For years, we didn’t have hope that the Ford Ranger would return. The spread between smaller trucks and their more profitable full-size stablemates wasn’t big enough. Then, a shift happened – so slowly at first you didn’t notice it happening. There are compact trucks everywhere.

Of course, the Ranger never really went away. It lived on elsewhere, sometimes based on a Mazda platform and rebadged as a Ford, and sometimes the other way around. This version dates back to 2011, developed by Ford of Australia. While it was undoubtedly rugged, tastes abroad are for softer-looking, less macho trucks – it wouldn’t have worked here.

After all, here the hard-edged, decidedly macho F-150 is the best-selling vehicle, and has been for 37 years. Transaction prices are skyrocketing thanks to the rise of the luxury-oriented and plush heavy-duty end of the market. Buyers seemingly can’t spend enough on fancy trucks. The 2019 Ranger is here to soak up some sales in the space the F-150 is vacating.

Plus, buyers are used to four-cylinder engines in smaller trucks – just not as a V6 replacement. Ford already faced a similar perception issue in the Mustang, which has begrudgingly earned its place in our hearts as a suitable pony car engine. In the Ranger, it needs to feel powerful, move the truck around swiftly, and not drink too much gas – check, check, and check.

And yet, when faced with 10 gears to choose from and the truck’s not-inconsiderable mass (4,145 -4,441 lbs), matting it doesn’t cause discombobulation. A little pause and then a downshift or three, and things progress smoothly. There’s little confusion and even less hunting. There are fleeting hints that Ford may have a little calibration work left to refine what is still a very new transmission. Creeping along from a stop, there’s a little judder here and there. Overall, it feels like it belongs in a truck – no small feat for a little engine.

But the market tells us that, right now, buyers don’t want rock-bottom trucks. And that’s why Ford is smart to re-introduce the Ranger as a mid-tier truck right out of the box, with a powertrain that’s powerful, efficient, and slightly novel – all housed in a body that’s crisper inside and out than its arch-competitors, the Tacoma and Colorado. Its aggressive entry price, dimensions, and fuel economy help put enough distance between it and the F-150 that few buyers are going to feel torn.