Ford's Ranger Storm Concept is a cheaper Raptor lookalike that's not for US
Listen, Ford, all these never-for-the-US-market special-edition Rangers are really starting to play with our emotions.
Ford will soon sell its new Ranger in the States, but in the meantime, the Blue Oval is getting awfully brazen with pickup-truck forbidden fruit. First, it was the Ranger Raptor, and now it's the equally awesome and only slightly less capable Ranger Storm, which made its debut at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil on Wednesday.
While the Ranger Raptor gets a new, 2.0-liter diesel I4 engine, the Storm uses a 197-horsepower, five-cylinder diesel. Visually, the Storm gets a snorkel, roof bars that extend into the bed and a bunch of body cladding for maximum butch effect, as well as unique 17-inch wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires. According to Autoblog, the Storm is actually based on the Ranger Limited, meaning it lacks the honest-to-goodness off-road capability of its Raptor sibling.
Ford unveiled the Raptor Storm alongside the Ranger Black Edition Concept and the Ka Urban Warrior. The Black Edition is -- you guessed it -- pretty much devoid of color, while the Ka Urban Warrior is a supercool, lifted economy car (and the name of a TV show I would totally watch).
As for the Ranger we'll actually see stateside, production just kicked off at Ford's facility in Wayne, Michigan. The US-spec pickup will be powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine good for 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. It'll arrive in dealers in the coming months, priced from $25,395.
