Test drove a Ranger today.

[Travis11]

I owned a 2016 Tacoma TRD and currently drive a 2019 TRD. I have wanted to drive the Tanger since it came out and finally took the time. As others have stated, there are pros and cons to each. I like the bed hieght, rear seat configuration and power sliding rear window of my Taco. The Ranger is definitely a better ride with more comfortable seating and smoother transmission. Looks are subjective but the Ranger is a better looking truck to me, I’m not a fan of the over sized hood of the Taco. Also y’all have a great forum, very mature and a breath of fresh air,

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[RedlandRanger]

I owned a 2016 Tacoma TRD and currently drive a 2019 TRD. I have wanted to drive the Tanger since it came out and finally took the time. As others have stated, there are pros and cons to each. I like the bed hieght, rear seat configuration and power sliding rear window of my Taco. The Ranger is definitely a better ride with more comfortable seating and smoother transmission. Looks are subjective but the Ranger is a better looking truck to me, I’m not a fan of the over sized hood of the Taco. Also y’all have a great forum, very mature and a breath of fresh air,

No comment on the power train? I test drove a 2019 Tacoma and was REALLY disappointed in the power train. Felt under powered and it was always hunting for gears. I personally feel the power train is the Ranger's biggest asset.

 

[Ranger Danger]

Welcome Travis! I am brand new here as of last week myself.

I traded in my 2018 Tacoma TRD Off-Road with Tech PKG. for a new Ford Ranger Supercab Lariat. From the moment I drove away, I had no doubts. They do indeed have PROS & CONS for each.
The Tacoma powered rear sliding window is nice, yet no defroster?...here in an area that gets a lot of snow and ice each year, that was worth the tradeoff. The tailgate on the TACO is damped which is nice and it’s low, yet the weight of the tailgate is better on the Ranger. On the Ranger you get hood struts and you do not on the TACO. The TACO lets you get a 6ft bed in almost any trim, Ford has it only available in the Supercab. As for pricing and the way Ford/Toyota package things it's more PRO's & CONS... If you like more tech more luxury on a TACO, you buy a Limited, yet at $42K and being handed what is essentially a SR5 truck with heated leather seats steered me away, and it tanks in value compared to the other TACOS...PRO BEST, Off-Road VERY GOOD, Sport GOOD at third and so on... I like the range I am getting out of an 18 gallon tank, over 400 miles to the next fill. The TACO has a 21.5 gallon tank and my best was 370 miles until empty. The Ranger engine/transmission is just so much better than the 3.5 V6 Atkinson-cycle and six speed auto, just not enough low end grunt for me with a double cab and six foot bed.

 

[Travis11]

No comment on the power train? I test drove a 2019 Tacoma and was REALLY disappointed in the power train. Felt under powered and it was always hunting for gears. I personally feel the power train is the Ranger's biggest asset.

I did like the power train of the Ranger better, smoother and less downshifting but honestly could not tell a huge difference in power. I drive pretty conservative, the Ford was better, just not a huge difference.

 

[AzScorpion]

I owned a 2016 Tacoma TRD and currently drive a 2019 TRD. I have wanted to drive the Tanger since it came out and finally took the time. As others have stated, there are pros and cons to each. I like the bed hieght, rear seat configuration and power sliding rear window of my Taco. The Ranger is definitely a better ride with more comfortable seating and smoother transmission. Looks are subjective but the Ranger is a better looking truck to me, I’m not a fan of the over sized hood of the Taco. Also y’all have a great forum, very mature and a breath of fresh air,

I traded in my 2016 Tacoma for the Ranger and have 0 regrets! Personally I like the bed height on the Ranger because it allows you to store more stuff if needed. The smoothness of the Rangers drivetrain is hands down better than the Tacoma which never seems to know which gear it wants and is way underpowered. Add to that the better seating position and way better tech package.

Even when I had my Tacoma I hardly ever went on the Tacoma World site. If you're not a Tacoma "fan boy" you'll be called all sorts of names and have dozens of childish memes posted. This site is a breath of fresh air and I enjoy coming here.

 

[RedlandRanger]

I did like the power train of the Ranger better, smoother and less downshifting but honestly could not tell a huge difference in power. I drive pretty conservative, the Ford was better, just not a huge difference.

I'm really surprised. With the Tacoma, it just felt like I had to almost floor it to get going very well. With the Ranger I have to have a light foot (otherwise my mileage will tank) - but even with a light foot it still feels more powerful than the Tacoma.

I guess it just goes to show that many things about vehicles are peoples impressions (power, handling, styling, ride, etc) and vary person to person.

 

[AzScorpion]

I'm really surprised. With the Tacoma, it just felt like I had to almost floor it to get going very well. With the Ranger I have to have a light foot (otherwise my mileage will tank) - but even with a light foot it still feels more powerful than the Tacoma.

I guess it just goes to show that many things about vehicles are peoples impressions (power, handling, styling, ride, etc) and vary person to person.

That was a huge draw back for me with the Tacoma. Don't get me wrong it makes power but not until 3000+ rpms. and it wasn't smooth like the Ranger.

We have a lot of long inclined on ramps here and with my Tacoma I'd have to really lay into it to make any power to actually get up to merging speed. If you tried to drive it light footed you'd have a line of cars behind you shaking their hand at you telling you you're #1. Going up north on I-10 to Flagstaff with the change in elevation (1250'-7000') it was a shift monster!

I remember how impressed I was on my first test drive with the Ranger as I was barely putting any pressure on the peddle and I was already doing 80 at the top of the ramp! My intension was to wait until 2020 but after my second test drive there was no way I could suffer another year driving the Tacoma.

 

[Ranger Danger]

I traded in my 2016 Tacoma for the Ranger and have 0 regrets! Personally I like the bed height on the Ranger because it allows you to store more stuff if needed. The smoothness of the Rangers drivetrain is hands down better than the Tacoma which never seems to know which gear it wants and is way underpowered. Add to that the better seating position and way better tech package.

Even when I had my Tacoma I hardly ever went on the Tacoma World site. If you're not a Tacoma "fan boy" you'll be called all sorts of names and have dozens of childish memes posted. This site is a breath of fresh air and I enjoy coming here.

I agree with all your posts..I had my 2018 TRD OR for over a year, I knew it really well. It drove off-road like a giant ATV and was a blast. I did enjoy some of the good info you could gleam on the truck from other members on Tacoma World.
When I posted my switch to the Ranger last week, it was a mix of fanboys and good truck folks responding. I for one do not get it, I don't care if you are on a Ford, Toyota, Nissan, GMC or Chevy forum...I thought we were truck guys, not the mall crawler crew??? If Nissan rolls out an all new 2021 Frontier, and you trade in the Ranger I want to know why, what is different? what is better? what isn't? I guess besides owning a TACO PRO (Saw they have a nice new Green color coming for the PRO), owning a TRD Off-Road and saying it was nice, yet had some serious short comings just shocked some who had to build up their SR to look like an OR and felt insulted you said it was just OKAY. For me, having to REV it to 3-4 grand to grab that power (it was there...) just was a pain when on long haul trips, and made you tired like you were driving a much smaller engine up hills and beyond.

My mindset was, I would never by a TACO Sport with a faux hood scoop, when for the same coin I could get all the real off-road toys. Despite most of those toys being limited to 4L and did not use them as much as I would have liked...maybe the fake hood scoop was better HA HA! I don't know, I always felt all the TACO's were solid despite ones choice and would say so, the Scoop looked nice, though I need functional items for my dollar.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Mature?
of course, most of us are old.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/age-groups-survey-for-new-ranger-owners.1966/#post-22850

What???? Old??? I am a very young 70 years young...Excuse me while I reach for the CBD cream for my aches and pains..


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

 

[Mick Carlson]

I will hang on to my Tacoma because it’s a fantastic truck. It’s been dead-on reliable and is a high quality vehicle. But my Ranger is in a completely different class. I go from the Tacoma to the Ranger several times per week, and in my opinion the Ranger is so much more refined performance-wise and from a technological perspective . I was completely prepared to buy a new Tacoma but I have no doubts that I made the right choice in buying a Ranger. I’ve never been happier with a new vehicle.

 

[SN13]

I test Drove a bunch of trucks before picking my Ranger.

Here's my takeaway from three of these.

1. Ranger - Best ride, best power, felt like a newer vehicle (Even my XL)

2. Tacoma - Very Truck-like ride, Firm. Transmission felt older and slower than my 04' Jeep GC 6spd. 4cyl Engine was slothful. V6 was ok, but nothing special. The Hood sticks out VERY far. Blocks alot of the view.

3. Honda Ridgeline - Spacious inside. Love the in-bed storage. Felt more like a Mini-van with a bed. Comfortable but almost Too spacious in the cab Like everything felt too far away. The Dash felt like it was Newly designed in 2008 but hadn't been changed since then. The backseats were nice.

4. Colorado - Never Drove because my Tow-Truck Driving buddy and my Mechanic both advised me against the Chevy/GMC lineup. They had nothing substantially negative to say against the Ford or Toyota or Honda.


Logically the Toyota would have been the safe choice, but everytime I drove the Tacoma I wished it was the Ranger.

The Tacoma I Tested:

The Ranger I bought:

The other day I parked next to a Tacoma:

 

[Lunchbox88]

I test Drove a bunch of trucks before picking my Ranger.

Here's my takeaway from three of these.

1. Ranger - Best ride, best power, felt like a newer vehicle (Even my XL)

2. Tacoma - Very Truck-like ride, Firm. Transmission felt older and slower than my 04' Jeep GC 6spd. 4cyl Engine was slothful. V6 was ok, but nothing special. The Hood sticks out VERY far. Blocks alot of the view.

3. Honda Ridgeline - Spacious inside. Love the in-bed storage. Felt more like a Mini-van with a bed. Comfortable but almost Too spacious in the cab Like everything felt too far away. The Dash felt like it was Newly designed in 2008 but hadn't been changed since then. The backseats were nice.

4. Colorado - Never Drove because my Tow-Truck Driving buddy and my Mechanic both advised me against the Chevy/GMC lineup. They had nothing substantially negative to say against the Ford or Toyota or Honda.


Logically the Toyota would have been the safe choice, but everytime I drove the Tacoma I wished it was the Ranger.

The Tacoma I Tested:

The Ranger I bought:

The other day I parked next to a Tacoma:

Welcome and congrats on the purchase! I drove every midsize truck on the market (sometimes more than once) before making my purchase and we share some similar experiences. I will say that I found the ranger cabin to feel bigger in my opinion that the Ridgeline which is interesting. Maybe just my body shape or something. But felt the same way about how it drove, and the in bed storage is cool.

 

[808matt]

According to people in Tacoma world the ranger is a pos no matter how you look at it lol. Ton of them are narrow minded that havent even test drove the ranger to begin with

 

[NOVA_Ranger]

According to people in Tacoma world the ranger is a pos no matter how you look at it lol. Ton of them are narrow minded that havent even test drove the ranger to begin with

That forum is something else...

 

[808matt]

That forum is something else...

Here in hawaii, every tacoma I see with their window down I make sure they here my BOV. Very immature lol

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