck costs $28,045. A Ranger XLT with more comforts, but perhaps more than some truck buyers want, rings in at over $30,000 by comparison. It's easy to see why the STX package could be popular with buyers. Simply based on first impressions, it'll be $1,000 well spent just because of the value added.
Buyers can choose the STX package with their Ranger XL trim in both SuperCab or SuperCrew configurations, the latter being Ford speak for a crew-cab model with four full doors. The first examples should start shipping out to dealers later this year.
