Do you find the Styleside short bed Ranger simply too roomy and boring? Ford has just the thing!
Well, Ford had just the thing, but they’ve since killed this friendly little trucklet. Let’s take a moment to enjoy the curves of perhaps the sauciest Ranger iteration produced:
I took these photos at my local community college after class. This is also where I photographed the Intrigue, and it is proving to be a great place to spot CC material.
Not much to see here, though I do think this version was the best-looking Ranger after the boxier 1989-1992 versions. I like my cars broughamy and my trucks simple!
This must be the Custom trim level.
The Splash was introduced for the 1993 model year on the face-lifted Ranger, just after the F-150 Flareside in 1992. I seem to recall there was a collective sigh of relief from Ford fans at having a stepside bed on the F-150 and Ranger as Chevy/GMC seemed to be selling zillions of stepsides since the 1988 redesign of their half-ton pickups.
I remember Ranger Splash ads as being distinctly lighthearted, perhaps too much so, but I guess if a Splash will transport you and your smokin’-hot girlfriend to a tropical rainforest waterfall, who am I to argue?
The graphics down the side always looked a bit silly to me, but the Splash seemed to sell well enough in spite of it.
I believe this interior signifies this truck as a ’95-’97 model, though I am not a Ranger historian and am open to being educated in the comments. Was this interior stolen from the 1995 Explorer, or was it the other way around?
Well, that about does it for our quick Ranger Splash story today and the Ranger in general. RIP, you saucy little minx.
You may be right on the year. I know the ’94 had the new exterior and interior but carried over the earlier style dash.
I liked these when they came out and saw many of them around town.
I owned a 1996 Ranger, standard cab, short bed, straight sides in dark red with the exact interior shown above. We bought ours in 1998, still under factory warranty and finally sold it to a friend when my back couldn’t take any more and my Impala beckoned me to buy it – my back has been thanking me ever since!
Still, these were great little trucks, and the Splash was icing on the cake. Wish mine was a Splash…
For some reason I liked the black Splashes with the multicolored grahics. Don’t forget that GM also put out a stepside bedded S10 too. A neighbor worked for the GM Defiance Foundary and sales got so slow on the S10 stepside that he picked one up for a greater than usual discount and drove it as a commuter to save gas and wear and tear on his full size Z71. I distinctly recall that the S10 was a 4×2, 4 cyl, 5 speed manual.
For what it’s worth, the radio/cassette player stayed around for at least a few years. We have one like it in the 98 Ranger XLT.
I test-drove that truck, or the twin to it, when it was new. A 4-cylinder, 5-speed truck, it got down the road pretty well. I liked it a lot in spite of the fact that there was barely enough room in the cab, and I had to adjust the seat a notch forward so I could tilt it back another notch. We ended up not buying anything that year.
That same lack of space was a deal breaker for me when I had the 2003 Mazda B2300 Regular cab. I’m 6’3 and I just could not get comfortable in the cab, any trip over 20min became ergonomic hell.
You know the Ranger and the Mazda B seires are the same truck right?
My friend has an electric blue Ranger Splash with the 4.0 liter and a 5 speed, it moves pretty good! Probably the fastest small pickup at the time, especially due to the fiberglass bed on the Splash.
I feel like stepsides look a little unusual on modern pickups, the worst ones are on the 93 ish Ford and Chevy pickups. *shudder* They just look so pinched and lumpy.
I think you are right on 95-97 date since 93-94 Rangers carried over the 91 Explorer dash from the last of the square Rangers. I had a 93 Ranger for a long time but ours was an XLT long bed (sort of an anti-Splash). We thought it looked nice and would have considered it but we wanted to be able to haul my BMW motorcycle with the tailgate closed. One consideration in the 2WD models is that the Splash had 15″ wheels instead of 14″ wheels which filled the wheel wells more and looked better proportioned, although the Splash’s steelies were heavier than the XLT’s 14″ alloys.
The stepside bed ultimately became an option on other trim levels since I saw a lot of 98 and up XLT Supercabs with stepsides.
While the 4 banger with stick is the preferred austerity model I really liked our truck with the 3.0 Vulcan V6 and automatic since it was a more comfortable commuter car and long trip car.
Umm… exactly WHY is a ’95 Ford truck in CC? I mean, exactly HOW does this vehicle rate being called a “classic”?
What’s next? Perhaps a ’98 F-150? Or an ’99 Impreza?
Putting non-classics on this site dilutes the whole purpose of CC… if I want to see common, everyday, non-classic cars, I can look out my window!
It’s 2012. Time marches on.
I recently purchased one that looks the same as you have pictured and am trying to restore it. All is the same except I have the grill. It is nice to see one as it is difficult to find parts specific to the Splash step-side. I’m making my own Tonneau cover as they are to costly to have made.
Wouldn’t a regular (non Splash) Ford Ranger Flairside cover work?