After going ahead through Jermaine Defoe in the first half, Eamonn Brophy equalised before Jordan Jones grabbed a winner for the home side.
Boss Steven Gerrard handed starting berths to new signings Jermaine Defoe and Steven Davis, with the latter of course making it a second debut for the club following his massively successful spell from 2008 to 2012.
Rangers had much of the ball in the opening stages, but their best effort in that period was a 25-yard free kick from Ryan Kent out to the left of goal, which was easily taken by goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.
But on 12 minutes, the moment the 8000 loyal Gers fans who had been dreaming of arrived – Jermaine Defoe opening his account for the club on his debut with a very typical Jermaine Defoe goal.
Andy Halliday, having charged forward from his left-back berth, let fly from distance with a dipping effort that Bachmann did well to push wide to his left.
Charging in for the rebound was captain James Tavernier, with Bachmann again denying him from close range, but still the ball was loose in the penalty area.
Steven Davis got himself on the end of it next and saw his effort blocked by a cluster of Killie defenders on the line before finally, it broke to Defoe to tap home from close range to spark utter pandemonium behind both goals where the traveling fans had gathered.
It was just the start the visitors wanted, and, as well as maintaining control of the game from that point, some of the football on show from Gerrard’s men really was excellent.
Indeed, Joe Worrall should have made it 2-0, heading off the post from a Ryan Kent corner, but then the big defender was involved in a moment to forget.
With Gers maintaining good possession of the ball, he turned to play it back to Allan McGregor deep in his own half, but seemed to dally on the ball and was caught by Eamonn Brophy.
The striker came away with the ball and finished well beyond Allan McGregor to bring the sides level completely against the run of play.
It seemed to knock the Light Blues and give Killie a real lift, with the game becoming rather scrappy until Kent tested Bachmann from around 25-yards seven minutes before the break.
Rangers had much more energy about their performance at the start of the second half, and Alfredo Morelos had the ball in the net within four minutes of the restart, although referee Don Robertson had adjudged the Colombian to have put the ball beyond Bachmann with his hand.
Scott Arfield then flicked a near-post header over the bar from a Kent corner but just as it seemed Gers were starting to build their way back on top in the match, Jordan Jones put the home side ahead.
Jones, who’s set to head to Ibrox in the summer having agreed a pre-contract, picked the ball up in midfield and immediately set course for goal. His shot from the edge of the box looked to take a bit of a deflection and it beat Allan McGregor down to his right.
Gers responded with Worrall again coming close, forcing Bachmann into a decent stop at his near post with a header from a Halliday free-kick, before with the resulting corner, Morelos headed Halliday’s cross straight at the keeper.
As the minutes ticked down, sub Kyle Lafferty managed to poke a deep Tavernier cross goalwards, but he wasn’t able to get enough on the ball to trouble Bachmann.
In injury time, another Tavernier free-kick reached Lafferty at the back post, but he looked to play the ball across goal rather than taking on a shot.
RANGERS: McGregor; Tavernier, Worrall, McAuley, Halliday; Jack, Davis (Candeias, 70), Arfield, Kent; Defoe (Lafferty, 79), Morelos.
SUBS NOT USED: Foderingham, Flanagan, McCrorie, Katic, Coulibaly,.
KILMARNOCK: Bachmann, O’Donnell, Boyd, Findlay, Taylor, Power, Dicker, Tshibola, Jones (Ndjoli, 90), Burke, Brophy (Broadfoot, 88).
SUBS NOT USED: MacDonald, McKenie, Boyd, Kiltie, Waters.
REFEREE: Don Robertson
ATTENDANCE: 12, 734