First impressions from someone that did a ride along today

kep

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All in all it seem like I have made a good choice in my next truck.

I went to the #ReadyforRanger event at the plant today. They had about 10 Rangers there of various configurations open and available for us to check out. I also did a ride along on their "off road" course they built in the parking lot. These are my thoughts

First, my thoughts on the ride along. This is an awesome little truck. The driver used the terrain management system to navigate the course so he didn't actually touch the gas or brake pedals. He only had to steer. I was very impressed at the off road chops this thing has. No wonder it has the reputation it does down under in Australia/New Zealand. The engine barely broke a sweat going up a 15(ish) foot hill at about a 45 degree angle, so any worries about whether or not the 2.3EB can handle off roading can end right now.

Now to the rest of the truck. I was impressed at the fit and finish of the interior. Of course being preproduction models there was a couple of minor things here and there that weren't quite lined up, which should be fixed before Job 1. That's why they build preproduction after all. The back seat is a little bigger than a mk3 Focus and I'm fairly certain I can fit 2 car seats back there, but for long road trips a full grown adult might not be so comfortable after a while. I did have one problem with the interior though. There is a BIG jump from the XLT to the Lariat. The XLT interior is plastic everywhere, which is fine for the XL but I would expect a little more of an upgrade for the mid-level trim. I was a little disappointed by that, and definitely guaranteed I will get a Lariat for myself. It just felt too cheap for a trim level starting at $28k. The version with the bigger Sync 3 screen seemed a little better but it doesn't fix the door panels feeling really cheap.

If you pay enough attention you can tell that this truck was never intended to be sold here when it was first launched for 2011, but Ford NA has done a very good job (my interior complaints aside) of eliminating that feeling. They definitely put some thought into how to make it appeal to this market, unlike the EcoSport. That thing to me just screams it was never meant to be here, the Ranger doesn't at all to me. I don't see this version taking the sales crown over from the Tacoma but I can definitely see it being a solid second place. It looks and feels far superior to the Canyorado and the also-ran Nissan whatever the hell they call it. I will say this, I now have high hopes for the next generation Ranger coming in a few years. This is a very good start.

I forgot to mention the stereo system. I tried both the regular and B&O system. I know when the configurator went live I balked at the fact you can only get the B&O upgrade on the Lariat with the 501a package. Boy let me say it's worth every penny. Now I actually liked Ford's standard system for a while now. My 2008 Focus still sounds pretty good for what it is and I was beyond impressed with the standard system in both my 15 Focus and 18 Fusion. The B&O takes the old premium Sony system, does unspeakable things to unmentionable areas and casually tosses it to the closest dumpster. It's PHENOMENAL.


https://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/65903-2019-ranger-first-impressions/
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rangerdanger

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From my Ford salesman who got to drive the Ranger at the recent Las Vegas Dealers Event:

Performance is on par or better than the 6cyl trucks they make (Chevy & Toyota), the handling is far superior to the Tacoma, the Colorado has some bad steering lag and feels very disconnected. Official HP and Torque for the Ranger are 270hp 310tq. Towing on all configurations will 7500 lbs when you get the tow package. The tech is a huge upgrade over Tacoma as well.
 
 



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