Talk me out of getting a Ranger!

Do you know what those transmission problems are? The complaints are valid, and they are Ford's fault, but they are not due to reliability. They are due to Ford putting a dual clutch tranny in an economy car. Those transmissions did not fail. They were just too harsh for most people that owned them. I suppose we'll just ignore the issues the Camry and Corolla had around the same timeframe, though...

Apparently you live in a very different culture. My statement holds true for most of the Prius drivers I know. My apologies if I offended.

I said "Big knarly sounding engine." Most of them I see have loud exhaust and are super manly.

 

I've test driven several, including a dealer modified one, but not a lot of time. Maybe an hour total.

That "engine noise" is one of my complaints. My complaint about it is that it's not really engine noise. That's a WHOLE nother topic though... I don't mind the sound of my Taco. It's not any quieter than the Ranger at low loads, but it's quite a bit louder when you need to go anywhere since you have to get it into the higher RPMs to find any power. The way you describe the Ranger is how I feel about my Taco. It's gets unsettled easily on these pothole/construction riddled roads. I don't see a difference in fit and finish between the Ranger and Taco, but my Fusion was WAY nicer than both. The B&O sound system also puts the JBL to shame.

 

Umm cars stalling out on the highway leading to injuries. Cases of hardshifting and poor first to second gear lurching, causing accidents where the member is unable to accelerate in a timely manner. There’s plenty of testimony out there. A little digging and research can lead you to facts. Show me issues of the same widespread caliber affecting the Camry and Corolla of that same time span. Let’s see some numbers. I can dig up plenty on the dual clutch focus issues if you’d like.

You have no factual basis to backup your statement about Prius owners. Your opinion on them is simply leading to assumptions.
My personal testimony as to why I own one represents a good percentage of Prius owners and could easily be the majority. Never have I actual met one who’s a self proclaimed eco-warrior. The economical aspect of them is why they’re used in fleet services. Even more reliable then your beloved crown vic. There’s plenty of data to back up that too.

Maybe you see more tundras like that because they’re louder? Your senses capture sound, and you affiliate loud exhaust with all tundras, whole not noticing the quiet ones? Sadly I could see that potentially. Most of them that you see with loud exhaust doesn’t equate to why people buy tundras. Do you honestly thing the majority of people buy tundras to add exhaust to them, solely getting a truck for its sound? Maybe a couple idiots in your neighborhood, but hardly even a sliver of actual owners. I’m sure if there was a survey out there with your claim, you’d be sadly disappointed in those results. Again your emotional/mental association with certain vehicles gets in the way of facts and real world data.

 

People buy Priuses to save money on gas, full stop. Most taxi fleets are transitioning to Priuses. Like 90% of the Uber/Lyft drivers I see around town are in Priuses. That doesn't have dick-all to do with the environment, it's about lowering their costs. What a ridiculous assessment of human nature...

 

That's one of many reasons I bought the Ranger. My Tacoma 's bed was too shallow to carry what I need to carry around UNDER a Truxedo cover, I can reach into the side bed easily. But most of what I load is near the tailgate anyway.

Plus..I can carry more mulch under the TruXedo Lo Pro cover No need for nets or tie downs.

 

Some of those transmissions absolutely did fail, in some instances repeatedly.

 

Bro, it’s a “dick-most” to do with the environment sorta thing at best. I bought a Prius the same day as my Taco specifically because I wanted a long-lasting sedan that didn’t contribute much crap to the already-smoggy SoCal air. Come visit the inland empire and bring your mountain bike if air pollution seems abstract to you! Unlike Nebraska, we have tens of millions of vehicles here.

Taco Rocket, you said you actually wanted a Ranger in your noob post. I think you’ve proven it with your massive activity here. However, per the thread title, we gotta try to convince you otherwise. So here: have you considered that the Tacoma drink holders are better than the Ranger’s?

Keep the thread going, folks! I love Fridays.

 

Yes! Where have you been?!?!?!

 

Oh, so we ARE ignoring the Toyota class action lawsuits and recalls. I suppose that's expected. I'm sure an engine running itself out of oil to the point of failure between oil changes isn't as bad as a transmission that will burn the clutch if you drive it like a regular automatic. Like I said, the complaints are valid, and entirely Ford's fault. However, the complaints are not a result of a design flaw, but rather an application flaw. People that are most likely to buy an economy car aren't likely to know how to drive a dual clutch tranny without burning it up. It's a good transmission, but Ford was way off the mark when they put it in the Focus with the intent of increasing fuel economy. The vast majority of the complaints are related to the normal characteristics of the dual clutch shifting, while the few failures are a result of improper driving habits.

I have just as many facts to prove my case as anyone on this Forum. 60% personal conjecture based on what we've heard from friends and family, 30% something we saw on TV or a forum somewhere, 5% personal experience, and 5% actual fact. I never said anything about the environment. Your statements about "economy" are the "eco" part and apparently its just coincidence that most the Prius owners I've met were arrogant snobs (admittedly, that episode of Southpark probably didn't do my view of Prius owners any favors...). Except that one uber driver i had named Kirim. He was just really quiet.

I get the fuel efficiency aspect, but that car is just depressing.

Comparing a Prius to a Crown Vic is ridiculous. If a prius was used for police duty, it would get trashed in a hurry. For shuttling people around, the prius may very well be able to last longer. In hard use, though, I HIGHLY doubt it would hold up as well as a Vic.

Perhaps. I know I see a lot more Rams and Tundras with loud exhaust, and a lot more F150s with ladder racks and business placards. I didn't say they buy it just for the sound. It's a good looking truck, too. I've never heard the same statements about reliability for the Tundra as I have the Tacoma. If the Tundra had the same history as the Tacoma (or the OG Toyota pickup, rather) to give it the reputation of the Taco, Ford wouldn't be the dominant truck brand it is now. My best guess, and that's all it is, is that people looking at the Tundra buy it because it's as rugged and reliable as the F150, they prefer the looks over the F150 and Silverado, and they know the Ram is a Fiat. I don't see the Tundra as having the longevity of the Taco.

 

Sorry, I get caught up in the moment when people start throwing unfounded shade at Ford.

Get the Tacoma because it has a power rear window and a tailgate dampener. It will also probably last until the end of time.






*This statement is speculation based on what I've heard from my neighbor, and the fact that the truck makes abysmal power, thus doesn't stress the components as much as a more powerful truck would. I also read about one that had twelve gazillion miles.**

**I just learned that "gazillion" is recognized as a word.

 

Now way! Haven’t you seen my captivating “ecoterrorist commiefornia” posts where I cite massive multi-year studies about climate science or about air quality or about cradle-to-grave sustainability figures of hybrids v. ICEs? They’re VERY popular posts. Everyone actually goes out and reads for a few weeks and comes back enlightened! True story.

Also, maybe those Prius people were arrogant snobs...but then again, weren’t you the guy all tickled about strawmen?

 

I misspoke. I meant they didn't fail due to a defect.

 

Well, I drive a Tacoma, so...

 

Hell yeah it is. It’s been in the OED for quite a while! Also, everyone should read _The Professor and the Madman_ so that they can give the OED proper etymological kudos!

Okay, good talk everyone. I gotta get back to cleaning my wheel wells.

 

When did I say that? We can discuss oil consumption if you’d like to deflect. They weren’t to the same caliber as the transmission problems in the focus. 10s of thousands of documented and reported total failures, some after already being replaced by ford. There are more than a few failures, but continue to be oblivious to facts.

I was comparing the crown Vic and Prius in terms of fleet taxi and transportation use. Unless you seemed to think that for whatever reason I was comparing how police units use Prius’ on a regular basis (sarcasm). I’d hope you could think a little more critically than that.

If you’ve never heard reliability statements about the tundra you haven’t looked very hard. Again over a decade of facts and data to be seen. Take a look. Both the 4.7 and 5.7 engines have been fantastic with little issues. An extremely small percentage of the 5.7 owners run into a cam tower oil leak, but other than that it’s a fantastic and well tested power plant.
Toyota never intended to have the tundra become a front runner truck in the full-size segment. They never intended to try and keep up with the big 3 in terms of innovation. Toyota in itself has never been with their trucks and SUVs. This conversation has been discussed before. They’re after a small percentage of sales and allow a platform for Hino development back in the worldwide market. Many of the tundra’s success points have been implemented into worldwide prado and LC models, where Toyota’s market is extremely competitive. That’s why they’ve maxed out their production facilities and are now just finally getting around to producing a next gen model. Do you think Nissan tried to take number 1 with the titan when they released it, knowing they couldn’t produce enough to take a top 3 spot anyways? Similar concept here. Full size trucks from the Japanese market are not bread winners in North America, and never were meant to be.

 

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/the-most-reliable-new-trucks-on-the-market

 

The person that wrote about the Tacoma is obviously confused, they believe the 1st Gen started in 2000, the 2nd in 2007, and the 3rd in 2014...

 

It's the same fundamental engine...the underlying design is the same and it is well proven at this point...stop making such a big deal about that.

Toyota vehicles, even modern ones, are consistently ranked high on reliability surveys...and no, I'm not just referring to JD Power awards. There are plenty of surveys which prove that. Moreover, Toyota's 4x4's and cars have far less TSB's and recalls for most model years.

The reputation is still deserved and very real, even in the modern era.

Better, ground clearance, better tire sidewall clearance, better shock placement, better approach angles, and yes the 2 piece drive shaft does allow for better articulation offroad...all of those factors, while not game-changers by themselves, add up to a better offroad package.

The Tacoma's fundamental design is more geared towards offroad use...the ranger and Colorado are not....you can make whatever excuses you want for why the Ranger doesn't flex as well as the Tacoma offroad...the fact is the Tacoma is more-purpose built for that application.

 

At this point it’s hard to take you seriously. Two million mile Tundra’s, the fact that it’s consistently rated as the most reliable half ton by JD Power etc, and the fact that it’s the half ton that holds it value by far the best aren’t enough? “As rugged and reliable as the F150” hahaha, as if that’s a badge of honor. F150’s are fine, I owned two. I loved my second to death, it starting shitting the bed after 60,000 miles of 5k interval oil changes and primarily highway and country road driving. They’re popular as work vehicles because they discount them deep, especially for fleet sales.

 

This thread just keeps going, I love it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_8_2x7QMyQ