New 2021 Ranger Owner Here

[CO2Ranger]

Glad to hear someone in a similar situation as me. The Ram was an amazing vehicle, no doubt, and

I like hearing from someone in a similar situation. Everytime I see a new Ram Big Horn, can't help but think "did I make the wrong choice". But at the end of the day, I'm saving 10 grand. I see the Ranger as my gateway into truck ownership, and it should at least hold value better than my Focus lol. The shifting is my biggest gripe, but other that that, I'm enjoying it. Already replaced my lows and fogs with Auxitos, and tail light bulbs with Sylvania LEDs. Now for the stimulus to come through, might have to get the Ford Performance tune lol.

Consider the Livernois tuner as well. They give you several tunes to choose from, have great customer service, and it's cheaper.

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[EJH]

The 10 speed does improve over time. Mine downshifts when slowly much smoother than it did when new. I do find it still lugs a lot in Drive, but that is to get the better MPG numbers. I use Sport mode whenever I'm in the mountains, or on curvy highways. I recently starting using the tow/haul mode at times also (thanks to whomever I read that from on these forums last week). I am also considering a tune, since I use 91+ gas anyway.

 

[DAT84]

Consider the Livernois tuner as well. They give you several tunes to choose from, have great customer service, and it's cheaper.

Will definitely consider. Thanks for the suggestion! Was mainly eyeing up the Ford tune cause it obviously maintains the factory warranty.

 

[CO2Ranger]

Will definitely consider. Thanks for the suggestion! Was mainly eyeing up the Ford tune cause it obviously maintains the factory warranty.

Yep. That's something to consider for sure.

 

[DAT84]

The 10 speed does improve over time. Mine downshifts when slowly much smoother than it did when new. I do find it still lugs a lot in Drive, but that is to get the better MPG numbers. I use Sport mode whenever I'm in the mountains, or on curvy highways. I recently starting using the tow/haul mode at times also (thanks to whomever I read that from on these forums last week). I am also considering a tune, since I use 91+ gas anyway.

Glad to hear it gets better over time. I understand the aggressive shifting for MPGs, but it's my least favorite part of the truck. I've also spent the past 16 years rowing my own gears, so anything automatic annoys me. Was considering a Taco simply for manual, but the seating position was horrible, and the truck felt dated compared to Ranger. Gladiator was technically another manual option, but wanted a truck with better road manners than a stripped down Gladiator.

 

[Ranger Roger]

Just wanted to introduce myself. Been eying up my first ever truck for a while now. Coming from a 2015 Focus with the 1.0 3-cylinder Ecoboost 6 speed manual, which has been my dd for the past 5.5 years. My "fun car" is also a 2009 Mazdaspeed 3 with a similar 2.3 liter turbo as the Ranger.

After having my heart set on a new Ram Big Horn, I decided it was more sensible to go with a Ranger. With fuel prices going up, the 2.3 turbo made more sense, and the maneuverability of the smaller Ranger made more sense too. I saved about $10,000 going Ranger, although doing so meant forgoing heated seats, wheel, sunroof, sliding rear window, and led lighting on the Ram.

Now to the fun stuff. Picked up a 2021 XLT Crew Cab Sport in Cactus Grey. Once I saw the color in person, I was sold. The motor has plenty of oomph, the ride is decent, although maybe a bit over sprung here and there. My biggest complaint in the four days I've owned it is the 10 speed. This is my first automatic vehicle in 16 years, and dealing with the overactive shifting of the 10 speed wears on me. What I would do to have the oomph of the 2.3 but be able to choose my own gears and modulate my own clutch.

All in all though, I think I made the correct choice. I'm saving almost $100 a month and put $1,000 less cash down vs going with the Ram. I know I'm in Ford territory here, but that new Ram was hard to pass up, even with the higher cost.

Already have the mod bug, and I'll be needing to invest in floor mats, bed liner, tonneau cover, window tint, led headlights and foglights, and the list goes on haha.

The 302A package would have given you Heated seats and Sliding Rear Window among other things. Problem was that no stock trucks had that package, at least for XLT SuperCab. Had to order the 2020 truck.

 

[DAT84]

The 302A package would have given you Heated seats and Sliding Rear Window among other things. Problem was that no stock trucks had that package, at least for XLT SuperCab. Had to order the 2020 truck.

I test drove one with those options, wonder if it was a special order, because it was definitely hard to find.

At the end of the day, it was about $2,500 more expensive, for (as far as I could tell) three options: Sliding rear window, heated seats, and built-in navigation. 1)The sliding rear window is manual, so honestly, I'd probably never use it. 2)The seat heaters are nice, but they weren't anything amazing (still baffled at how I could get a heated wheel in my 2015 Focus, but it isn't an option even on a decked out $40,000+ Lariat). Also, I have a buddy who owns an upholstery shop who could install $100 aftermarket seat heaters for cheap if I want them that bad. 3) If I need navigation that bad, I plug in my phone and Android Auto to the rescue.

The gidgets and gadgets would have been nice, but for being my first truck, I think I'm ok roughing it haha.

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