One Ranger
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I went to the Ranger Drive event at the Fort Worth Auto Show today. I'm going to provide my assessment in a non-traditional manner; there are already lots of good videos of the drive event. I did not get to drive with the "other Tommy" but my Ford sponsored passenger was very knowledgeable and nice. My video taking skills are not the best; and they were not showing off the 4WD terrain management features going over the ramp (disappointment, but lots of good videos already out there for that one). It's raining today in the Ft. Worth area, so I'm guessing that had a lot to do with it.
So, I'm going to provide my assessment, things I learned, and a few photos. I've read most of the other posts, and as a bonus, I am also attempting to provide some good responses to recent questions.
They had at least 5 Rangers at the drive event. There was one more that took off just seconds before I could get in place for the photo above.
Raves:
- I want my Ranger now, dang it!
- I have pre-ordered a rear wheel drive Lariat Package, so of course I drove the Lariat for my test drive.
- The test drive consisted of the typical drive around the convention center, so it was only about a mile or so in downtown streets full of stoplights and pedestrian traffic.
- The lines were almost non-existent, probably due to the rainy weather today. I got very lucky and had a good couple of hours at the show with just a few sprinkles. I did not even break out my umbrella.
- One of the things I feared most was the Auto-Stop/Start. It was mostly unnoticeable and better than I expected. The Ford test driver said he learned to increase the fan speed to keep it from doing the stop thing, and he also pointed out the override button
- I received a free Ranger cap!
- For talking with the Ford reps inside the show, I signed up for a $50 gift card. All I have to do is take a card into a Ford dealership in the next 60 days, show them the card, take a test drive and get the gift card. I'm hoping the sales manager where I am buying will just "punch my ticket" and give me the card without having to actually take a F-150 round the block.
- The Ranger show truck was a white FX4 prototype model. It was locked. But it sure looked great. I want my Ranger now dang it!
Rants:
- When I punched on the gas, I could here the fake engine sound. See more in the rumors section.
- I don't like having to order the Lariat package to get the leather seats and B&O sound system. More on this below in the rumor section.
- I saw a Focus with the Hot Pepper Red inside the auto show. It had very distinctive orange tones. I almost ordered that color, and I'm glad I got to see it; not for me.
- I had the opportunity while at the auto show to also drive the Toyota Tacoma. It was a fully loaded ~$46K 4WD TRD Pro Model. Did not like the way the seats felt, or the hood filling up the bottom 1/3 of the windshield.
- While at the show, I sat in every mid-size pickup there- GMC Canyon Delai, Chevrolet Colorado ZR1, Nissan Frontier, Honda Ridgeline. All of them felt less comfortable in the drivers seat. The Frontier just felt plain cheap with all the hard plastic stuff and cheap looking and feeling leather. The Ridgeline did feel fairly comfy in the driver's seat, but it's basically a car with a bed in the back.
- The GMC Canyon Denali spray in bed-liner does not cover the edges--appears to be same as on the Ranger. See photo.
Rumors:
- CONFIRMED: The fake engine noise is indeed pumped through the sound system per the Ford test driver
- Packages/Options: I asked the Ford reps inside about the packaging and the ability to order "ala carte". I was told that was coming soon. The initial pre-orders will provide an idea to what people want, and they will adapt. So, if you hold off on ordering, you may be able to order ala carte and just the features you want. But not for me, I want my Ranger now, dang it!
- I asked about when the MPG would be posted. First response was in late February or March. I then told him I read it may be as early as Monday, and his response was yes, it will be available Monday. My interpretation is he is an ill-informed sales guy---"whatever you are buying is what I'm selling."
- B&O sound system is going to be standard in all time levels. Not sure I believe that, but that is what I was told.
- I asked about a North American Ranger Raptor--did not get a straight answer one way or another, but hinted it would not happen until 2021 and after the Bronco introduction. Sounds like Ford is leaving that open.
- I asked about the "Thunder" trademark recently being filed. Reps knew nothing about it, or were opting to "remain silent".
- Placement of the sub-woofer: I asked several reps and none knew anything about it. The test drive models did not have the B&O system since they are pre-production models. So, I struck out on that one.
- CONFIRMED: Side vents are for vanity only. No ventilation into the engine compartment
- Photo of rear view mirror for mounting dash cam
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- Fuse panel is located in the engine compartment, to the left as you are facing the engine compartment (drivers side) It had a black plastic cover over the fuse panel, and they took it off for me to take the photo
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- Can the spare tire rack accommodate 33 inch tires?--some said yes, some said I don't know, another one said they should have taken into account the aftermarket. So, that one is not confirmed.
- Rear seat storage and rear seat head rests. The rear seat folds down, but not flat. It only goes to about a 35 degree angle. I adjusted the headrests as much as I could for the photo below. The bottom bench also folds up. I was told it will stay up on its own and you can load items directly on the floor.I did not see that to confirm. There is little room to store much of anything behind the seats.
- Oil filter location: Definitely not accessible (or even visible) from the top side of the engine compartment. You pretty much have to put it on a lift to get to it.
So, to sum it all up after my time at the Fort Worth Auto Show--I have had a chance to see pretty much every midsize pickup on the market, and I want my Ranger now, dang it!
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