Talk me out of getting a Ranger!

Test drive, test drive, test drive! See if you can bring it home for a overnight. If not, be prepared to walk

 

Of the domestics, I’d say Ford probably has the most issues launching all-new product.

Having said that, the recent Jeep Wrangler JL launch would have made Ford proud.

 

Any brand you buy is going to have problem vehicles. It’s just a given when you mass produce a product.

If you want to not have to worry about dealing with the manufacturer if you get one of these problem vehicles. Just build one yourself, then you only have to deal with one person.

 

It is not just mass production, but the complexity in equipment and regulations modern vehicles have to deal with.

I don't know if you guys realize how much Honda has slipped in dependability. The latest JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study, which reports owners' problems with their vehicles after 3 years, places Honda below industry norm, even below Ford, Chrysler and Nissan.


BTW, after 3 years, a Chevrolet is almost as good as a Toyota. And this is not a one-off either; for a few years now, Chevrolet and Buick have routinely appeared near the top of the owner-reported quality rankings.

 

Personally I like the new Ranger. It has a larger cab than the Taco and can pull more. It's also quieter in the cab with better seats. Would I own one? Nope. I dont trust the reliability of a Ford product and the gas mileage has turn out to be worse than what was reported. Also the Taco has fantastic resale value.

 

2 points of note:

The highway rating on the sticker is measured at a steady maintained 50 mph, not the real-world modern highway speeds that we are accustomed to. Mileage decreases exponentially at speeds faster than 60. By the time you reach 70, all of our trucks get piss poor mileage, unless we have a favorable draft going.

Its not so much aggressive driving that kills mileage, its constantly adjusting speed. If I can correctly guess the flow of traffic and maintain a constant speed by leaving a humongous space between myself and the car in front of me, I easily get 22 mpg on my morning commute, sometimes more. 20-21 in the afternoon, because I'm slightly more impatient. If I'm maintaining what I think is a reasonable following distance, 18 mpg, 19 tops. If I'm riding someones ass, 15-16. Why? Its because the more I'm adjusting speed, the more energy I'm wasting through the brake pedal. Every time I touch the brakes, I just threw away momentum that I had previously purchased with a bit of gasoline. When I started thinking like that, I realized just how much gas I was wasting in traffic.

 

And on the highway, the same thing applies. If you push the pedal down to maintain speed over a hill, you burn considerably more fuel than if you just let it slow down. Thats why cruise control sucks gas in hills. Same situation if you're passing. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

And for whatever it's worth, here are the mid-size pickup winners for the past 15 years:
2019: '16 Frontier
2018: '15 Tacoma
2017: '14 Ridgeline
2016: '13 Ridgeline
2015: '12 Ridgeline
2014: '11 Ridgeline
2013: '10 Ranger
2012: '09 Frontier
2011: '08 Tacoma
2010: '07 Ridgeline
2009: '06 Ranger
2008: '05 Ranger
2007: '04 Tacoma
2006: '03 Ranger
2005: '02 S-10

 

That's the reintroduction of the Blazer that nobody was asking for.

 

The Ridgeline and S10? Is this list made by people making Starbucks runs?

 

This better not happen to the Bronco.

 

The Bronco is supposed to be body on frame so I don't think it will be anything like that Blazer

 

Yes,..by ALL means go get that Ford Ranger. Ford's half ass attempt to re-enter the small truck market.
As for me,..I just purchased another TACO (TRD Pro). But it is YOUR money, feel free to throw it out the window, if you want.
Crawl underneath and look at the competition and compare to the Toyota Tacoma. There is no competition.
Consider resale, reliability and value.

 

Why is Chevy so high? 3rd party safety inspectors specifically called them out and thanked Ford and Dodge for making safe trucks.

 

That's a test by one guy under a single set of conditions; this is not representative of the statistical data as shown by fuelly. Most V8s do not get better mileage than the Tacoma outside of the EPA test loop.

 

Those are overall brand scores, not just pickups.

Also, these are the number of problems --regardless of type of issue-- reported by actual owners. Not just safety-related problems encountered by some agency.

 

I wonder why Chevy is so high - but GMC so low?

 

Who are these "3rd party safety inspectors" you speak of and what did they actually say.

 

It will depend on the product mix each brand has, customer expectations, dealership experience, etc.

E.g., truck owners generally report more problems than car owners; GMC has no cars in its portfolio to help its overall scores. GMC customers also tend to have higher expectations, etc.

Loyalty is also a factor: loyal customers tend to be more forgiving. Chevrolet --like Toyota, Honda and Subaru-- has a greater proportion of loyal customers than GMC.

 

I don't doubt that. Have to take JD rankings with a grain of salt for sure. Its still a bigger spread than I would expect - it would be good to see a breakdown of what categories the problems lie in.