Looking to get a Ranger.. I have a few questions too obtuse for a salesman.

[D Fresh]

I was kind of expecting around 3 months. I don't need the truck until I have the money to buy my trailer and I need to do the 1,000 mile break-in before towing so I'd to to have the timing sync up reasonably well.

Just keep in mind Ford and Covid during this process.

The Ranger will be built in the same plant, maybe same line, as the Bronco. The Bronco launch has been a complete shit show, full of delays and cryptic information. Of course they seem to be blaming it all on the Rona, as with everything nnowadays. With Ford's recent issues getting vehicles to market, a BRAND NEW Bronco sharing a plant with Rangers, an ALL NEW F-150 to launch, and a BRAND NEW electric CUV to launch, I wouldn't hold my breath. I don't expect any 2021 Rangers to be divered to customers or dealers until well into May.

If I were you I'd search for a 2020 optioned as you want. I know it'll be hard, maybe impossible, to find. But IF you can find one somewhere I'd try to use your family connections to get it there, no matter how far. You'll get your Ranger earlier than you want, rather than later than you want. And, get to take advantage of end of year incentives.

There are no real changes for 2021 except for addition of Tremor package IIRC.

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[Floyd]

If you are choosing the FX2 for better highway manners, you'd better go drive another truck or two.
I haven't driven an FX2 but I can clearly state that the regular 2WD has better road manners than the 4X4 or the FX4.
That's not a dig because the 4X4s are biased toward off road use and are well suited for it.


BTW; I traded in a 2001 Ranger like your dad's , mine was an Edge 2WD.(FX2 equivalent)
I could run over a dime and tell what year it was.

 

[VAMike]

If I were you I'd search for a 2020 optioned as you want.

Agree--if I needed a ranger on a specific timeframe, no way I'd try to order one right now.

 

[HTX1811]

I have a 4x4 for my truck and a 4x2 for a work truck. Both supercrew. The 4x2 has much better road ride quality vs the 4x4. Not sure how the stiffer suspension on the FX2 lessens your carsickness problems but if it does, it does. I just don't see how since it bounces around more over bumps and is a stiffer ride, or at least my 4x4 is.

 

[Toph]

Hey guys. I've been eyeballing the new rangers since they've come out and I think I'm pick one up. It has been 20 years since I went with my dad to the dealership to pick up the ranger he's still driving today and it would be pretty cool to pick one up of my own. I have a few lingering questions that googling isn't helping with.

First off, I'm looking to get an FX2 truck. I test drove a regular truck and the suspension made me carsick on the highway. I test drove an FX4 hoping the off road suspension would alter the behavior enough to alleviate the carsickness and it seems to have. I don't need 4WD, and want FX2 just for the ride and the rear locker that could be useful occasionally.

That being said, I can't confirm exactly what the FX2 entails. Does it also come with the hankook dynapro tires? Does it get the half inch lift that 4x4 gets despite it being 2WD? How do you engage the locker? To my knowledge most trucks require you to be in 4LO to use the rear locker. Can you just flip it on at will? Also does it even have the same suspension setup as the FX4? Was my FX4 test drive actually analogous?

I was looking at a supercab xlt with the FX2 package, which I think is a unicorn that I'll need to order. Does anyone know roughly how long it takes to get one built? I see data from when the truck launched but it's certainly different now.

I would be doing some pretty decent towing with the truck. 3-4,000 lbs trailer with potentially a dirt bike or two in the bed. I'd imagine the FX2 package lowers the payload figure, but I can't find any information. If I'm looking at potentially 600 pounds of dirt bikes, 400 pounds of tongue weight, and a couple dudes in the truck I really need that full 1800-ish payload.

How does the 10-speed transmission shift now? I heard some iffy things about it when it came out, but in the test drives it felt fine and I believe there have been some software updates. I've only owned manual transmission vehicles previously because automatics annoyed me, so maybe it feels fine to me because I'm expecting bad?

Does the optional ford exhaust sound any good? Ecoboost mustangs always sounded like ass to me, but the truck is different so I don't know. I probably won't get it but I'm curious.

Anyways, that's my wall of text. Thanks if you made it this far and have any input.

He’s a video review of an FX2.

Link

 

[TomC]

Agree--if I needed a ranger on a specific timeframe, no way I'd try to order one right now.

Same. I just looked at a bunch of rangers...here is one discounted pretty good. To the original poster, if you're willing to fly to florida here is a FX2. I had a hard time finding the supercab truck I wanted... went 200 miles from home to get it.

 

[jblc]

Interesting that FX2 doesn't have a full front underbody guard.
Does the FX4 plate fit on FX2?

 

[jblc]

its a no brainer....the FX2 is not a hard core off roader. so why put a big skid plate on it.

Agreed it's not meant to do as much as fx4. That said, I'm wondering if anyone knows if they would fit

 

[Turaven]

I have a 4x4 for my truck and a 4x2 for a work truck. Both supercrew. The 4x2 has much better road ride quality vs the 4x4. Not sure how the stiffer suspension on the FX2 lessens your carsickness problems but if it does, it does. I just don't see how since it bounces around more over bumps and is a stiffer ride, or at least my 4x4 is.

The stiff ride is what I'm looking for. The "better" ride is really soft and floaty. It felt like a little boat rolling around in ocean waves. Constantly rolling and never settled. That's what makes me sick, same happens in the back seat of my parent's minivan, super soft and oscillates over bumps. I want a firm bump and it's over.

I used to have a pro-4x frontier and that was the most comfortable vehicle I've driven. Drove it 30 hours once with just a couple 20 minute cat nap breaks and had zero fatigue.

 

[Turaven]

If you are choosing the FX2 for better highway manners, you'd better go drive another truck or two.
I haven't driven an FX2 but I can clearly state that the regular 2WD has better road manners than the 4X4 or the FX4.
That's not a dig because the 4X4s are biased toward off road use and are well suited for it.


BTW; I traded in a 2001 Ranger like your dad's , mine was an Edge 2WD.(FX2 equivalent)
I could run over a dime and tell what year it was.

What most people consider "good" ride quality I dislike. Most of the cars I've owned have been very stiff (like my 500 Abarth and 124 Spider Abarth).

Problem is I'm looking for good torque, and only the ranger and diesel colorado really fit the bill, and the Colorado is silly expensive with the diesel. The 2021 Frontier will have the most torque of the V6 options, coupled with the new 9-speed it might be able to leverage it well, but the truck doesn't exist yet.

 

[r1ch999999]

Agreed it's not meant to do as much as fx4. That said, I'm wondering if anyone knows if they would fit

Someone has done it, if you search the forum you'll find it.

 

[Obijack]

Just get fx4 and be done with it

 

[HoosierT]

RE the 10 speed, let me say this...I had a guy stop me in a parking lot the other day to ask me about my Ranger as he's considering one. What I told him is don't judge the tranny based on the test drive. I wasn't too impressed with it on my test drive but I bought the truck anyways. After the transmission learning is done, I'm absolutely in love with this drivetrain. It goes from mediocre to amazing IMO. A tough sell as you're just trusting that you'll like it after you've already paid for the truck but trust me, you will...

I'm at 26k and still smile every time I drive my truck.

 

[VAMike]

RE the 10 speed, let me say this...I had a guy stop me in a parking lot the other day to ask me about my Ranger as he's considering one. What I told him is don't judge the tranny based on the test drive. I wasn't too impressed with it on my test drive but I bought the truck anyways. After the transmission learning is done, I'm absolutely in love with this drivetrain. It goes from mediocre to amazing IMO. A tough sell as you're just trusting that you'll like it after you've already paid for the truck but trust me, you will...

I'm at 26k and still smile every time I drive my truck.

yeah, between the transmission learning cycle and the overinflated tires, test drives suck

 

[Chris M]

The stiff ride is what I'm looking for. The "better" ride is really soft and floaty. It felt like a little boat rolling around in ocean waves. Constantly rolling and never settled. That's what makes me sick, same happens in the back seat of my parent's minivan, super soft and oscillates over bumps. I want a firm bump and it's over.

I used to have a pro-4x frontier and that was the most comfortable vehicle I've driven. Drove it 30 hours once with just a couple 20 minute cat nap breaks and had zero fatigue.

When I bought my 2WD XLT Sport SuperCrew, I also had problems with the "floaty" ride, and solved it by putting the Ford/Fox leveling kit on it. Not that I really wanted to jack up the front end all that much, but really wanted the ride to stiffen both front to back and side to side. The leveling kit did that, and I couldn't be happier having spent the $$ to get Ford to install it for me. Made a huge difference in how I felt about having bought the truck at all. Maybe not the option for the OP if off-roading at all is in the plan, but it is an option nonetheless.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

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