Early Stages of Ranger Shopping! Question on 4x4 vs FX4!

[Glocker]

I've decided that I want a truck, in 4-wheel drive, and I'm a big fan of Ford products. I'm gravitating towards the Ranger, because I want my wife to be comfortable driving it in a pinch (inclement weather, if I have too much to drink out on the lake, etc.). She wont drive something the size of an F-150 or larger, so I'm not even going to look at them.

I've got a 2-wheel drive, 5.0 1998 Explorer Limited that I use for lake duties; hauling my dog and coolers to our lakeside cabin, launching and recovering our boat. I've gotten the Explorer stuck, badly, on two different occasions and had to be towed out on both occasions by our neighbor with his Tacoma. Embarrassing! On both of those occasions, it started raining while we were asleep, and the next morning the Explorer wouldn't get out of our parking spot.

Luckily I haven't had any issues on the boat ramp, but I'm really wanting something in 4-wheel drive just-in-case. The Ranger's towing capacity is more than enough for our 18.5' bow-rider.

My main question is; is the FX4 package worth spending the extra coin on?

As far as the FX4 package is concerned, I like the idea of my wife being able to have a system that could help her if she ever finds herself driving the Ranger in the snow. Also, I like the idea of possibly loading up the Ranger and heading out for some trail driving in North Georgia, and evening possibly setting it up for an overlanding/camping situation one day. Right off the bat, I plan on adding some accessories to the truck to make it work better for how I see us using it. I'd like to add a bed rack; for hauling kayaks, and spare fuel. I really would like an easy way to haul ethanol-free fuel out to the lake for the boat and the overlanding rack setups would be perfect for this. I can also see adding a more aggressive tire, leveling kit, auxiliary lighting, slider bars, and a winch at some point if I end up in a new Ranger.

Would I be well served with an XL STX 4x4, or would it really be worth stepping up an XLT FX4 for the enhanced 4x4 capabilities?

Thank you and I look forward to reading what people think about this.

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[treimche]

The part that got me about the FX4 package was the rear locker. As far as the suspension goes, I personally feel the FX4 bounces way too much during low speed conditions, and driving around town, however it is very nice and smooth on the highway. The skid plates included in the FX4 package are nothing special at all. So, you could save some money on the purchase by eliminating the FX4 package, then spending that money on aftermarket skid plates and suspension and end up with much better quality parts.

 

[Zaph]

Generally, and this is just my opinion, you only need a truck with locking rear hub and crawl speed if you are going to do serious rock crawling or go deep where there are no roads. The kind of stuff where your average speed is 2mph or slower. The majority of people don't. But if you do, what you get in the FX4 package might not even be enough. The package needs more protection - better skid plates and rock sliders.

A base 4x4 Ranger is probably enough for pulling a boat out, rough dirt fire roads, good depth snow and such. Don't forget that tires are part of the equation for 4WD performance. I'm guessing your Explorer that got stuck in your story didn't have much on it for tires.

Edit: @treimche you beat me to good commentary.

 

[2.7EcoBoost]

I've decided that I want a truck, in 4-wheel drive, and I'm a big fan of Ford products. I'm gravitating towards the Ranger, because I want my wife to be comfortable driving it in a pinch (inclement weather, if I have too much to drink out on the lake, etc.). She wont drive something the size of an F-150 or larger, so I'm not even going to look at them.

I've got a 2-wheel drive, 5.0 1998 Explorer Limited that I use for lake duties; hauling my dog and coolers to our lakeside cabin, launching and recovering our boat. I've gotten the Explorer stuck, badly, on two different occasions and had to be towed out on both occasions by our neighbor with his Tacoma. Embarrassing! On both of those occasions, it started raining while we were asleep, and the next morning the Explorer wouldn't get out of our parking spot.

Luckily I haven't had any issues on the boat ramp, but I'm really wanting something in 4-wheel drive just-in-case. The Ranger's towing capacity is more than enough for our 18.5' bow-rider.

My main question is; is the FX4 package worth spending the extra coin on?

As far as the FX4 package is concerned, I like the idea of my wife being able to have a system that could help her if she ever finds herself driving the Ranger in the snow. Also, I like the idea of possibly loading up the Ranger and heading out for some trail driving in North Georgia, and evening possibly setting it up for an overlanding/camping situation one day. Right off the bat, I plan on adding some accessories to the truck to make it work better for how I see us using it. I'd like to add a bed rack; for hauling kayaks, and spare fuel. I really would like an easy way to haul ethanol-free fuel out to the lake for the boat and the overlanding rack setups would be perfect for this. I can also see adding a more aggressive tire, leveling kit, auxiliary lighting, slider bars, and a winch at some point if I end up in a new Ranger.

Would I be well served with an XL STX 4x4, or would it really be worth stepping up an XLT FX4 for the enhanced 4x4 capabilities?

Thank you and I look forward to reading what people think about this.

That's a tough call. You can get FX4 on the XL truck as well as the XLT and the locker is available on the STX also, but trail control, hill descent control and terrain management are all exclusive to the FX4 if that matters to you it should be considered. My biggest hangup on the XL is the tiny stereo screen with no option to upgrade. I had that in my F-150 and really wanted a 7" or bigger screen. I was however, all set on an XL truck because of price until I started looking out of state. I got the exact truck I really wanted without compromise for the same price as "my dealer" could give me on an XL that stickered for almost $6,000 less.

 

[GT5050]

I’ve got an FX4 but I’m not biased - I found the perfect pre-owned truck for me.

First off, a rear locker isn’t exclusive to FX4, it can be had on a 2wd for that matter.

Trail control and terrain management are cool, but wouldn’t be deal breakers for me.

FX4 skid plates are far better than what Toyota has on the TRD Off Road stuff, so for OEM they’re solid.

My suggestion would be if planning on leaving stock, do FX4. If planning upgrades anyway, a regular 4x4 with a locker is perfect.

But as someone else suggested, I’d spring for an XLT with Sync 3 so you get the bigger screen.

 

[hawk43]

Personally, while mine will likely never see any hard duty off roading, the fx4 is to Ford as the z71 is to Chevy...You just don't want to be that guy who doesn't have it if you're getting 4wd...In the end at selling time or trade in the cost difference is likely nil because the fx4 us very desirable as used as it is new..

My truck is my daily but its also independence as well...so I buy the 4wd for that....the flexibility and the freedom it provides..even though today's traction control is so good its seldom required on pavement.. I mean really take it to an empty parking lot on the snow and with TC on and in two wheel drive you can hardly make it spin lol...its remarkable how much help the TC and stability helps..

To play you have to turn the nannies off...

 

[808matt]

I just wanted the FX4 sticker so I paid for the package

 

[Deleted member 1634]

To be honest, about 75% of the people who have the FX4 package don't need it. I would count myself in that category as well. I wanted to get it for the Terrain Modes in case I got into a sticky situation. But now that I've driven the truck in some of the most sticky situations I'd be comfortable attempting, I've realized they're not necessary. They're nice, and I will continue to use them, but only because I have them and I might as well, but not because I need to. The skid plates are nice for hairy situations, but like others have said you can get an equally good or better set aftermarket, especially if you plan on modding the truck already.

As far as locking diff goes. I'm a firm believer that it's not necessary for most situations. Like @Zaph said, it's really only good for rock crawling or other types of really intense off-roading. I know others will disagree, but it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. haha If you plan on getting into that type of stuff, then you can add the locking diff to any Ranger as a standalone option, as others have mentioned.

As far as snow goes. Regular 4WD is plenty fine for that. If you don't live in the mountains, Great Lakes, or Northeast, then you don't need anything more than that.

In the end, it's up to you. In the grand scheme of things, the FX4 package is one of the most reasonably priced off-road options on the market, so I wouldn't say it'd be a waste of money. But I wouldn't say it's necessary for off-roading.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

I just wanted the FX4 sticker so I paid for the package

Hi Matt,

Somewhere in these forums I did a post on the development of and the heritage of the FX4 brand... Maybe someone with better search skills can find the thread. Short story is the FX4 is and was developed for off road and to a degree, on road performance is too bouncy for some folks.

Edit: Found the back story on the FX4
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/back-story-on-the-fx4-brand.3441/

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired

 

[AzScorpion]

To be honest, about 75% of the people who have the FX4 package don't need it. I would count myself in that category as well. I wanted to get it for the Terrain Modes in case I got into a sticky situation. But now that I've driven the truck in some of the most sticky situations I'd be comfortable attempting, I've realized they're not necessary. They're nice, and I will continue to use them, but only because I have them and I might as well, but not because I need to. The skid plates are nice for hairy situations, but like others have said you can get an equally good or better set aftermarket, especially if you plan on modding the truck already.

As far as locking diff goes. I'm a firm believer that it's not necessary for most situations. Like @Zaph said, it's really only good for rock crawling or other types of really intense off-roading. I know others will disagree, but it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. haha If you plan on getting into that type of stuff, then you can add the locking diff to any Ranger as a standalone option, as others have mentioned.

As far as snow goes. Regular 4WD is plenty fine for that. If you don't live in the mountains, Great Lakes, or Northeast, then you don't need anything more than that.

In the end, it's up to you. In the grand scheme of things, the FX4 package is one of the most reasonably priced off-road options on the market, so I wouldn't say it'd be a waste of money. But I wouldn't say it's necessary for off-roading.

When we go out into the desert there's a lot of soft sand and washes. It does change the shift points in that mode so when you're in the deep soft sand it does help with that too. I do agree that most people never use these features. When I had my Tacoma I never once used them but with my Ranger I find myself using them often.

Now I don't do anything hard core but it's still nice to have these features in case you run into unexpected trouble out there. We go up to Sedona a couple times a year and there are some rocky trails there so this is where is really comes in handy. The TM control is nice as you can set your desired speed low to like 3-4 mph so when you're going over a real rocky area you don't have to worry about your foot hitting and mashing the gas. Set your speed and just steer,the TM will work the gas and brakes for you. It's really nice going down a steep decent where your only job is to steer and not have to worry about braking pressure. IIRC the picture below showed a 26% grade on the dash.

OP if you never plan on doing much off roading with yours don't waste the money on it,just get the rear locker and save the extra money for other mods. You'll need it if you're on this site long enough. lol

 

[Deleted member 1634]

When we go out into the desert there's a lot of soft sand and washes. It does change the shift points in that mode so when you're in the deep soft sand it does help with that too. I do agree that most people never use these features. When I had my Tacoma I never once used them but with my Ranger I find myself using them often.

Now I don't do anything hard core but it's still nice to have these features in case you run into unexpected trouble out there. We go up to Sedona a couple times a year and there are some rocky trails there so this is where is really comes in handy. The TM control is nice as you can set your desired speed low to like 3-4 mph so when you're going over a real rocky area you don't have to worry about your foot hitting and mashing the gas. Set your speed and just steer,the TM will work the gas and brakes for you. It's really nice going down a steep decent where your only job is to steer and not have to worry about braking pressure. IIRC the picture below showed a 26% grade on the dash.

OP if you never plan on doing much off roading with yours don't waste the money on it,just get the rear locker and save the extra money for other mods. You'll need it if you're on this site long enough. lol

Oh I definitely like having the features. I want to get out and use them more, but I've already got so many hobbies I don't have enough time for, it's hard to justify adding another. haha If I lived in a place like you do, I'm sure I would get out and do it more often. But there's not many things around here more intense than a rough two-track forest service road. I have dreams of spending week long trips out west with our off-road teardrop camper, just exploring. But alas, time is the enemy.

Anyways, I do agree that it's nice to always have something in the back pocket to fall back on. That's why I've got so much safety and survival gear in my truck at all times. Will I ever use it? Probably not. But if I do have to, I'd like to know that it's there. The Terrain Modes, Trail Control, locking diff, and skid plates are in that same vain. Will I ever use them? Probably not often. But it's good to know I can if I need to.

 

[AzScorpion]

Oh I definitely like having the features. I want to get out and use them more, but I've already got so many hobbies I don't have enough time for, it's hard to justify adding another. haha If I lived in a place like you do, I'm sure I would get out and do it more often. But there's not many things around here more intense than a rough two-track forest service road. I have dreams of spending week long trips out west with our off-road teardrop camper, just exploring. But alas, time is the enemy.

Anyways, I do agree that it's nice to always have something in the back pocket to fall back on. That's why I've got so much safety and survival gear in my truck at all times. Will I ever use it? Probably not. But if I do have to, I'd like to know that it's there. The Terrain Modes, Trail Control, locking diff, and skid plates are in that same vain. Will I ever use them? Probably not often. But it's good to know I can if I need to.

I hear ya on that! I don't have a lot of hobbies it's just the ones I have are expensive. lol One spot where we go shooting out in the desert there's a 3-4 mile long wash that's all soft sand with some deep areas here and there. Now there's an upper hard packed trail you can take but I always take the wash. Might as well have a little more fun on the ride out there.

When I was living back east all my F150's had the Fx4 package and I never had it off road besides a few fire roads. I needed the 4x4 for the snow and the muddy job sites we were on but never got to use it to it's full potential. Besides that truck was just to big to go off roading and have fun with and the Ranger is so much better.

 

[Motorpsychology]

I just wanted the FX4 sticker so I paid for the package

Funny! I was hoping there was a "FX4 Decal Delete" option

 

[Noseoil]

We found our Ranger "used" at a Honda dealer with 400 miles on it. I lucked out as it was an XLT/STX 4X4 with the diff locker & too many bells & whistles (without the window sticker) to use at first. I didn't think I would use it in 4X4 without the snows we have, but ended up on an Elk hunt in southern Colorado with my son. His GMC pickup was just too big for the side-road which was rocky, narrow & steep. He would have had to back & fill for some of the hairpin turns, the Ranger just went up in 4X4 low with the locker set on some of those nasty rocky slopes, lots of hopping & digging as it was so steep & just crawling along above 10,000'.

It's plenty of truck the way it sits, so I'm not sure the "extra" FX4 would be much of an improvement for our needs.

 

[jsphlynch]

Also, I like the idea of possibly loading up the Ranger and heading out for some trail driving

Maybe I'm reading you wrong, but you make it sound like this isn't something you currently have any real plans to do, just a "well maybe I could possibly someday do this." Be honest with yourself about how likely you are to do some serious off-roading.

Would I be well served with an XL STX 4x4, or would it really be worth stepping up an XLT FX4...

Regardless of 4x4 vs FX4, there are some real nice things about XLT vs XL. I'm happy with my XL, but can definitely why you may want to step up to XLT even if you don't go for FX4.

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