Talk me out of getting a Ranger!

It is only Ranger's first year in North America. It has been sold worldwide for several years so the bugs that can be fixed already have been fixed so no point waiting for next year.

Best way to talk someone out of buying a Ranger is to point out that it is not available in a MT and Tacoma is. The biggest complaint for the Tacoma is the tuned for economy AT and the best fix is the MT.

I have the flexibility in my Taco with a MT to keep the engine at around 2000rpm for best fuel economy and wimpy power or run it up to 4000+rpm for excellent throttle response and poor mpg.

 

I was at a ford dealership a few days ago and the salesman insisted that I test drive a ranger, so I did, the engine transmission performance and response was really good, like oh wow..I wish my tacoma felt like this good. Suspension was nothing special on road, interior felt like it had more hip room and room over all (did not look at stats to compare). Interior over all was acceptable. Interior storage was the biggest downfall, these little trucks you need all the room you can get and the ranger lacks in that department.

After the test-drive I kind of came away with this impression. I would not trade my tacoma for it, and I am not in the market anyway, but...If someone was not loyal to any particular brand and were shopping for that size truck, the ranger would sway some people when driven back to back.

 

I'm waiting for first year issues to appear and be resolved. Also hoping for a bigger fuel tank in the future. You dodged the first two problem years of the 3rd gen really well.

 

It's the first year with the gas 2.3 Turbo and 10 speed. The ones overseas were diesels with the 6 speeds. I'm sure small issues would arise with the 2.3 in a truck platform and making sure suppliers initially put out quality parts. That's what screwed the early 3rd gens with the CPS debacle.

 

The current generation of Ford Ranger has been around since 2011 in other parts of the world.

 

See post 729

 

According to Wikpedia, Ford has had the 2.3l ecoboost engine in use starting with Lincoln in 2015. So, not a new engine and apparently it is based on a Mazda engine.

However I have noticed over the years where Ford seems to come out with a new engine and then only stick with it for a few years before moving on to something "better", while other manufacturers keep their basic engine longer, tweaking it to make it better and more powerful.

 

It's the first time then 2.3 is in a truck platform. There are different parts that they upgraded on this 2.3 from the mustangs and Lincoln's like electronic waste gates, etc.

 

How did this thread survive, when a similar "Talk Me Out Of Buying A Titan" thread got quickly nixed?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/talk-me-out-of-buying-a-titan.620239/

 

Your missing my point here the the other guy said that the Ranger was better than the Tacoma off-road. I disagree yes you can put an experienced driver in a AWD RAV4 and hang with inexperienced people. I’m not saying the Ranger CAN’T off-road I’m saying it is NOT better than the Tacoma not even close. If you think the Ranger is better off-road well we will just have to agree to disagree. And like stated I don’t think the Ranger is a horrible vehicle. If you want a street princess commuter that will occasionally hit dirt Ranger is fine. If you want a truck that enjoys getting dirty and dusty ALOT the Tacoma is the best choice.

https://youtu.be/y5y4E4S_Wmw
https://youtu.be/_RafVwMjOKY
https://youtu.be/hS-sGLosj5g

 

Definitely don't buy a Colorado, the frames bend if you take a jump!

 

I rented a 2019 Ranger XLT FX4 off-road for a few days.

Coming from my high-miles 2nd gen Tacoma:

+ Tons of power and low RPM torque
+ very quiet inside
+ good sound system
+ nice interior
+ rear end did not squat down with a moderate load in the bed

- floaty suspension, not as sporty as a Tacoma, feels disconnected from the road
- 10 speed transmission is shifting all the time, seems unnecessary with all of the torque available
- the sides of the bed are so high I couldn’t reach over to get things out of the bed
- Bluetooth connection to my phone aggressively would start playback upon entering, even if I didn’t have any music playing previously. This got annoying.

I would consider one. The power is super nice. Would be great for rolling down the freeway.

However reliability fears, based on my past experience with an Expedition, make me pause. That Expedition left us stranded several times, had issues passing smog, and I finally donated it rather than fixing it after the 1000th issue had it on a flatbed again.

There is an 8 year, 150k mile Ranger warranty available for about $2800 though. I would need to add that to the price!

I haven’t driven a 3rd gen Tacoma yet.

 

Lol. Subaru's take a lot of flak, but our Forester will just about climb a tree.

 

They actually look pretty good once you add a 2” leveling kit up front and larger tires. They look like a stink bug when they leave the factory! I never purchase extended warranties but I would with a Ranger.

 

The Tacoma and the Frontier are the only semi reliable small trucks. The Ranger and Colorado aren’t doing so well.

 

The all new 2021 Frontier comes out later next year. Supposedly with a 300hp 3.0 V6 and a 7-speed transmission.

 

Fun fact: Ford has sold 7 million Rangers around the world.

 

I resemble his remark. I had a 2016 for 38 months absolutely loved it. No problems. Just traded it in for a 2019.

 

My local dealer has $3,500 to $5,000 off MSRP on their new Rangers. 8 to choose from.

 

My local dealer still has the same Ranger sitting there since February or March, laugh every time I see it.