Help Me Decide on Ranger over Taco / Colorado for Rear Locker on a Budget

[moutaindude]

I'm in the market for a mid-size 4x4 truck and want to have (1) off-road tires (from the factory) and (2) a locking rear differential. I'm not made of money and if I were, I'd be looking at full-size trucks even though I really don't need one.

I live on a sometimes-plowed dirt road and am looking at buying an even more remote property and feel like the locker is a must for me.

Tacos look (kind of) cool but you can't get a rear locker until you pony up $37,655 MSRP for the TRD Off Road trim. Colorado is interesting but you can't get a locker without the $44,140 MSRP ZR2 trim. I don't know much about the Frontier but I think it's the same story. The Ranger XL with E-Locker and off-road tires or with FX4 package (which includes these items) each MSRP at $34,290.

Seems like the Ranger is my only real option or am I missing something? I test drove the Ranger and it was great on-road. Test drove the Taco and thought it didn't drive as well although the V6, which I really don't care about, was nice. Again, I understand the Taco is go-to off-road platform but I'm not interested in modding and dragging through the brush a brand-new truck.

I don't want to have to modify to get what I think is the basic level of 'off-road' capability that you get with the locker. Any point in looking elsewhere than Ranger at this point? There's no way I'm going to start spec'ing out a midsize truck to the 38k+ range and while the ZR2 is cool, $44k is out of the question. I just won't spend that kind of money without getting the capabilities of a full-size.

Anything else I should think about before I pull the trigger?

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[D Fresh]

Resale value...

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/this-was-kinda-surprising.17189/#post-349496

 

[mgallo13]

I'm in the market for a mid-size 4x4 truck and want to have (1) off-road tires (from the factory) and (2) a locking rear differential. I'm not made of money and if I were, I'd be looking at full-size trucks even though I really don't need one.

I live on a sometimes-plowed dirt road and am looking at buying an even more remote property and feel like the locker is a must for me.

Tacos look (kind of) cool but you can't get a rear locker until you pony up $37,655 MSRP for the TRD Off Road trim. Colorado is interesting but you can't get a locker without the $44,140 MSRP ZR2 trim. I don't know much about the Frontier but I think it's the same story. The Ranger XL with E-Locker and off-road tires or with FX4 package (which includes these items) each MSRP at $34,290.

Seems like the Ranger is my only real option or am I missing something? I test drove the Ranger and it was great on-road. Test drove the Taco and thought it didn't drive as well although the V6, which I really don't care about, was nice. Again, I understand the Taco is go-to off-road platform but I'm not interested in modding and dragging through the brush a brand-new truck.

I don't want to have to modify to get what I think is the basic level of 'off-road' capability that you get with the locker. Any point in looking elsewhere than Ranger at this point? There's no way I'm going to start spec'ing out a midsize truck to the 38k+ range and while the ZR2 is cool, $44k is out of the question. I just won't spend that kind of money without getting the capabilities of a full-size.

Anything else I should think about before I pull the trigger?

in my buddy's 2017 TRD pro the rear locker cannot be manually activated FWIW. You have to use the 4wd controls as well as "trail control" to get it activated whereas in the ranger you press the button regardless of transfer-case status and it'll lock

 

[RangerPNW]

Beauty of the ranger's rear locker over most competitors is that it can be activated in 2H or 4H as well as 4L. I know the Tacoma's can only be done in 4L, not sure about the Colorado.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

in my buddy's 2017 TRD pro the rear locker cannot be manually activated FWIW. You have to use the 4wd controls as well as "trail control" to get it activated whereas in the ranger you press the button regardless of transfer-case status and it'll lock

This.

The Ranger rear locker works any time the vehicle is below 20mph, 2wd or 4wd doesn't matter.

Most other factory lockers (Jeep Rubicon, Tacoma, Frontier, don't know about the ZR2) require you to be in 4 Low before you can use the locker.

Edit: Just researched it and the ZR2 will also allow the rear locker in 2wd.

 

[WingShot]

Doesn't really sound like you need much help deciding. The Ranger fits your needs and your budget. Not to mention it's a much better truck overall than the Tacoma or Colorado.

 

[Superdannyboy]

Ranger go vroom vroom, other truck eat ranger dust.

 

[paval3]

I have no idea what a "locker" is and whether my 2021 SCREW XLT 4x4 has one.... all I can add is that if you are coming from the Ford/Mercury vehicles, you'll feel more at home in the Ranger! I test drove both new and used Colorados when I was looking for a mid-size truck, and something just never felt right sitting in it. I only went to look at Rangers when my one brother said we've had a few in the shop for installations and they looked really good and suggested I go drive one. Yep, sitting in a Ranger, I felt at home. The ergonomics were more familiar.

 

[Gsxrdoug]

For a budget and what you want sounds like Ranger is your truck.

 

[Espo78]

Not to mention you can get a locker on any trim level so if budget is your primary concern you can get an XL with a locker. If you can find one....buying any vehicle right now isn't something I'd recommend unless you NEED to get one. I have an XL with STX and FX4 packages and it fit the bill perfectly for me as far as what the truck has and what I wanted to spend.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Then there's this little gem Toyota is pulling on their customers...

https://www.thedrive.com/news/43329/toyota-made-its-key-fob-remote-start-into-a-subscription-service

This is the kind of thing that kills it for me on buying one. My wife was really wanting a Highlander until I sent her this article. She doesn't want a Highlander any more.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

I crossed shopped your options and ended up with the Ranger by a large margin.

I like Tacomas, but they aren't comfy and the V6 was mediocre... actually terrible for a truck application.

I don't think the Colorado really competes at all with the Ranger or Taco, at least with what I value.

The big thing about Tacoma is reputation. Helps with resale. Also drives prices up.

The Taco reputation also makes fanboys for little reason. When I was shopping for mine, everyone popped out and was like "bRo gEt a tAcOmA bRo tRuSt mE bRo pLeAse bRo". When I mentioned the mismatched engine, archaic transmission, flexy frames, and drum brakes... Most were like "what are those?".

The Ranger was an educated choice for me, at least for the first 150,000 miles. After that, we'll see.

As far as lockers go, the Ranger is better as mentioned.

4WD systems will be about the same.

As far as I know, even with traction control off, all the options will still stop you from being a hooligan eventually with brake assist.

 

[moutaindude]

Not to mention you can get a locker on any trim level so if budget is your primary concern you can get an XL with a locker. If you can find one....buying any vehicle right now isn't something I'd recommend unless you NEED to get one. I have an XL with STX and FX4 packages and it fit the bill perfectly for me as far as what the truck has and what I wanted to spend.

Yep, I hate to have to buy right now but the new vehicle market is less crazily-priced than the used market. I've got a Cherokee XJ and 2010 Honda Odyssey but neither are in great shape and I end up spending a lot of time in the garage working on them. Haven't owned a new vehicle that's not constantly breaking since 2004 and miss it.

Living in a rust-zone, used vehicles are ticking time bombs anyway.

I don't think new prices are ever going down, though, anyway. The used market might level out but fat chance manufacturers ever DROP prices on us. Between never-ending COVID, inflation, the chip shortage - they have too many good excuses.

I signed up for the Mustang club a few months ago on this forum's advice hoping to get X-Plan pricing. One of my local dealers say they won't offer X-Plan. The other danced around the issue. If I can get a vehicle built-to-my-spec (don't care about the wait) at MSRP less X-Plan discount, I'd take it.

But I think we'll be waiting a long time for things to go back to 'normal' (lol).

 

[KnightWolf]

I shopped around as well & the Ranger with the FX4 came in at a better price with a more well rounded package overall.

The V6 in the Taco's is an older design, it's not as good on fuel. While on paper the power is similar, the 2.3L turbo pulls much harder while being better on gas.

You can get the rear locker without the FX4 package, which will save some money & it's nice that it's an option. But you'll loose some of the off-road goodies like the "FX" shocks, skid plates, and terrain management.

The Hankook tires aren't the best, if you dig around you'll see some complaints. They're a partner tire, so they're designed to meet manufactures specs for on-road performance with some off-road abilities.

I've hit the trials in my stock FX4 with lifted Toyota's & Jeeps on 33's & 35's, they seemed to think I wouldn't make it very far. But kept up with them no problem & in some cases made it through or over obstacles with less fuss.

 

[Espo78]

Yep, I hate to have to buy right now but the new vehicle market is less crazily-priced than the used market. I've got a Cherokee XJ and 2010 Honda Odyssey but neither are in great shape and I end up spending a lot of time in the garage working on them. Haven't owned a new vehicle that's not constantly breaking since 2004 and miss it.

Living in a rust-zone, used vehicles are ticking time bombs anyway.

I don't think new prices are ever going down, though, anyway. The used market might level out but fat chance manufacturers ever DROP prices on us. Between never-ending COVID, inflation, the chip shortage - they have too many good excuses.

I signed up for the Mustang club a few months ago on this forum's advice hoping to get X-Plan pricing. One of my local dealers say they won't offer X-Plan. The other danced around the issue. If I can get a vehicle built-to-my-spec (don't care about the wait) at MSRP less X-Plan discount, I'd take it.

But I think we'll be waiting a long time for things to go back to 'normal' (lol).

MSRP is a good goal in the current pricing climate. I never thought I'd say that. If you haven't yet, go on the Ford website and build a few trucks. For me, the STX is the sweet spot. These trucks get real expensive in the upper trim levels and don't offer anything special that is worth the cost. They all have the same drivetrain and 95% of the same interior. Unless you get a Tremor they are close to all the same truck.

Some of the "downgrades" of the STX i actually prefer, like matte black interior pieces instead of glossy parts and chrome that cause glare. Mine has carpet but its an option and lots of people prefer the vinyl floor and seats of the XL/STX especially up north. You can't get vinyl floor or seats on any other trim.

If you get an STX and get the FX4 package OR the Copilot 360 you also get upgraded to the nicer full color gauge cluster. Get the STX special edition if you really want the 8" center screen with carplay. I somewhat regret not getting that option (it wasn't available when I bought my truck) but I do prefer the single zone climate control that is in no way tied into the screen. Upgrading to a larger aftermarket stereo is possible too. Fun fact: The truck will still turn on the heat or AC if I remote start it to get the truck to proper temp even with the base single zone system.

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