The Ford Ranger is incredibly popular for a lot of reasons: it is robust, it is fast, it is versatile, and it can serve a huge range of different purposes in both day-to-day life and business contexts. As one of the world’s most popular pickups, it is in high demand, and that makes leasing options all the more important.
However, getting the best lease for a Ford Ranger is not always as easy as it might sound. While you can just approach the first dealership or private leaser that you find to get one, you want to choose an option that works best for you – whether that means lower leasing costs or finding a Ford Ranger that boasts specific modifications.
But how do you lease a Ford Ranger in a way that benefits you the most, and what should you be looking out for if you want to avoid any issues with that lease in the long term? Finding the right lease requires understanding both the Ford Ranger and the leasing options surrounding it.
Which Ford Ranger Should You Lease?
There is no point trying to lease a Ford Ranger if you don’t even know which one you want to use. Like many pickups, there are multiple models of Ford Ranger, and all of them are suited to specific things that the others might not be as good at handling.
Understanding the differences between them is extremely important since it will change the way that you can actually use the Ford Range in general. While they are all still pickups, they will have varying sets of features and tools that make them distinctly different in many situations.
Because of this, you need to know what the differences are and how they impact the vehicle itself. If you want a Ford Ranger lease, then it is very likely that you are looking for a specific kind of vehicle, and finding it is not going to be as straightforward as you might think.
Ford Ranger Regular Cab
The Ford Ranger, Regular Cab variant, is stripped back and simplified, forgoing rear seats and offering an extended loading bed that can hold a huge payload. This is the most basic pickup truck form of the Ranger and one of the most versatile options for a range of different uses.
While it can only really carry two people safely (at least if you only count the seats), the Regular Cab variant sees use in a lot of different situations. It is simple and straightforward, making it a valuable option and a great leasing choice for both personal and business use.
This standard cap design is a good place to turn if you want something generalized and simpler to manage, although it will not always offer the same benefits as a more specialized option. Either way, this is one of the more popular choices for a good reason.
Ford Ranger Chassis Cab
The Ford Ranger Chassis Cab is meant as a conversion platform, offering a simple and straightforward chassis design that allows for heavy modification. This makes it a favorite of a lot of pickup hobbyists but also means that you often need to do more work to get it to your ideal standards.
The chassis cab might not be the best idea for a first-time lease, but it can be useful as a new vehicle in a fleet. The ability to tailor it to your exact needs ensures that it can fill multiple roles without needing to be replaced by another vehicle, keeping a business fleet consistent.
Ford Ranger Super Cab
The Ford Ranger Super Cab variant has two rows of seats and a surprisingly large load capacity, meaning that it can work well as a family vehicle while also providing a lot of luggage transporting potential. In the business world, this combination can work well for contractors across a range of industries.
This design is one of the more popular options, offering a good balance of cargo carrying and people carrying that makes it worth using in a huge range of situations. If you need a general-purpose lease vehicle, then the Super Cab variant is a good choice for all kinds of day-to-day situations.
Ford Ranger Double Cab
The Ford Ranger Double Cab has a full-size cab with extended legroom, allowing for a high amount of comfort compared to other pickup truck models. This makes it a great choice of passenger vehicle without sacrificing all of its storage capacity, making it a great choice for contract workers.
The double cab can not only allow you to transport two more people, but it can also double up as more storage space in a pinch. This means that you are not really losing out on too much carrying capacity, especially not if the back two seats are still empty.
Whatever you plan to use it for, the Double Cap is similar to the Super Cab in that it can serve a lot of different roles without falling short in any particular area. This versatility makes it a viable option for a lot of different situations, making it a safe choice for a lease vehicle.
Ford Ranger XL
The Ford Ranger XL is meant to be an improved version of the default Ranger, providing the same general functionality while also providing smoother engine performance and other practical upgrades. While it is more expensive to lease, it can also be a better investment for many people.
While it is still the same vehicle at heart, the XL provides a lot of useful benefits that can make it a great choice for a range of situations. The option to choose between single-cab and double-cab models ensures that you can choose whichever one suits your needs best.
Ford Ranger XLT
The Ford Ranger XLT is an improvement over the Ford Ranger XL, which itself is an improvement over the default model. An XLT can include upgrades like carpeted floors, additional storage space, more off-road capabilities, and a unique central console design.
Since the XLT is just a base upgrade to the standard model, it can itself be upgraded even further as needed, such as using the Lariat trim package to add leather seats or a powered sunroof. Most of these upgrades are focused on luxury and comfort rather than direct practical benefits.
With so many different options available for the XLT, it can be a great choice if you want something comfortable and effective in almost every situation. Of course, it also tends to be one of the most costly models in the line, especially with additional upgrade packages or modifications.
Choosing a Ford Ranger
Finding the right Ford Ranger for your needs is not easy, especially if you are not entirely sure what you are looking for yet. The hard part is understanding how the Ford Ranger can be adapted to different situations and how different models are meant to serve specific kinds of roles.
This means that it is not always easy to pick out a certain model of Ford Ranger straight away. All of them are meant for specific kinds of situations, and while some are versatile enough to fill multiple roles, they still have distinct strengths and weaknesses worth exploring.
Comfort
Some models are going to offer far more comfort than others, such as the Ford Ranger XL and XLT. These are some of the most comfort-focused models in the line, offering a lot of features that are designed to make the ride smooth and simple, but this also comes at an added cost when leasing them.
Of course, you can also look at regular models with lower price tags that have additional comfort features installed. Modifications are common, and many people get seat covers or other comfort features to ensure that their vehicles are nicer to drive on a daily basis. This can be surprisingly common even among contractor vehicles.
If you are looking to lease a Ford Ranger, you might not have the option to modify it yourself, but you can still track down modified versions. If comfort is important to you, then it might be a good idea to try and track down modified Ford Rangers that have new seat covers or carpeted floors.
Capacity
One of the main benefits of a pickup truck like the Ford Ranger is the fact that it can carry a lot of cargo. As such, you often want to consider the amount of space that you actually need since not every situation calls for maximum cargo capacity.
There are times when it might be more cost-effective to go with a model that has a smaller carrying capacity but more seating or even a smaller Ford Ranger model in general. On the other hand, you might prefer having as much carrying space as possible just in case, especially if you are using it as a business vehicle.
Carrying capacity often comes at the cost of seating and vice versa. Adding more of one means removing the other, so you need to think about whether you want a balance of both or want to focus on one in particular.
Seating
Naturally, seating is going to play a huge role in the kind of Ford Ranger lease you aim for. The more seats you have, the more people your vehicle can transport safely, which becomes incredibly useful in specific situations – for example, when using it as a family car or transporting multiple employees at once.
As mentioned above, more seating means less carrying space overall, although you can still use empty seats to store items inside the Ranger. This means that the choice sometimes comes down to how many people will ever need to ride in the vehicle and whether or not you want a larger load bay instead.
Do not hesitate to focus on seating if that is what you need most. It can always be helpful to have the option of transporting another two people, especially if the vehicle is being used in a variety of roles and is not necessarily just going to be transporting cargo or goods all the time.
Versatility
The more versatile your Ford Ranger model is, the more situations it can work well in, allowing it to become a core part of how you handle day-to-day life or business affairs. Of course, not everybody needs a versatile lease vehicle, especially not if it is only going to serve one specific purpose.
If you only want a vehicle that can do a specific thing and do not care about any other situations, then it is a good idea to look into finding a Ford Ranger model and modification combination that suits that goal perfectly. The more suitable the vehicle is for that situation, the better results you will get from using it.
It is up to you to decide how versatile you want your lease vehicle to be. More versatility opens up more ways to use your Ford Ranger, but less versatility allows you to focus on a specific goal or situation that you want your Ranger to be perfectly suited for.
Arranging Your Lease
Handling a Ford Ranger lease is just like leasing any other vehicle. However, you will not always find the exact configuration that you are looking for, so it is important to check your available options as soon as you can.
While you might have an ideal Ford Ranger model and modification kit in mind, that is not always going to be available. Depending on the dealer or company you are working with, you might only have a limited set of options, and choosing the right ones for your needs involves looking at what they actually provide.
Be sure that you look into each modification and feature they can offer, especially if you are still not sure of exactly what you want. Having at least a basic understanding of what you can choose from makes it much easier to find a Ford Ranger that matches your personal needs and requirements.
Whatever you are looking for, you can find a Ford Ranger that will match your needs. Do not be afraid to explore more options and see what you can find, especially not if you are interested in learning more about the kind of accessories and modifications that might be worth getting with your vehicle.