My long winded one year review of 5th Gen Ranger ownership

[KJRR]

Same here -- mine is stock 2WD and can't get above 22-23 mpg even on flat highway at 70 mph I just don't understand why!

Lower mileage may have to do with the topper and build out you've done there. Wouldn't call that stock.

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[a33maxi]

Nice write up.
We love our truck but got the crappy mpg edition. Most of the driving is mixed & around 18-20.
I did get 23 once, on a long highway trip. I was hoping for at least 21 mixed.
At 0F it's 15mpg... yuk. Stock too.

Pretty much identical to my experience so far. I bought the truck in November, so I'm hoping warmer weather and summer gas will make an improvement.

 

[Ranger54]

Pretty much identical to my experience so far. I bought the truck in November, so I'm hoping warmer weather and summer gas will make an improvement.

It will. Mine stayed around 19-20.5 during the summer.

 

[jblc]

Lower mileage may have to do with the topper and build out you've done there. Wouldn't call that stock.

It was that mileage though before I added anything.

 

[jflogerzi]

Your thoughts sum up my expectations for my new ranger but I am calling BS on that price. 9k off in 2021 just does not seem right

 

[CB750F]

Pretty much identical to my experience so far. I bought the truck in November, so I'm hoping warmer weather and summer gas will make an improvement.

Slowly got better in the summer, 23mpg was in sept. Then slowly got worst.
Next time I'm in for oil change I'll ask for Voodoo check for injectors.
No extra gas in oil.

 

[Ranger54]

Your thoughts sum up my expectations for my new ranger but I am calling BS on that price. 9k off in 2021 just does not seem right

1. Mine is a 2020. 2. I bought it a year ago before the madness.

 

[TheRoushRanger046]

Nice write up.
We love our truck but got the crappy mpg edition. Most of the driving is mixed & around 18-20.
I did get 23 once, on a long highway trip. I was hoping for at least 21 mixed.
At 0F it's 15mpg... yuk. Stock too.

God I wish I was getting 18-20. I get 14-16 on mine ?

 

[Motorpsychology]

1. Safety: 9/10
This truck has blown me away with how much less drama is involved with my daily commute and road trips. The adaptive cruise, blind spot monitors, active braking, lane keep and driver alert all have worked very well. Visibility is excellent!

Cons- steering assist with copilot tends to bounce the truck in between lanes, auto start stop can be annoying at times and prematurely start or stop at lights. Reverse cross traffic is very, very sensitive.

You can change the parameters for Lane Keeping Assist from zero assist- alert only to gobs of correction, and the sensitivity.

 

[bentroia]

Appreciate your review. Nice job at working to be iinformative unbiased and objective.

How many miles on it at this point? Did I miss that?

 

[Motorpsychology]

Agreed...Even at 65 or 60 it's still 23-24 -- definitely not the 26 mpg highway claimed on the sticker.

I might be able to get 26 mpg at 45 mph :|

The EPA hiway number is with a totally unladen truck, bone stock and tire psi on a test loop with a mean average speed of about 55mph.

 

[MXGOLF]

Must be nice. I have 305 with 18’s. I barely get 16MPG

With the stock tires and 18's I am only getting 16-17 mpg in town. I did get 23 mpg on a trip to Seattle and back last week at average 75 mph. We have very crappy gas during the winter and my daily trip to work is only 4 miles one way. I did get 18 mpg towing my tent trailer last summer on a couple of trips which I thought was great! One thing about mileage what Ford or Honda or Toyota or Chevy or Dodge no one will ever get what it says on the EPA Estimated MPG. Now one thing I did with my 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid was change to non-ethanol gas and got 4-5 MPG better. That ethanol is really not good for mileage contrary to what the government says.

 

[Jackpot Tremor]

Final thoughts:
The more I own this truck, the more I love it. My truck MSRP was $45k, but I paid $36k for it which is more in line of where I think it’s worth anyway.

I agree with your review......awesome truck and hands down 100% better than my previous 2019 Taco TRD OR 4x4 which was a pile of tr*sh with the cr*ppy engine/tranny combo!

I paid $1,000 OVER msrp (I paid $46,770 + $1,000 MARKET ADJUSTMENT but had a $5,000 market adjustment and had to talk them down!!) for my 2021 Ranger Lariat Tremor but they gave me $17,500 for my 2012 Taco trd sport 2wd with 140,000 miles on the trade in so I'm happy as can be!......this truck is hands down the best truck I've owned!......BUT -2 points for NO MEMORY SEATS....WTF??!!

 

[Canadian Ranger]

Beware: Long winded, honest review

On January 16th 2021 I took delivery of my brand new 2020 Ford Ranger 501a Lariat Sport FX4. I was so excited and shocked that I was so blessed to own such a nice vehicle. Every single thing I loved and was smitten. This stage is called “The honeymoon stage” This stage normally doesn’t last very long… or so I thought. I’ll go over, to the best of my ability, my thoughts on the 5th Gen Ranger from most important to least.

1. Safety: 9/10
This truck has blown me away with how much less drama is involved with my daily commute and road trips. The adaptive cruise, blind spot monitors, active braking, lane keep and driver alert all have worked very well. Visibility is excellent!

Cons- steering assist with copilot tends to bounce the truck in between lanes, auto start stop can be annoying at times and prematurely start or stop at lights. Reverse cross traffic is very, very sensitive.

2. Reliabiliy: 9/10
My Ranger has not missed a beat mechanically. No warning lights, no weird gas in oil. Only tire rotations and oil changes so far. So not much to talk about, which is a good thing.

Cons: None

3. Comfort: 7/10
This truck is amazingly comfortable, especially for it’s class. Seats are wide and well cushioned, seating position is perfect for me at 6’2”. Power seats are a must. Rear seat (crew cab) room is good and seats are properly cushioned for smaller (less than 6ft) people for sure. Materials (Lariat) are among the nicest in its class but there are some cheap plastics that could have at least had a different texture and it would improve feel/look. I think every Ranger should have the magnetic, gloss finish dash that’s standard on Lariat trim

Cons- Ride quality stock was just ok… Rear end was bouncy and busy from day one. I solved this with a set of fox shocks out back. Even with leveling kit, it rides and drives like a dream now. Rear shocks should be your first upgrade if you buy one of these trucks.

4. Performance: 9/10
My ranger felt like a rocket ship when I test drove it. The torque from the ecoboost 2.3 I4 and 10 speed automatic make for non stop smiles. This truck is faster than 80% of vehicles around here. It’s more than enough power for anyone in my opinion. I since added the Ford Performance pack 2 tune and filter, MBRP dual exhaust and she screams. Runs mid-low 13’s 1/4, 0-60 in the 5 second range.

Cons- None

5. Fuel Economy: 6/10
My particular truck and daily route is in town, with that said, for the performance this truck delivers I think the economy is acceptable. But larger trucks get similar numbers these days. Best mpg 23.1mpg.

Cons- Level these trucks And put larger tires on and kiss your great mpg’s goodbye. With my current setup (33’s, leveled) I average 18.1 city, 20.2 highway.

6. Design/Styling: 6/10
The Ranger design and exterior styling in stock form leaves a bit to be desired, but with some simple enhancements, this truck can be very attractive. Fit and finish on my truck are great but other have hood and bumper alignment issues.

Cons- Wheel offset is just awful in stock form. I’m sure it’s for economy, but it looks like the body of the ranger is not even on the correct chassis underneath. The tires are a size too short from the factory (again- fuel economy I’m sure). Looks like a monkey humping a football. Body lines are too bubbly. I prefer squared off muscular lines and lights. I’m not sure what they were thinking with the massive tail lights and the hood jumps too. It’s like a Ford Fusion and F150 made a baby. I remedied this with RC leveling kit, Fuel 17x8.5 +6 offset wheels, RC fender flares, tremor/red accents and Air Design parts. With this stuff done I give it a solid 8/10

7: Towing: 8/10
This thing is a beast power wise, trailer away is minimal. Tow mode makes all the difference as 9th and 10th gear are omitted.

Cons- why on earth a trailer brake control is not an option for this truck baffles me. 7k tow rating and no power brake control option? Hell, the Maverick has one on a 4K tow package. -2 points just for that.

8. Offroad Capibility: 7/10
In stock form… just not the best. Offroad ride is bouncy and ground clearance on stock tires is not enough. WITH THAT SAID- I still have never gotten this truck stuck or damaged anything while wheeling… but I also have done most of my wheeling after my 2.5” level and 33” BFG’s. The FX4 package is nice for the skid plates, locker and offroad cruise control but the shocks are hot garbage.

Cons- Bouncy ride, shocks are garbage. Ground clearance stinks at stock height/stock tires, no front trail camera.

Final thoughts:
The more I own this truck, the more I love it. My truck MSRP was $45k, but I paid $36k for it which is more in line of where I think it’s worth anyway. After a year I revisited a few new trucks and test drove them and hands down the Ranger is still my favorite. Biggest reason is size. It’s the sweet spot in between old compact pickups and the new gigantic full size trucks of today. If you want comfort, excellent driving experience, a truck bed and towing capabilities that will fit in your garage and is easy to park… the Ranger does it better than any other truck available today.

Total irrelevant weird score: 61/80

Did you get the entire Level 2 package, or just the performance tune? If so, what are your thoughts on the package? And, how many hours labor did the dealership charge you for installation?
I'm strongly considering it. TIA.

 

[Ranger54]

Did you get the entire Level 2 package, or just the performance tune? If so, what are your thoughts on the package? And, how many hours labor did the dealership charge you for installation?
I'm strongly considering it. TIA.

Just the tune. I already have suspension setup done.

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