First long trip in the Ranger

[Kingratt]

Purchased my Ranger in May 2020, mainly used to cart my mountain bike around on the weekends with my company truck as a daily driver so only 5400 miles in 14 months. Drove down to Virginia from NH last week to visit my kids and new grandson for my first long drive so a couple of observations:

Great - The 2.3L turbo and 10 speed auto. It's one of the main reasons I bought the Ranger and I still giggle a little bit when I push down on the pedal. I didn't track the mpg but seemed to be ok. Filled up in Manassas and the 50 mile warning lit up just as I hit the Mass Pike.

Surprising - The premium cloth seats were surprisingly comfortable on a long ride and the positioning gives great visibility while driving. I only stopped once on the way down and once on the way back never feeling fatigued from driving.

OK - It's a mid size truck with class leading towing so the ride can be a little stiff. Driving RT 290 by Worcester was rough. It's a horrible stretch of road and pretty bouncy due to half assed attempts at paving.

Frustrating but workable - the 4.2" Sync radio sounds ok but needs to be replaced. Made it work with windshield mount and my iPhone but less than ideal. I've been pouring over various posts about replacing it and trying to figure out which way I want to go. Auto start/stop in bumper to bumper traffic. Super annoying on the way back north when they decided to paint the bridge going into Delaware and close 2 of the 4 lanes.

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[Langwilliams]

Putting a $200 pair of shocks on the back will vastly improve that bouncy ride.

 

[VegasRanger]

Putting a $200 pair of shocks on the back will vastly improve that bouncy ride.

So I gotta say, I put eibachs on the rear and it was worse than my stock. It was rough riding and stiff, so I went back to stock. Off roading they did better, but this is my daily so off roading is 1% of what I use the truck for. Going to sell my eibachs if anyone is interested

 

[GitRDone]

Glad you are digging your truck. A suggestion on the radio, find a wrecked Lariat or XLT and swap in the head unit.

 

[outdoorphotog]

Sounds like overall it was a success. We did a 3,000 mile road trip last summer, it was confortable and avergaed 24mpg

 

[Langwilliams]

So I gotta say, I put eibachs on the rear and it was worse than my stock. It was rough riding and stiff, so I went back to stock. Off roading they did better, but this is my daily so off roading is 1% of what I use the truck for. Going to sell my eibachs if anyone is interested

It's firmer for sure but no more bouncing side to side on uneven bumps.

 

[gcan]

Similar with my Fox 2.0 rear shocks, they stopped the swimmy feel but ride rough when the bed is empty but when I have a couple of hundred pounds in the bed the truck rides very good

 

[wanted33]

If you have the plug on the back of the console grab you one of these. You can find them at the dollar store for, yes, a buck. Plug it in, and it fools the system into think the ASS is not ready. I've had one plugged in since I bought my truck. I live in a small town with too damn much traffic, and the ASS was a real pain in the "yep you guessed it" ass..................

https://www.amazon.com/Maxxima-MLN-...ocphy=9009899&hvtargid=pla-309733168066&psc=1

 

[RBMAN]

Purchased my Ranger in May 2020, mainly used to cart my mountain bike around on the weekends with my company truck as a daily driver so only 5400 miles in 14 months. Drove down to Virginia from NH last week to visit my kids and new grandson for my first long drive so a couple of observations:

Great - The 2.3L turbo and 10 speed auto. It's one of the main reasons I bought the Ranger and I still giggle a little bit when I push down on the pedal. I didn't track the mpg but seemed to be ok. Filled up in Manassas and the 50 mile warning lit up just as I hit the Mass Pike.

Surprising - The premium cloth seats were surprisingly comfortable on a long ride and the positioning gives great visibility while driving. I only stopped once on the way down and once on the way back never feeling fatigued from driving.

OK - It's a mid size truck with class leading towing so the ride can be a little stiff. Driving RT 290 by Worcester was rough. It's a horrible stretch of road and pretty bouncy due to half assed attempts at paving.

Frustrating but workable - the 4.2" Sync radio sounds ok but needs to be replaced. Made it work with windshield mount and my iPhone but less than ideal. I've been pouring over various posts about replacing it and trying to figure out which way I want to go. Auto start/stop in bumper to bumper traffic. Super annoying on the way back north when they decided to paint the bridge going into Delaware and close 2 of the 4 lanes.

 

[RBMAN]

If you are not burning premium gas give it a try. It will make it a lot more fun to drive as you gain about 30 more HP. Sport mode is fun to try for short trips!

 

[Josebd]

Ditto on sport mode,totally different,amazed at the power it has

 

[Kingratt]

If you are not burning premium gas give it a try. It will make it a lot more fun to drive as you gain about 30 more HP. Sport mode is fun to try for short trips!

Definitely worth the extra money to run premium just for the fun factor. While technically an adult, and yes I should be more mature sometimes, but it is super fun to blow the doors off kids in their tuner cars that are more muffler than motor. Surprised the heck out of a kid in a turbo Saab at a stoplight. Chirped the tires between a couple of gears and left off the gas when I hit 40. Tacoma guys seem a little funny and always speed up. There's a local guy with a black Colorado (I looked at the same truck but chose the Ranger) and always gets a nod when I see him. The Gladiator guys are kind of funny like the Tacoma guys. Had one come flying up on me on a long uphill exit so I just waved bye at him and took off. Stowed down when I hit 70 to let him catch up then did it again. He didn't bother trying to catch up. If I had this truck when I was younger I would still be paying off points on my insurance.

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