Everything except the bed size has grown enormously on modern consumer trucks. Nowadays truck beds look proportionally tiny compared to trucks from 20-30 years ago when the bed made up a much larger percent of the vehicle.
Ford knows their market. Most F-150 buyers aren't looking for a functional truck, they want a comfortable commuter car that looks like a cool truck.
You are looking at the wrong thing, look at overall vehicle dimensions.
1995 Ford Ranger Extended Cab - 3200+ lbs - 198" long - 69" wide - 6' bed
2023 Ford Ranger Super Cab (last year they had a 2 door) - 4100+ lbs - 210" length - 73" width - 6' bed
1000 lbs heavier, a foot longer, a few extra inches wide, with the same size bed.
https://www.edmunds.com/ford/ranger/2023/supercab/features-s... https://www.edmunds.com/ford/ranger/1995/extended-cab/st-754...
The 1998 ranger was the right size. 6 ft bed while not being monstrously sized.
The new rangers have the height of the old F150 which makes their beds look just weird.
The standard size f150 bed can't fit a standard 4'x8' sheet of plywood
It never could. An 8 foot bed has always been optional.
Can confirm. I have a 2020 F150 with a standard box. No way am I fitting a sheet of plywood flat.
Quick research: the new Ranger's bed size has only increased 0.9" (width) relative to the 1990 version. Bed length seems to be the same.