Good eye. Just hoping the same isn't true for the US Market Ranger.
It's wider, and the sides behind the wheel arches don't extend as low. The same is true for the current model also, and the rear step is lower profile to increase the departure angle.
I think the nomenclature differences might be biting us again. I was referring to the step in the bedside on the standard next gen Ranger which is between the rear bumper and the wheel opening, not the bumper (or Aussie step?) itself.
Ah yes, I was referring to the side step not being there as the bed sides are a different shape (not extending down as far), and rear step/bumper not being as tall. Lining my Raptor up next to our XLT, the differences at the rear a massive when they look so similar.
That is an annoyance for me, the Raptor is just that much more difficult to climb into the bed vs our XLT. The extra two inches of height makes a big difference (50mm).Whether the side step is there or not is not a show stopper for me as my current F-150 doesn't have one either and I have somehow managed to retrieve whatever is in the bed. I keep an extendable ice scraper in the bed which doubles as a hook to pull stuff to the tailgate. If that doesn't work I can always use the "Man Step".
Other than those living on the coast, rust really isn't an issue in Australia. Even vehicles that have a reputation in Europe or the US for rust fair pretty well out here. The Ranger seems to cope pretty well though. Oh and Aluminium corrodes just as readily as steel does.
Hmmm. That hasn't been my experience with the F-150. After three winters in the rust belt I haven't seen any signs of corrosion other than some minor spots on the steel frame where the paint got knocked off by flying road debris. I couldn't say that about my last steel bodied truck which was a 2007 Sport Trac. The main reason I traded it on the F-150 was because the rocker panels and rear cab corners looked like Swiss cheese.
It may be because Ford has figured out how to get rust proofing onto the vehicles properly, but aluminium definitely corrodes. It's a massive problem with aircraft structures.
