Every Photo You Need to See of the 2019 Ford Ranger Pickup

The frame is fortified with mounting locations for solid steel bumpers front and rear, and with the optional towing package, the Ranger is rated to tow up to 7500 pounds or haul 1860 in the bed.

That latter figure is every bit as big as the F-150's number. Ford also says it revised its sheetmetal stampings to tighten up panel gaps on American trucks compared to those for overseas markets, although we could see daylight around the tailgate when viewing it in the rearview mirror.

No eye-opening towing figure starts with a wimpy engine. The Ranger takes a different approach than its cross-town rivals, which offer gas four- and six-cylinder engines and a diesel four plus the choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

Ford hopes you wanted a turbo four and a 10-speed automatic transmission, because that's the only powertrain it offers. The four displaces 2.3 liters and generates 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.

Gear ratios remain the same in the Ranger as they are in the F-150, with the only difference being a smaller bellhousing on the Ranger's transmission to accommodate its smaller torque converter.

Those output figures are basically the inverse of the GM twins' 3.6-liter V-6, which makes 308 horsepower and 275 lb-ft.

As such, the Ranger's four feels plenty powerful, with the 10-speed swapping through ratios quickly and smoothly. But with seventh being a direct 1.00:1 and three overdrives, acceleration was clearly not the top priority.

Ford had some hauling and towing exercises set up for us for this first drive, but another journalist wiped out a fender on the bigger trailer, so all we could sample was the Ranger with a pair of Jet Skis behind it. They presented no challenge.

Style is where the mid-size truck market has an edge on the full-size. From the Ridgeline to the butch Tacoma, the spectrum is much broader here.

The Ranger toes what many of us consider to be the best line between tough and chic, with the high-riding look of the Taco and the Colorado ZR2 providing a surprisingly handsome home for Ford's hexagonal grille.

In turns, the body rolls a touch, then takes a set that it maintains without any unsettling wobble.

Not only does the Ranger offer the usual complement of on-road safety systems—lane-departure warning and assist, blind-spot monitors with trailer coverage, automated emergency braking—but it has a full array of off-road assistants as well.

Ford's crawl control uses an electronically controlled hydraulic pump to hammer away at the ABS circuits to maintain speed on off-road downhill runs.

It helps that the Ranger rides well. There's a fair bit of dive and squat under braking and acceleration, but that's to be expected with a vehicle lofted so high over its axles.

Inside, lower-trim trucks suffer from uninspired black plastics, but the top trims get upgraded to richer pieces.

Four-wheel drive adds about 250 pounds and slightly increased busyness from the front end, but the ride remains civil.