2019 Ranger XLT test drive review from Seattle Auto Show

Minuteman3

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Had a chance to drive a '19 Ranger XLT today around downtown Seattle. Pretty impressive.

My perspective ... we have a 2017 F-150 Platinum, 3.5EB, that we really like. However, on a recent cross country car trip, my wife and I were talking about whether our not we need the size of the F-150 once our son graduates from college in a couple of years. My feeling is a Ranger Lariat would probably fit our size requirements perfectly.

However, I did notice a couple of things right off on my test drive ... I REALLY miss the handle on the window pillar!! Makes getting in and out a lot easier! The seat seemed to not go back as far as I would like, but I'd probably want to see a full production Lariat before making that determination. The Ford guy admitted that the gas mileage would not be a lot different between the Ranger and our F-150.

Most everything else was top notch. I especially noted that the fit and finish was impressive for a pre-production truck. Driving in the rain over a bunch of lousy streets and potholes produced no squeaks or rattles at all!!

All In all, I'd say this will be a worthier consideration in a couple of years.

They had one gray Lariat indoors and several outside. The red looks to me to be a tad more "orange-ish" than my photos show, but not bad looking at all.

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Cheers!!

Ken


Moderator edit:

Thank you Ken for your review! We've added an independent video review of the Ranger test drive from the Seattle Auto Show to supplement this review.

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BlakeRom

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Thanks for the review Ken! I was there too! Were you able to really gun it at all? I couldn't find much room to give it the beans. I was surprised about how quiet the ride was though.
 

rangerdanger

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Had a chance to drive a '19 Ranger XLT today around downtown Seattle. Pretty impressive.

My perspective ... we have a 2017 F-150 Platinum, 3.5EB, that we really like. However, on a recent cross country car trip, my wife and I were talking about whether our not we need the size of the F-150 once our son graduates from college in a couple of years. My feeling is a Ranger Lariat would probably fit our size requirements perfectly.

However, I did notice a couple of things right off on my test drive ... I REALLY miss the handle on the window pillar!! Makes getting in and out a lot easier! The seat seemed to not go back as far as I would like, but I'd probably want to see a full production Lariat before making that determination. The Ford guy admitted that the gas mileage would not be a lot different between the Ranger and our F-150.

Most everything else was top notch. I especially noted that the fit and finish was impressive for a pre-production truck. Driving in the rain over a bunch of lousy streets and potholes produced no squeaks or rattles at all!!

All In all, I'd say this will be a worthier consideration in a couple of years.

They had one gray Lariat indoors and several outside. The red looks to me to be a tad more "orange-ish" than my photos show, but not bad looking at all.

Auto Show-25.jpg


Auto Show-61.jpg


Auto Show-63.jpg


Cheers!!

Ken
Great photos and very thorough review.

As I have noted before, the Tacoma & Colorado also don’t have a driver’s side grab handle, not sure why.

While the 3.5L EB engine is a monster, how does the 2.3L EB engine in the Ranger compare?
 

Desert_5G

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Great photos and very thorough revi

As I have noted before, the Tacoma & Colorado also don’t have a driver’s side grab handle, not sure why.

While the 3.5L EB engine is a monster, how does the 2.3L EB engine in the Ranger compare?
The only reason I can think of for not having a drivers side A pillar handle is because of room. The interior room of the midsize trucks is a lot less than their full size counterparts. It may feel more cramped and I think may interfere with visibility and safety if it's close enough to hit your head on in a accident. And full size trucks tend to have more ground clearance making a grab bar more convenient to get in. Lastly, it could all come down to price in order to make the Ranger competitively priced.
 

StAugKid

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That review is very good to hear. I watched some POV drives with the T6 Ranger with the diesel engines and the interior sounded really noisy to me, so I am happy to hear the US spec is smooth and quiet. My wife has been critical of how loud the interior of my Fiesta ST is, so I'd like my next vehicle to be quieter. As far as mpg, if it'd be comparable to the 2.7 F150, I'd be happy. I think that model gets about 26-27 mpg. I usually average about that much in my tiny Fiesta that only weighs 2700 lbs. When I am somewhat easy on it, I average about 29 per tank, but more often than not, I get about 26...
 


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In a right side drive Ranger the left side is the passenger side which of course would be our drivers side. If they're happens to be attachment holes behind the pillar cover on the American model could a person get a foreign passenger side grab handle and install it. That is 1) if there would be a parts source able to get the handle and, 2) on the American model there may be an airbag in that area to deal with? Just a thought.
 

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Great photos and very thorough review.

As I have noted before, the Tacoma & Colorado also don’t have a driver’s side grab handle, not sure why.

While the 3.5L EB engine is a monster, how does the 2.3L EB engine in the Ranger compare?
On the model highlights from the Lariat.

Grab handles (A-Pillar) - Front, Driver- and passenger-side
 

JubalHo27

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Thanks for the review Ken! I was there too! Were you able to really gun it at all? I couldn't find much room to give it the beans. I was surprised about how quiet the ride was though.
I was there too on Friday. I drove the grey XLT. I was able to give it a little gas on 1st Ave S getting into the left turn lane on the way back. Responsiveness seems good for an automatic and acceleration was acceptable as well. I would have preferred an on ramp or something but it was quick enough to make the Ranger drive guy nervous it seemed.
 

StAugKid

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I was there too on Friday. I drove the grey XLT. I was able to give it a little gas on 1st Ave S getting into the left turn lane on the way back. Responsiveness seems good for an automatic and acceleration was acceptable as well. I would have preferred an on ramp or something but it was quick enough to make the Ranger drive guy nervous it seemed.
It doesn't count unless the drive guy needs a change of pants.
 

rangerdanger

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On the model highlights from the Lariat.

Grab handles (A-Pillar) - Front, Driver- and passenger-side
Wasn’t in the XLT I drove today. What a rip off if it’s exclusive to the Lariat.
 

StAugKid

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If they offered the passive key system in the XLT, I'd totally get that trim. I am literally considering the Lariat just for that one feature. It seems that passive key, LED lights, the two LCD instrument panel and now possibly the driver side grab handle are all exclusive to the Lariat. Hell, I'd live with the STX LT trim if you could at least get the Sync 3 system.
 

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If they offered the passive key system in the XLT, I'd totally get that trim. I am literally considering the Lariat just for that one feature. It seems that passive key, LED lights, the two LCD instrument panel and now possibly the driver side grab handle are all exclusive to the Lariat. Hell, I'd live with the STX LT trim if you could at least get the Sync 3 system.
And leather seats, heated seats, power seats, etc...
 

Pinecrestjim

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Wasn’t in the XLT I drove today. What a rip off if it’s exclusive to the Lariat.
RD, it appears that Ford has updated the vehicle details for each trim level on the Price and Build website. From just a few minutes ago, listed under XLT trim,
Grab handles (A-Pillar) - Front, Driver- and passenger-side
I also just confirmed with an online chat representative that the Lariat trim has LED head & tail lights. I have not found LED tail lights listed anywhere in their advertising or spec sheets, only mention of exterior LEDs are headlights, fog lights and cargo bay.
 

StAugKid

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RD, it appears that Ford has updated the vehicle details for each trim level on the Price and Build website. From just a few minutes ago, listed under XLT trim,
Grab handles (A-Pillar) - Front, Driver- and passenger-side
I also just confirmed with an online chat representative that the Lariat trim has LED head & tail lights. I have not found LED tail lights listed anywhere in their advertising or spec sheets, only mention of exterior LEDs are headlights, fog lights and cargo bay.
If I could configure the Lariat with the XLT grill, I would be happy. I know it's cheap enough to swap a grill, but it definitely looks more rugged than the Lariat grill. The Lariat has all the options I would want.
 
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Minuteman3

Minuteman3

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Thanks for the review Ken! I was there too! Were you able to really gun it at all? I couldn't find much room to give it the beans. I was surprised about how quiet the ride was though.
Traffic was a little heavy so I really didn't have a chance to "test" the acceleration .... or the driver's patience!!

I drove the silver XLT ... I'm pleased to note the grab handles may be available on the Lariat. IF we were to make a move, it would definitely be to the Lariat level.

As I've thought about it over the past couple of days, I remain pretty impressed. I felt right at home inside as it felt to me like a it was a twin for my wife's '16 Fusion Hybrid (size wise). I'd be willing to bet the difference is not more than an inch in any direction!! And that's not a bad thing, we love our Fusion and it's the perfect size for us.

However ... I get really good mileage on our 3.5EB F-150!! I average around 17-18 in town and on a 8,000 mile cross country trip we averaged 22MPG!! Nice to have the extra room at times as well.

One thing I "missed" was the start/stop feature in the Ranger. Our F-150 has that and I have gotten used to it .... and I'm sure it's one of the reasons we get such good mileage dealing with traffic. On the XLT I was in, either it's not there or it was disabled!!

Ken
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