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Anyone Jump from a Ranger to a F-150 Raptor?

lariat

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I like my Ranger. With Ford Performance shocks and better off-roading capable A/T tires, the truck works great, fits in the garage and isn't wide on the trails. Wondering if anyone has any comparison after moving up to an F-150 Raptor - pros/cons? I have had my eye on the larger Raptor for some time as it just has more internal cargo room for carrying stuff, but it's also a much bigger truck.
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I’ve been in both. My buddy has a F-150 Raptor and I go out to the desert off roading with him. His truck is bigger, wider and he’s always worried about pin striping it on the trails. But it is way more capable than the Ranger as we have them configured as it has better suspension and clearance and what not. It’s a heck of a lot more comfortable off-roading when going fast and hitting the whoops. That said, I’ve had no problems keeping up and there are definitely places we end up where I don’t have a worry but he has to watch his mirrors and sometimes even fenders. Even with upgrades I’m into my truck for less than half what he is. I can take that money and spend it on better suspension and a tune down the road. I can also park it a hell of a lot easier than him. Now if we were talking Ranger Raptor vs. Ranger? I do get that RR itch for the better suspension and horsepower. But not for $20000 more at this point.
 

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I like my Ranger. With Ford Performance shocks and better off-roading capable A/T tires, the truck works great, fits in the garage and isn't wide on the trails. Wondering if anyone has any comparison after moving up to an F-150 Raptor - pros/cons? I have had my eye on the larger Raptor for some time as it just has more internal cargo room for carrying stuff, but it's also a much bigger truck.
I was in this week for oil change/tire rotation on my lariat. Salesman spent 15 minutes in the service waiting room trying to convince me I needed to trade in for a ranger Raptor on the lot. It was nice. Bigger, v6 engine etc, but was also $60,000+. I couldn't get him to understand that the only reason I had a ranger, smaller truck, was to tow behind my motorhome. He kept pushing the off road capabilities and how well it could pull a boat or atv trailer. (I live in hunting and fishing country and have both.) I showed him where my 2021 had 2000lbs more tow capacity than the 24 Raptor v6. He finally walked back to the sale floor.
But that Raptor was fine.
I bought to lariat 1 year old from a dealership near and army base. A female soldier had traded for an F 150 because it was too rough.
 

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Between a full size truck to a midsize truck you are definitely going to notice a size comparison about the inside and the outside. It's just a fact of life.

If more internal cargo is your goal you might want to consider a different vehicle altogether. If you are wanting to keep a vehicle that will stay inside your garage without issues then a F-150 raptor might not be for you. Personally one of my biggest gripes with the new Ranger from 2019 through 2023 was the under seat cargo, or lack there of. I say this because my 2016 Nissan Frontier had way more cargo space under the rear seat compared to the Ranger. Now that I have my 2012 Pro-4X Frontier It is hard to say if the frontier has more space since I only have one big tray as the one on the left got taken up by a subwoofer. When looking at the new D41 Frontier that was released in 2022 you have much more compartment space under the rear seat compared to the Ranger. Size-wise is also pretty similar when comparing. Also you have a lot more sinful electronics that you can use versus a lot of the newer vehicles that are making you go through the radio for every little thing.
 

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Most/many of us did the opposite and came to the Ranger from an F150 because of the smaller size. It will fit in most garages, it’s easier to park, more maneuverable, etc. The main reason to go to an F150 is obviously if you need more passenger and cargo space. But, you certainly don’t have to jump to a Raptor at double the price to get more cargo space. Maybe you want the toy more than the space?
 
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I was in this week for oil change/tire rotation on my lariat. Salesman spent 15 minutes in the service waiting room trying to convince me I needed to trade in for a ranger Raptor on the lot. It was nice. Bigger, v6 engine etc, but was also $60,000+. I couldn't get him to understand that the only reason I had a ranger, smaller truck, was to tow behind my motorhome. He kept pushing the off road capabilities and how well it could pull a boat or atv trailer. (I live in hunting and fishing country and have both.) I showed him where my 2021 had 2000lbs more tow capacity than the 24 Raptor v6. He finally walked back to the sale floor.
But that Raptor was fine.
I bought to lariat 1 year old from a dealership near and army base. A female soldier had traded for an F 150 because it was too rough.
What's interesting about the new RR, it's the same space in the cabin (front and rear as the 19-23 Rangers). All you are getting is a bigger engine, suspension and a newer dash with a larger screen. This assumes most update their Ranger suspension. This is a reason isn't a difficult decision as the F-150 Raptor is substantially more as mentioned. And harder to find parking, etc. But....I do like the notion of a large cabin for driving and adding stuff in the back seat for longer trips, but there's certainly options to consider.
 
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lariat

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Most/many of us did the opposite and came to the Ranger from an F150 because of the smaller size. It will fit in most garages, it’s easier to park, more maneuverable, etc. The main reason to go to an F150 is obviously if you need more passenger and cargo space. But, you certainly don’t have to jump to a Raptor at double the price to get more cargo space. Maybe you want the toy more than the space?
Yes, the cargo space is very appealing to me, but yes, parking will be more challenging for sure.
 
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lariat

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I’ve been in both. My buddy has a F-150 Raptor and I go out to the desert off roading with him. His truck is bigger, wider and he’s always worried about pin striping it on the trails. But it is way more capable than the Ranger as we have them configured as it has better suspension and clearance and what not. It’s a heck of a lot more comfortable off-roading when going fast and hitting the whoops. That said, I’ve had no problems keeping up and there are definitely places we end up where I don’t have a worry but he has to watch his mirrors and sometimes even fenders. Even with upgrades I’m into my truck for less than half what he is. I can take that money and spend it on better suspension and a tune down the road. I can also park it a hell of a lot easier than him. Now if we were talking Ranger Raptor vs. Ranger? I do get that RR itch for the better suspension and horsepower. But not for $20000 more at this point.
Yea, all valid points. I've been to Borrego many times in mine. With Fox Performance 2.0 and better tires, the standard Ranger is a beast now offroad a a far better price point (hence at least one reason I've been on the fence). And I don't have the worry about the sides or mirrors! If you haven't upgraded your suspension yet, it's the best thing you can do to your Ranger. Just plan to add wheels/tires when you do this.
 
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SDXLT

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I’m in Borrego for off roading too. I did Eibach 2.0R all around with 265/70/17 KO2s on Bronco Squatch wheels. I also swapped the mono leafs out for tremor leaf’s. It’s a great truck and I don’t have any issues out there at all. There’s no arguing that with my current setup similar to yours that the Raptor is still better. It’s simply a more robust suspension with higher clearance that makes it a more comfortable ride. Still though I love my Ranger and I would rather drop $5k on a 2.5 setup with some deavers in the back than pay $90k for a Raptor.
 
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lariat

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I’m in Borrego for off roading too. I did Eibach 2.0R all around with 265/70/17 KO2s on Bronco Squatch wheels. I also swapped the mono leafs out for tremor leaf’s. It’s a great truck and I don’t have any issues out there at all. There’s no arguing that with my current setup similar to yours that the Raptor is still better. It’s simply a more robust suspension with higher clearance that makes it a more comfortable ride. Still though I love my Ranger and I would rather drop $5k on a 2.5 setup with some deavers in the back than pay $90k for a Raptor.
Yes, it's a tough call. 99% of the time, I'm driving on pavement, but for those opportunities to hit the desert, the Raptor is a no-brainer I agree. I also kept the tire width the same (265). It's wide enough, but with my Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T's, they look significant beefier. I just went a bit taller like you with 70's. Overall, a setup like this on a Ranger is a pretty darn versatile vehicle for a whole lot less. The new RR, while enticing as well, there's just not enough more than what I have with my Lariat. The f-150 certainly takes this up a notch. Gonna be good for the desert soon with things cooling off!

The Ford dealer keeps sending me emails to upgrade to another Ranger (non-Raptor). There's absolutely ZERO reason for me to ever consider this. Higher cost, higher payments, longer term. Too funny. There's a piece of me that would have no issue just holding on to my 22 for several more years. It only has 10K miles on it.
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