Diesel just makes sense to me in trucks of any size, especially now that they’re better behaved. Greatly improved towing capacity, fuel economy and longevity. I marvel at the lack of smaller diesels for even full size trucks, and certainly for midsize. They’ve been protecting their cash cows, Ford especially. I guess I can’t blame them, but the market’s catching up to them. A market left unserved will be filled by somebody eventually and that eventuality has arrived, so they’re throwing in the towel and bringing the Ranger back. Hopefully, with the 4, 5 and even 6 cal. diesels available in other markets.
You would be amazed at how tame my little Bronco II is with the cummins diesel. A good muffler and sound insulation in cab. But it has over 400 pounds of torque just off idle. I put basically a ford explorer front and rear axle in with an np205 transfer case and a 5 speed tranny, detroit tru track gears front and rear 3.27 ratio. I relocated the battery under the rear seat and installed 2. I posted a link earlier but here you are again :)
http://www.broncoiicorral.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=3468
I would be first in line for a either a Ranger or Bronco diesel to sit beside my Bronco ii.
A 4bt in just about any “smaller” vehicle is the ultimate.
All that torque!
UPS is stingy with their old Vans ... I wanted one pretty bad but they destroy/scrap them when they take them out of service.