troutspinner
Well-Known Member
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I went for my first test drive today in a Ranger, it was a nicely loaded 2021 Lariat FX4. It is a really nice truck but I think Lariat might be a little too much for me. I would only use half the tech that comes with it and while I have no complaints about the leather in the Lariat, it is not a deciding factor for me. I do however find this as great! as today's trial taught me what I like / want in a Ranger. As a bonus, my tastes are towards a less expensive model but my real concern is the ride of the truck.....
I did not like the ride of the truck at all and found it to be a throwback to the early 2000s F150s, consistently bouncy and constantly trying to recover from road imperfections. I live in Pa, this is a state where if you are a passenger in a vehicle and close your eyes, you know the exact point that you've crossed state lines by feel alone. Pa is lousy at road maintenance but it is something we've learned to live and cope with daily.
What I found even more odd was the transmission trying to keep up with the changing surfaces. Rather than expose the hops and skips of maintaining grip to the road, it would shift to higher gears to "smooth" things and it got to the point where it is was annoying and felt way underpowered than what I know it actually is. This experience leads me to my thread title. Does a FX4 ride better or worse than a non-FX4? If better, I know my search will have to continue to another brand, if worse, maybe a non-FX4 would be a worthy try? Please, don't sugar-coat it for me, honest opinions. On paper, I want to buy a Ranger but maybe the current design is not right for me at this time.
I did not like the ride of the truck at all and found it to be a throwback to the early 2000s F150s, consistently bouncy and constantly trying to recover from road imperfections. I live in Pa, this is a state where if you are a passenger in a vehicle and close your eyes, you know the exact point that you've crossed state lines by feel alone. Pa is lousy at road maintenance but it is something we've learned to live and cope with daily.
What I found even more odd was the transmission trying to keep up with the changing surfaces. Rather than expose the hops and skips of maintaining grip to the road, it would shift to higher gears to "smooth" things and it got to the point where it is was annoying and felt way underpowered than what I know it actually is. This experience leads me to my thread title. Does a FX4 ride better or worse than a non-FX4? If better, I know my search will have to continue to another brand, if worse, maybe a non-FX4 would be a worthy try? Please, don't sugar-coat it for me, honest opinions. On paper, I want to buy a Ranger but maybe the current design is not right for me at this time.
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