My 60 hour affair, yes I cheated on her,

[Mr.Mel]

No judging here at my Clickbait title LOL. So I travel a lot for work with rare short distance customer visits driving my 2019 XLT 4x2 Ranger, love it, and 3 -4 times a month going longer distances flying and renting a vehicle. I am not picky at what they rent me so I have tried dozens of models of trucks and SUV’s as well as Vans and Sedans but I had a recent trip to Seattle and showed up at the Car rental counter and was offered a Tacoma for my short stay so I jumped at the chance to try one out. It had a build date of Dec 2020 so not sure what year model it was assume a 2021.
So I drove South out of SEATAC to Portland and can now say I drove a Tacoma through Tacoma and I have another bucket list item knocked out?
My thoughts that probably are not worth your 2 cents,

Engine / Transmission, Tacoma engine sucked for Power and transmission seemed to never be in the right gear. Ecoboost and 10 speeds get the nod on this end.

Interior, I will say the Ranger wins here as well for the majority with the Tacoma seeming slightly noisier and more utility, I can live with utility, give me crank windows, manual mirrors and vinyl floors and seats like a real truck should have but that is not what most owners would like. I would probably say the Toyota had better all-around visibility.

Ride, Ranger wins again but I have installed a fiberglass Cap on mine and that added weight toned down the ride on my 2019 making it less choppy and harsh. Otherwise, I think the Taco may have won this segment.

Bed, Ranger tailgate height is way too high seemed like the Tacoma was a little lower, but I did not load anything or measure to confirm. Tacoma had a plastic bed or liner that seemed well done and it had a seemingly nice adjustable tie down system installed. Ford cut out the center tie down hooks that even makes the Ranger more deficient in this aspect. Taco had a 120V outlet in the bed that to me seemed to be the wrong place for it to be used. I would need an extension cord out the passenger window to the bed while driving for laptop charging or other items. This outlet should be inside the cab and if you are parked or camping you can still just use the plug inside. ALSO the Tacoma did not have the spacious gap in the tailgate that lets in dirt and water. Ford dropped the ball here and I am amazed they could not tell that when you look in the rear-view mirror and see light between the tailgate and bed realize the fit was wrong?

Brakes, Slam-Bam we have a WINNER, this is what I am talking about! TACOMA wins hands down yes this truck has brakes you can about do a nose stand with. Ranger brakes are like wimpy, soft, spongy, in panic stops your life flashes before your eyes “I am going to die right here and now”! The Tacoma was great in the hideous traffic on I-5 stop and go. A++ score here to the other lady.

That’s all and I am still happy with the Ranger for sure. Mr. Mel

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[Tom_C]

No judging here at my Clickbait title LOL. So I travel a lot for work with rare short distance customer visits driving my 2019 XLT 4x2 Ranger, love it, and 3 -4 times a month going longer distances flying and renting a vehicle. I am not picky at what they rent me so I have tried dozens of models of trucks and SUV’s as well as Vans and Sedans but I had a recent trip to Seattle and showed up at the Car rental counter and was offered a Tacoma for my short stay so I jumped at the chance to try one out. It had a build date of Dec 2020 so not sure what year model it was assume a 2021.
So I drove South out of SEATAC to Portland and can now say I drove a Tacoma through Tacoma and I have another bucket list item knocked out?
My thoughts that probably are not worth your 2 cents,

Engine / Transmission, Tacoma engine sucked for Power and transmission seemed to never be in the right gear. Ecoboost and 10 speeds get the nod on this end.

Interior, I will say the Ranger wins here as well for the majority with the Tacoma seeming slightly noisier and more utility, I can live with utility, give me crank windows, manual mirrors and vinyl floors and seats like a real truck should have but that is not what most owners would like. I would probably say the Toyota had better all-around visibility.

Ride, Ranger wins again but I have installed a fiberglass Cap on mine and that added weight toned down the ride on my 2019 making it less choppy and harsh. Otherwise, I think the Taco may have won this segment.

Bed, Ranger tailgate height is way too high seemed like the Tacoma was a little lower, but I did not load anything or measure to confirm. Tacoma had a plastic bed or liner that seemed well done and it had a seemingly nice adjustable tie down system installed. Ford cut out the center tie down hooks that even makes the Ranger more deficient in this aspect. Taco had a 120V outlet in the bed that to me seemed to be the wrong place for it to be used. I would need an extension cord out the passenger window to the bed while driving for laptop charging or other items. This outlet should be inside the cab and if you are parked or camping you can still just use the plug inside. ALSO the Tacoma did not have the spacious gap in the tailgate that lets in dirt and water. Ford dropped the ball here and I am amazed they could not tell that when you look in the rear-view mirror and see light between the tailgate and bed realize the fit was wrong?

Brakes, Slam-Bam we have a WINNER, this is what I am talking about! TACOMA wins hands down yes this truck has brakes you can about do a nose stand with. Ranger brakes are like wimpy, soft, spongy, in panic stops your life flashes before your eyes “I am going to die right here and now”! The Tacoma was great in the hideous traffic on I-5 stop and go. A++ score here to the other lady.

That’s all and I am still happy with the Ranger for sure. Mr. Mel

You missed an important one, or perhaps this is common knowledge.... what about the seat position?

 

[Trigganometry]

Ok I get it. Ugly Betty is ok. But I still like the fast hot girl… there, fixed your bait and switch title

 

[Hickesy]

No judging here at my Clickbait title LOL. So I travel a lot for work with rare short distance customer visits driving my 2019 XLT 4x2 Ranger, love it, and 3 -4 times a month going longer distances flying and renting a vehicle. I am not picky at what they rent me so I have tried dozens of models of trucks and SUV’s as well as Vans and Sedans but I had a recent trip to Seattle and showed up at the Car rental counter and was offered a Tacoma for my short stay so I jumped at the chance to try one out. It had a build date of Dec 2020 so not sure what year model it was assume a 2021.
So I drove South out of SEATAC to Portland and can now say I drove a Tacoma through Tacoma and I have another bucket list item knocked out?
My thoughts that probably are not worth your 2 cents,

Engine / Transmission, Tacoma engine sucked for Power and transmission seemed to never be in the right gear. Ecoboost and 10 speeds get the nod on this end.

Interior, I will say the Ranger wins here as well for the majority with the Tacoma seeming slightly noisier and more utility, I can live with utility, give me crank windows, manual mirrors and vinyl floors and seats like a real truck should have but that is not what most owners would like. I would probably say the Toyota had better all-around visibility.

Ride, Ranger wins again but I have installed a fiberglass Cap on mine and that added weight toned down the ride on my 2019 making it less choppy and harsh. Otherwise, I think the Taco may have won this segment.

Bed, Ranger tailgate height is way too high seemed like the Tacoma was a little lower, but I did not load anything or measure to confirm. Tacoma had a plastic bed or liner that seemed well done and it had a seemingly nice adjustable tie down system installed. Ford cut out the center tie down hooks that even makes the Ranger more deficient in this aspect. Taco had a 120V outlet in the bed that to me seemed to be the wrong place for it to be used. I would need an extension cord out the passenger window to the bed while driving for laptop charging or other items. This outlet should be inside the cab and if you are parked or camping you can still just use the plug inside. ALSO the Tacoma did not have the spacious gap in the tailgate that lets in dirt and water. Ford dropped the ball here and I am amazed they could not tell that when you look in the rear-view mirror and see light between the tailgate and bed realize the fit was wrong?

Brakes, Slam-Bam we have a WINNER, this is what I am talking about! TACOMA wins hands down yes this truck has brakes you can about do a nose stand with. Ranger brakes are like wimpy, soft, spongy, in panic stops your life flashes before your eyes “I am going to die right here and now”! The Tacoma was great in the hideous traffic on I-5 stop and go. A++ score here to the other lady.

That’s all and I am still happy with the Ranger for sure. Mr. Mel

I saw a post on here about Ranger brakes. When braking, if you release for a split second, then reapply, you get the bite that's missing. It's been a game-changer for me. Incidentally, I once hired a Tacoma - before I had a Ranger - to drive up to Mt Hood in Oregon and I loved it.

 

[Nopalito]

I rented a TRD-OR Tacoma last year while scoping out houses in Denver. Soooo glad I bought a Ranger before we moved.

 

[Tako]

Had a turd-gen Tacoma. My back hurt and power train was gutless.

 

[jsphlynch]

So I drove South out of SEATAC to Portland and can now say I drove a Tacoma through Tacoma ... The Tacoma was great in the hideous traffic on I-5 stop and go.

I lived the first 27 years of my life in Washington, and I'm pretty sure traffic through Tacoma was terrible the whole time due to the construction on I-5 for all 27 of those years.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I saw a post on here about Ranger brakes. When braking, if you release for a split second, then reapply, you get the bite that's missing. It's been a game-changer for me. Incidentally, I once hired a Tacoma - before I had a Ranger - to drive up to Mt Hood in Oregon and I loved it.

This is an indication of air in the system.

Mine would do the same thing and when I bled the brakes I got massive bubbles from three of the calipers. Since bleeding the system and adjusting the pushrod length the brakes are muuch better.

 

[Hickesy]

This is an indication of air in the system.

Mine would do the same thing and when I bled the brakes I got massive bubbles from three of the calipers. Since bleeding the system and adjusting the pushrod length the brakes are muuch better.

Fancy popping over and doing mine? I'll buy you a beer.

 

[12Bravo20]

I looked at both along with the Chevy Colorado and Jeep Gladiator. Ranger for the overall win for me. My first G5 Ranger was a 2wd STX SCAB and it had mushy brakes. I traded it and my 2016 Jeep Cherokee I for a new XLT FX4 and the brakes on the FX4 are way better than on the SX I had.

 

[Delirious]

No judging here at my Clickbait title LOL. So I travel a lot for work with rare short distance customer visits driving my 2019 XLT 4x2 Ranger, love it, and 3 -4 times a month going longer distances flying and renting a vehicle. I am not picky at what they rent me so I have tried dozens of models of trucks and SUV’s as well as Vans and Sedans but I had a recent trip to Seattle and showed up at the Car rental counter and was offered a Tacoma for my short stay so I jumped at the chance to try one out. It had a build date of Dec 2020 so not sure what year model it was assume a 2021.
So I drove South out of SEATAC to Portland and can now say I drove a Tacoma through Tacoma and I have another bucket list item knocked out?
My thoughts that probably are not worth your 2 cents,

Engine / Transmission, Tacoma engine sucked for Power and transmission seemed to never be in the right gear. Ecoboost and 10 speeds get the nod on this end.

Interior, I will say the Ranger wins here as well for the majority with the Tacoma seeming slightly noisier and more utility, I can live with utility, give me crank windows, manual mirrors and vinyl floors and seats like a real truck should have but that is not what most owners would like. I would probably say the Toyota had better all-around visibility.

Ride, Ranger wins again but I have installed a fiberglass Cap on mine and that added weight toned down the ride on my 2019 making it less choppy and harsh. Otherwise, I think the Taco may have won this segment.

Bed, Ranger tailgate height is way too high seemed like the Tacoma was a little lower, but I did not load anything or measure to confirm. Tacoma had a plastic bed or liner that seemed well done and it had a seemingly nice adjustable tie down system installed. Ford cut out the center tie down hooks that even makes the Ranger more deficient in this aspect. Taco had a 120V outlet in the bed that to me seemed to be the wrong place for it to be used. I would need an extension cord out the passenger window to the bed while driving for laptop charging or other items. This outlet should be inside the cab and if you are parked or camping you can still just use the plug inside. ALSO the Tacoma did not have the spacious gap in the tailgate that lets in dirt and water. Ford dropped the ball here and I am amazed they could not tell that when you look in the rear-view mirror and see light between the tailgate and bed realize the fit was wrong?

Brakes, Slam-Bam we have a WINNER, this is what I am talking about! TACOMA wins hands down yes this truck has brakes you can about do a nose stand with. Ranger brakes are like wimpy, soft, spongy, in panic stops your life flashes before your eyes “I am going to die right here and now”! The Tacoma was great in the hideous traffic on I-5 stop and go. A++ score here to the other lady.

That’s all and I am still happy with the Ranger for sure. Mr. Mel

It wasn't click bait to me. I knew exactly what it had to be and I was right.
In 2016 I bought a brand new Toyota FX4 and got rid of it after three months. I hated every single day of it. It taught me how to truly do a test drive when buying a vehicle. Four right hand turns around the block don't get it. This time when I got my Ranger at the Toyota dealer, they let me test drive it and their Tacoma on my own. 30 minute test drives on both of them the way I would normally drive and that Ranger won hands down. They were practically begging me to take the Ranger and I got one hell of a deal because nobody goes into a Toyota dealership looking for a Ford Ranger. The truck sold itself. They did not have to do any begging. Playing along with it got me a deal $4000 cheaper than I could find at any Ford dealership. No regrets 7+ months later.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Fancy popping over and doing mine? I'll buy you a beer.

It'd take a lot of beer for that road trip.

 

[Wolfman00]

the only good 3rd gen taco is the pro with a manual- that gets your 4.30s out back.

 

[BDoc]

It'd take a lot of beer for that road trip.

I'd throw in another case if you come and do mine too...it's only a few hours north of Phil

 

[Delirious]

I rented a TRD-OR Tacoma last year while scoping out houses in Denver. Soooo glad I bought a Ranger before we moved.

The best advice for buying a vehicle you never had before is to rent one for a weekend or a few days. You can really get a feel of it to know if that's what you want. I rented a Buick Enclave to go to Tennessee and back for a week and that infotainment center was absolutely horrible and extremely dangerous trying to use while driving. Never got used to it after a week of it. It was just horrible! Even for a test drive of a new vehicle. Play with that system and all the controls and make sure they are convenient. Last year I bought my wife a Mazda CX5. Pepe little car but the controls are inconvenient. Located inconveniently in the lower center of the dash and Mazda has a thing about locking out most of the touchscreen controls while the car is in motion. It makes it even more dangerous. I put the wife back in another Honda after a few months of that car. Driving like an old lady around town could only get me 19 miles to the gallon and it was rated 25 I think. Nothing could get me close to that mileage. I gave the dealership and the car a horrible review with JD Power. I hear when you do that, they lose their JD Power rating.

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