rangerdanger
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2018
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- SF Bay Area
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Ford Ranger SuperCrew XLT FX4
- Vehicle Showcase
- 1
Driving the 2019 Ford Ranger by Flomulgator
Hi internet,
I got a chance to briefly drive the 2019 Ford Ranger on public streets back on Nov. 12th at the Seattle Auto Show. I looked around the internet and it appears that may be the first opportunity anyone's had yet to do that. So by dumb luck I may have been one of the first non-employees to get really drive it(that or I'm not-so-great at internet searches). So, just to get something out there for folks to digest, I'll give a brief review from my notes. Feel free to follow up with any questions.
What it was: 2019 Ford Ranger FX4, I believe in the highest trim. 4Low over some metal humps then a 2WD open cruise around a few blocks with a handler. Drove a Chevy Colorado ZR2 diesel right afterwards on same loop for direct comparison.
My thoughts: Has a perfect pickup ride quality, firm enough with just a hint of that fun body on frame jiggle but no harshness over potholes and joints or bouncing on bigger pavement undulations. For comparison, the Colorado in ZR2 trim with the multimatic shocks was inferior: too jolty and harsh. Would have liked to compare to a Z71 Colorado but no dice.
Overall driving visibility is great for a modern vehicle (which all suck compared to anything old), except for the front corners. No idea where truck ended or where the wheels were for low-speed stuff. Good back-up cam.
Overall Ergonomics are good and the cabin is comfy.
Some weirdness in low-speed throttle tip-in, a bit too sensitive somewhat like modern Subarus (which are way too sensitive), then a bit of lag between the 10 speed ZF and the turbo. Was told that these were final pre-production verfication models (were running MI manufacturer plates) so hopefully they can smooth out initial power delivery before....delivery.
Once everything is spun up the power delivery is awesome. The amount of torque a good turbo puts down in the everyday use range makes it fantastically usable compared to an NA V6 that needs to get rung out. The Colorado diesel is of course similar in this regard with even more usable torque, but with way less horsepower the diesel reminds you that it is just that on an open straight, whereas the Ranger is just a rocket. It can haul serious ass for what it is, to the point that I'd be worried about the engine outrunning the chassis on a twisty road.
I tend to dislike the sound direct injection inline 4's, or most I4s for that matter, having lived with a really fast vacuum cleaner for years (a Mazdaspeed 3). But this engine somehow manages to sound pretty good at high revs while being impressively quiet and smooth-toned at lower throttle.
And finally, good rear seat room, a bit better than the Colorado but not by much. And the tailgate sucks, it's tinny and flops down, whereas the Colorado has a nice soft-open feature. That's it!
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