2019 Ranger Guinea Pig

I bought the Tacoma in April 2016, one of the first, and I have only put about 26k miles on it. Quite a bit of off road but not extreme off road, working at my cabin, fishing, etc... I think this is the year I sell it though and I will be buying a 2019 Ranger. I will try to update this with what I am learning/experiencing in case anyone else is considering it.

1. The Tacoma has been a torque-less ninny since day one. Indecisive throttle and transmission with all the excitement in the engine department of a Honda Civic. That being said, in 4-Low it has always performed great. Although crawl on snow is kind of useless it has worked well other places. With a heavy load (sod, gravel, drywall, etc...) it still maintains its (lack) of performance but actually feels better because it does not change. I can still accelerate, cruise, stop, etc... So, the Powertrain is not a failure but not really inspiring. It was improved with the ShiftSense Pro, not dramatic, but better. My latest addition, the Pedal Commander, was AWESOME and really almost changed my mind. It was responsive and suddenly felt like I was in charge and not it . . . Until it left me dead on a highway in limp mode at 6am on the way to work. Reset computer, sent it back and no more troubles. Back to gutlessness. :-(

2. I am 6’1” and 220lbs. I have never felt comfortable in this truck. The seats just lack the adjustment to fit me. Luckily I am short torso so I fit okay, but I get complaints from others. There is no headroom and hitting your head off road is common.

3. The mileage has sucked since day one. I can post my Fuelly logs but 13.1MPG city and 15.3MPG average with a whopping 18MPG highway is what 3 years and 26k miles show me. I tried everything to see what it was, shifting patterns, driving style, etc... My friends 2017 gets 18 and 23, so I have no idea what is up with mine. I did get bigger tires, but nothing extreme and run them 38lbs normally.

4. The electronics in this Tacoma are a WASTE of time. Phone always disconnects, the console reboots randomly, it can’t understand a fucking voice command for a shit. “Call Sarah” - “Sarah only has one phone number, do you want to call that one?” Yeah, no fucking shit I want to call the ONLY number I listed for her. Oh... never mind, I see your are rebooting and losing connection with my phone again....

5. I love the look. I added a winch, bumper, soft topper, locking bed cases, bigger better battery, locking console case, HAM radio. It is customized and looks good and people comment on it but every time I get in it and drive I am just - annoyed or uninspired. Sad, because my 2002 4Runner I just loved. That is all I want, to climb into a truck and every time smile because it just feels right. This one feels soul-less.

6. I own a personal corporation and with the tax breaks it makes sense for my corp to buy my truck and guess what.... the Ranger has a GVW of 6050lbs. Just over the 6000lb minimum for the 100% depreciation deduction. I am sure they planned that!

So, in the end I am going to probably get the Ranger, sell my Tacoma and see if I regret it. Hell, I can always sell the Ranger get the 4th Gen Tacoma when they come out if this ends up a mistake. Not sure what kind of resale a customized slightly scuffed Tacoma will bring. That will be interested to see. From what I see the Lariat model FX4 I am getting will run me around $44k which sure ain’t cheap but hey, it is tax free!!

 

I can appreciate where you are coming from. I have owned my share of Ford products, 8 Mustangs, 5 F150s, 1 Fusion and 1 Edge. I still like Fords a lot, I just didn't need or want another full size truck when I bought my Taco. I like the Ranger, somewhat. With the right packages on them they look great. Not sure how I feel about eco boost being the only engine option though. Definitely keep us posted when you get it. some will hate on it I am sure. but sometimes we have to try new things to see what makes us happy. good luck man!

 

Do it. Then post pics on ranger forums.

 

Probably many similar TW threads to come.

Good luck with the Ranger, looks like a decent midsize.

 

I have read 310lb/ft torque at 3000 RPM and that is what is getting my attention. Even though it is a 4 cylinder and turbo, from what I read and see online the power down low is better which is really what I want to see. I worry the bed won’t be as useful, I like the Tacoma bed. The interior from all accounts is way more comfortable and functional but the Lariat instrument cluster looks horrible. I am sure there will plenty I will miss from the Tacoma or not like in the Ranger but overall I want to get in, smile, and when I haul a load or pass someone one the highway I want to smile, not grimace and swear.

 

I’ve got a 2nd gen that I love. Even 4 years of ownership later, I still turn around and look at it walking away in a parking lot.

If your ‘16 doesn’t continually give you that feeling, time to move on.

Interested in the comparison once you get in the Ranger.

 

Buy the Ranger......or don't

 

Do it! Don't need to write half a page to justify buying a Ranger. You might be waiting a couple of years for decent off-road parts and accessories to appear.

 

Okay - Perhaps I jumped to conclusions after reading everything about the Ranger. I went yesterday to see one at a dealership and was underwhelmed with a number of aspects. I never got to drive it because they only had one and it was inside. I am guessing that the power train will kill the Tacoma, more power and torque down low but I don’t yet know for sure. Here is what I liked and didn’t like.

(+) Looks good from outside
(+) Seats are super nice, electric and adjustable
(-) -> but they seem narrower and despite the nice interior the way it is laid out I feel cramped side to side.
(-) It has a tiny steering wheel
(- -) ALMOST NO storage inside. Under the back seat has a lot of wasted space. Behind the rear seat is nearly flat and no storage. This must be hour they got the extra overall space inside.
(-) The bed is inferior to the Tacoma for sure. No outlets, minimal tie downs, no storage compartments and the tailgate drops hard (although it is light)
(+) The Lariat offers the electronic door lock handles on all 4 doors
(-) Lariate offers only a cheesy electronic instrument cluster, didn’t like it
(-) The bed side are super high. If you stand outside and want to lift something out from inside bed over the side it is hard unless tall with long arms.

I left feeling that Ford really missed a chance. Had they built a better bed and made the interior for function and less fashionable (or both) it could really hammer the Tacoma but so far it felt like a theoretically good power train with some nice comfort features but missing some day to day useful items like storage, outlets and functional bed items.

At this point I am thinking it might be better to spend the money on the Tune to see if it correct my biggest complaints with the Tacoma but I lose out on the tax benefits of a new truck over 6000lb GVW. Perhaps a Tundra? I really want something with the Tacoma (mid-size) footprint. How many here have Tundras or tried both?

 

Hi there, Toyota and Ford owner here.

The F150 is infinitely more fun to drive. I regularly drive TN > TX > TN and 1200 miles of a weekend trip are both comfortable, and I cruise up hills in 10th gear with cruise control on without downshifting cause it makes power for days. With 285/70/r17 BFG KO2 C Load i'm still getting 19.5 - 21 MPG with a big truck.

I'll say this, however:
1. Interior is good looking but cheap plastic abounds.
2. Trans occasionally has an gear selection crisis. Once it's warm, however, it's pretty flawless.
3. EcoBoost MPG is kick ass while not towing, a little worse than the v8 when towing. The reason is simple. More power = more fuel burned. It makes an absurd amount of power.
4. It's tougher than I expected on trails.
5. It's not as big as I thought on trails (did Tacoma trails with Tacoma friends)
6. Rear E-Locker (not present on Tundra, and Chevy is G80 still...)

4Runner
1. Interior is absolutely more premium.
2. Smaller form factor easier to park and navigate trails.
3. Shorter wheelbase makes for easier turns and breakover angles.
4. (Con) - Wish it had a bigger gas tank.

---

I feel the Ranger will take sales because Ford fans will buy a Ford product, but the biggest selling point of a Ranger is simply how bad my 3rd Gen's powertrain was. In just about every other way, I liked the Tacoma much better than the Ranger I drove.

If you can deal with a larger truck, the Tundra, F150, and maybe even the Ram are worth a look. Interior on the Ram alone is very appealing, even if the atrocious MPG is there.

 

That is super helpful. I agree - the powertrain is the main issue. If Toyota could just fix that issue and give the seat some electric OR manual adjustments I would have no complaints!! I will check out the others but just felt they were too big. I am also wondering if I got a dud Tacoma. My MPG solid 14 which sucks and friends with way better. Some people feel the engine does well and others like me hate it. Could there be that much variation in production?

 

I've heard several reports of wildly varying MPGs, but keep this in mind.

1. People are typically not keen on admitting poor MPG on a midsize because they feel like they compromised to get a smaller truck and could be embarrassed it's not doing well. I take everyone's MPG claims with a grain of salt.
2. Driving style, hills/mountains vs flat lands, high altitudes, tire tread pattern, winter blend of fuel, and tire diameter and unsprung weight can swing a MPG as much as 7 - 8 MPG on the same truck. Never underestimate the effect of unsprung weight. It was a MAJOR factor even in my F150, I went C load instead of E load, I went with 17" 24lb alloy wheels instead of the 20" OEM 42 lb ones. I went from 32" to 33" and only lost about 1.5 - 2MPG for the change. That's pretty respectably good.
3. Finally, Toyota's quality is largely due to their INSANELY efficient and well organized approach to building processes and quality control. In fact, every other company uses Toyota to measure their manufacturing success. Even at the paper company I work at we spent a 4 hour session talking about how Toyota builds and controls variables. It's that good. Sure, you could have got a dud, but the majority of Toyota's problems are typically not due to assembly, they are engineering issues that all companies face. Leaking diffs, powerbands due to Atkinson, bad parts from other mfgs causing gear whine.

I'm not absolving Toyota from their fair share of production issues, but I've driven more than a few 3rd Gens, and more than a few of my fellow 3rd Genners no longer drive them. In every case it came down to two reasons.

Space, (car seats in my case), and powertrain (in almost every other guys cases).

Ironically, since the 3rd Gen likes to rev high, I felt it towed better than my 2nd Gens.

 

Oh, and since you're a fellow Quicksand owner (my favorite color), i'll give you my real world MPG before and after.

OME 887 2" lift, dakar leafs rear. TSS T-Force rims with 33" Load C Nitto Ridge Grapplers. Sliders, skids, no bumpers. Mean looking AF.

Factory, I was getting a consistent 17-18 city and 22-23 highway.

After mods, especially tires, 13MPG city - 15.5MPG highway.

I think the reason it tanked so hard was because while my F150 makes power low, and makes at least 2x as much, the Tacoma engine is very optimized for a stock driving experience, and really struggled due to it not having much overhead to account for extra weight and un-improved aero.

 

The more I think about this I think investing the $600-700 in the OV Tune may be the best thing before I decide to ditch it. The pedal commander made a huge difference and I will live with poor MPG if I must, but I just don’t want to get in it every day and feel like I resent the throttle!!!

 

Well it looks like OP has larger than stock tires, winch, bumper, etc, so of course his mpgs tanked compared to stock trucks.

 

I do have aftermarket stuff but I was surprised that my MPG really never changed much. That is a minimal bumper for weight savings. I kept logs on Fuelly for every fuelup and almost no difference. The main difference was switching to 91 octane and increasing tire pressure by 5 lbs and that netted me maybe 1MPG at best. I think my biggest problem is driving with my foot through the floor all the time trying to get the damn thing to respond.

 

I decided to buy a Ranger as well. My 2016 Tacoma was troublesome. Ranger drives nice. I don;t wheel anymore, so RWD is good enough, The Ford is lightyears ahead of the Tacoma with their tech. Sync 3 Buries Toyota's Entune system. The engine feels stronger as well. I like the deeper bed as well on the Ranger.

I was going to wait for the 2020 Tacoma but I can always get a Taco in 2023 if the Ranger proves troublesome. So far so good. Yes, it's expensive but feels a ton more luxurious on the road. Rangers always had decent resale. So for the next couple of years,I will be a Ford person.......Let us see if Ford proves reliable.

 

Nice new ride. The more reviews I read and the more I look it seems the Ranger kills the Tacoma in tech and Powertrain and the interior styling is a real step up. When I looked at it though the lack of interior storage or rear seat design as well as bed design killed it for me. I use the interior and bed a lot. The Tacoma is probably better off road as well. The lack of tech, decent seat adjustment and an annoying engine that gets crappy mileage sucks. I still average 15mpg and although it is great in 4L it annoys the shit out of me in all other circumstances. I am hoping a Tacoma refresh updates tech & Powertrain with seats that adjust. That is all I want.

 

Have you been living in a box? The Tacoma refresh for 2020 features update tech and power seats. However, no power-train changes.

 

It definitely has my attention. I was REALLY hoping for either a new transmission (10 speed??) to deal with crappy engine power mapping OR new engine. I may still upgrade to a 2020 and throw the OV Tune on it but they will have to update the Powertrain soon. Every other midsize is better in this department.