Why did you pick Ranger

TacoHawkRanger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Ray
Joined
Apr 27, 2019
Threads
7
Messages
125
Reaction score
186
Location
NW Florida
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger XLT FX4 Sport; 2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport
Occupation
Site Developer, USAF
I apologize if this is already a thread. I looked, but couldn't find one.

So, as the title says, why the Ranger? For me, it was a kinda complicate process. I'm not loyal to any one brand (grew up riding in Fords, have owned mostly Toyota in my adult life) and I like mid-size trucks. With this in mind, I looked at all the options.

Nissan - I know the Frontier is capable, but I REALLY hate the interior, and the size. I was secretly hoping that they would be updating it in 2019, but they keep giving all their love to the Titan.

GM - There's a lot I like about the GM twins. I especially love the interior on the Colorado. That said, I hate the rake on those trucks, and don't want to have a vehicle that requires I remove the air dam every time I leave the pavement. That said, if the ZR2 were in my price range, I'd likely not here right now.

Honda - To be honest, I don't get the hate for the Ridgeline. Yes, they are cars with beds, but that is their purpose. However, I like to go up in the mountains and camp. 4x4 is a must.

Jeep - Setting aside the looks (not for me!), I just plain can't afford the Gladiator.

Toyota - I learned to drive in '93 Toyota pickup. I had an '08 4 cyl that I traded for an '06 6 cyl TRD Sport. When I totaled that, bought the wife an 08 4Runner. She totaled that, and we eventually replaced it with a '13 TRD Sport. I loved the '06, and I love the '13 (that's the truck the missus drives), but the 2nd Gen interior is not as comfortable as I'd like and the 4.0 isn't very good for gas. I was STOKED when I saw the 3rd Gen body style. Then I saw the engine and transmission... If Toyota would put a better engine in the Taco, I'd buy it.

Finally, that brings us to Ford. From the day I saw it, I liked the body style. Then the engine was announced, and it was like a puzzle piece falling into place. The decision was pretty much already made, but when I put together my Truck (XL STX FX4 with carpet and bedliner) and saw the price for EXACTLY what I wanted in a truck, I was sold!

Sorry for the long read! Anyway, I look forward to hearing why y'all picked the Ranger!
Sponsored

 

Doc

Well-Known Member
First Name
Doc
Joined
Dec 24, 2018
Threads
80
Messages
4,372
Reaction score
17,290
Location
Live oak fla
Vehicle(s)
2020 HPP Mustang, 2021 Ranger STX,2022 Subaru WRX
Occupation
Retired
I apologize if this is already a thread. I looked, but couldn't find one.

So, as the title says, why the Ranger? For me, it was a kinda complicate process. I'm not loyal to any one brand (grew up riding in Fords, have owned mostly Toyota in my adult life) and I like mid-size trucks. With this in mind, I looked at all the options.

Nissan - I know the Frontier is capable, but I REALLY hate the interior, and the size. I was secretly hoping that they would be updating it in 2019, but they keep giving all their love to the Titan.

GM - There's a lot I like about the GM twins. I especially love the interior on the Colorado. That said, I hate the rake on those trucks, and don't want to have a vehicle that requires I remove the air dam every time I leave the pavement. That said, if the ZR2 were in my price range, I'd likely not here right now.

Honda - To be honest, I don't get the hate for the Ridgeline. Yes, they are cars with beds, but that is their purpose. However, I like to go up in the mountains and camp. 4x4 is a must.

Jeep - Setting aside the looks (not for me!), I just plain can't afford the Gladiator.

Toyota - I learned to drive in '93 Toyota pickup. I had an '08 4 cyl that I traded for an '06 6 cyl TRD Sport. When I totaled that, bought the wife an 08 4Runner. She totaled that, and we eventually replaced it with a '13 TRD Sport. I loved the '06, and I love the '13 (that's the truck the missus drives), but the 2nd Gen interior is not as comfortable as I'd like and the 4.0 isn't very good for gas. I was STOKED when I saw the 3rd Gen body style. Then I saw the engine and transmission... If Toyota would put a better engine in the Taco, I'd buy it.

Finally, that brings us to Ford. From the day I saw it, I liked the body style. Then the engine was announced, and it was like a puzzle piece falling into place. The decision was pretty much already made, but when I put together my Truck (XL STX FX4 with carpet and bedliner) and saw the price for EXACTLY what I wanted in a truck, I was sold!

Sorry for the long read! Anyway, I look forward to hearing why y'all picked the Ranger!
2.3 Ecoboost ...easy tune for big horsepower...10 speed automatic.
 

rangerdanger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2018
Threads
194
Messages
3,489
Reaction score
2,635
Location
SF Bay Area
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger SuperCrew XLT FX4
Vehicle Showcase
1
Highest payload rating, tow rating and the wonderful 10-speed EcoBoost powertrain makes the Ranger the most capable mid-size truck on-road compared to the competition.

Since I really don’t need much off-road capabilities the Gladiator is overkill & too expensive, and the Tacoma has a horrible cramped interior & gutless powertrain.
 

RedlandRanger

Moderator
First Name
Rob
Joined
Nov 14, 2018
Threads
35
Messages
4,592
Reaction score
8,826
Location
Oregon
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger Lariat FX4, 1973 Mercury Capri
Vehicle Showcase
1
I did a ton of research before I ordered my Ranger. I've been pretty much a Ford guy, but I really tried to make it based on the data as much as I could. I owned a 2005 Ranger FX4 which was a good truck for me.

Nissan - A long time ago, I used to own a Nissan and it was a good truck, however it was just too old with no technology for me to even consider. Coupled with really poor mileage.

GM Twins - I didn't look at these too close - my brother and his son have had a TON of trouble with their Cruze's - both have spent quite a bit of time in the shop for sensors and other issues. I didn't even want to go there.

Honda - it ain't a truck - I didn't look at it too closely. I don't do heavy duty 4 wheeling, but I can get in enough where I need a real truck. And I haul stuff often enough it wouldn't cut it.

Jeep - between the reliability issues Jeeps have had under Fiat, and the price, this was just not even a possibility.

Toyota - I really wanted to like the Taco. It has a lot of things I really liked - The seating position didn't bother me, and I really like the dampened tailgate and wireless charging, plus the ability to get a 6' bed. But the test drive totally turned me off to it. The engine/trans combo is TERRIBLE. You have to wind up the motor to redline to get any power and the transmission felt like it was constantly hunting for gears.

Ranger - I ordered it before I was able to test drive it (there were none on dealer lots here when I ordered), but I did do a test drive about 2 months after I ordered it. The test drive exceeded my expectations and I was sold - after that test drive, I knew I had made the right decision.

I did up a whole spreadsheet with features and compared the various models to come up with a weighted score. The Ranger came out on top every time for the things that were important to me. Once I had figured out I wanted the Ranger, then it was a matter of figuring which model (XLT or Lariat). I ended up with the Lariat - and a pretty loaded one at that. This is now my daily driver so I wanted something comfortable that I can also take out when I go hiking.

Long answer - but I'm sure I made the right choice for me. I haven't been this excited about a new vehicle ever. 3 weeks in and I'm still looking forward to driving it every chance I get.

Edit: The powertrain really is the crown jewel in this truck. It is amazing. I was worried having 10 gears it would be shifitng all the time, but the shifts are so smooth many time you don't even know it shifted if you aren't paying close attention. This combo is a killer....
 

ExChief45

Well-Known Member
First Name
Scott
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
131
Reaction score
198
Location
Clinton, NJ
Vehicle(s)
2000 Chrysler Concorde
Occupation
Gas System Operations - Supervisor
Vehicle Showcase
1
First, no need to apologize, if you can't find it, post it. Someone will respond or point you in the right direction.

For me it was pretty easy. I have been a lifelong Ford guy, although I have owned other brands. I owned a 1990 F-150, a 1994 Ranger and a 2000 F-250. Loved all of them and the other Fords we have owned. At this point in my life I need a 4 door vehicle and really wanted to get back in a truck (sold my last truck in 2012). I didn't want a full size so I started looking at the midsize. My lease was up in February so I started looking in early 2018. Speaking to the Ford Rep at Daytona last February I was not confident I could wait for the Ranger release so I was leaning toward the Colorado/Canyon. Never cared much for the Toyota whenever I rode in one, and never even considered the Frontier or Honda. In December I was rear ended and my Focus was totaled. At the same time my wife's Fusion lease was up and she got an Explorer. While explaining my situation to the dealer, they said if my car was fixable I could order a Ranger and they would extend the lease so I ordered one. The car was totaled so I drove rental for a few weeks and then bought a $350 POS to drive until my Ranger came in.

So in my case it was what I wanted all along, but I was lucky the timing worked out as it did, otherwise I would be a semi happy GM owner instead of an extremely happy Ranger owner.

One other thing that sold me on the Ranger is I am going to tow it behind my motor-home. The Ranger is easily flat tow-able and met the weight requirements I had for my motor-home.
 
Last edited:


Floyd

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2019
Threads
38
Messages
2,064
Reaction score
3,113
Location
illinois
Vehicle(s)
'19 Ranger SCab,'16 Connect,'95 MustangGT,'50 Ford
Unlike the OP, I am loyal to one brand... Ford.
I picked Ranger for several reasons...
To start with history
This will be my 4th new Ranger. Each so far has been perfect , both in reliability and purpose.
The 2019 has actually changed just the right amount to meet my needs and desires perfectly again.

Second...
The drivetrain, I was sold as soon as I heard the 2.3L and the 10SPD were standard !

Third...
Right sized
I would normally prefer a short wheelbase but the new SuperCab fits my needs better so I can live with the extra foot.

Fourth...
I have spent a good part of my life building owning and and fixing all brands, ALL the best were Fords.
BTW... Mine too is an STX SuperCab , IMO..It is the best bargain of the lot,
I like the STX interior and exterior trim the best and all the options which are important to me were available on the XL at a price I could afford.
 

Geoff

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2018
Threads
5
Messages
705
Reaction score
493
Location
NYS
Vehicle(s)
'19 Ranger 1943 Willys Jeep
Occupation
Retired Engineer
Ditto, Ford guy.
I've been buying new Fords since my first one, a 1976 Mustang II when I worked at Ford Aerospace.
I recently had a 2002 4.0L Ranger and a 2016 Fusion and sold both for the new Ranger.
Now I've got the best of both with the Lariat. :)
 
Last edited:

joeb427

Well-Known Member
First Name
Joe
Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Threads
45
Messages
1,111
Reaction score
1,631
Location
Fort Mill/Indian Land area South Carolina
Vehicle(s)
'19 Lariat Sport and 19 Lincoln MKC Reserve
Occupation
Retired
Vehicle Showcase
1
I prefer a Tacoma after having two over the years. I love a V6 but want more grunt.
However, the last two generations are pretty much the same. Also, Toyota tech seems behind others when it comes to tech and features. The Sync 3 system is excellent.
 

BDoc

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bryan
Joined
May 3, 2019
Threads
0
Messages
892
Reaction score
2,653
Location
WA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger Lariat FX4 SCrew
Occupation
US Air Force, retired; now Civil Service (USAF)
Vehicle Showcase
1
I've been looking seriously for a couple of months and these were my thoughts on what finally brought me to the Ranger.

Nissan: No-go. My dad had one of the first gen Frontiers and that thing got TERRIBLE gas mileage - fun to drive with the supercharger, holy crap that gas mileage. And let's face it, the Frontier is just dated.

Toyota: Seriously considered the Tacoma, but I drive nearly 60 miles a day round-trip and since the V6 doesn't get great mileage, I decided to scratch that from the list. I never drove one, but have ridden in a couple and after reading some reviews/comments from owners, I moved on.

GM: First truck I ever owned was a '90 S-10; I drove a '58 Chevy PU when I got my license in high school; have owned a couple of Chevy's since (as well as a Ford) and have always been more of a GM guy. I really wanted a Canyon Denali, but decided price was a bit steep. So I had decided I was going to buy the Colorado. I started looking on some of the forums and reading what a lot of current owners were saying about the truck...and decided to look elsewhere. That 8-speed tranny sounds like a joke. Guys are reporting anything from hard-shifts to clunking in the transmission to torque converters going out at less then 10K miles. And it seemed to be much more prevalent than it should be. Moved on.

Honda: I had it narrowed down to the Ranger and the Ridgeline - yes, I was SERIOUSLY considering this truck after reading some reviews and owner comments about how nice it rode/drove. Ok, I'll check it out. I figured the lower payload would be acceptable since I don't need to do a whole lot of hauling and I loved the idea of AWD (we currently own 2 Subaru Outbacks and have owned 3 previous Subarus). To me it seemed to drive more like an SUV (which makes sense) and felt "heavy" when accelerating. And the bed is too shallow..that "trunk" in the bed is a cool feature, but not at the expense of having what is basically half the depth of any other truck bed. Check that one off.

Ranger: Loved the look when they finally showed it off last year and was intrigued. Drove it after driving the Ridgeline. Uh, SOLD! This was my first experience driving anything with an Ecoboost engine. Wow! I never expected a 4-cylinder to drive like a powerful worthy 6-cylinder. The 2.3L Ecoboost, coupled with the 10 speed transmission will make for nice gas mileage for my daily commute. The payload (even though I don't do a lot of hauling) is a bonus. I've read where there's some not-so-much love over the interior and how dated it seems. I don't see it, but maybe because I don't need everything on the dash to be digital or touch-screen? Is it wrong I actually like to have buttons to push and knobs to turn? Guess I'm getting old.

Just my little story for what it's worth.
 

JoedOH

Well-Known Member
First Name
joe
Joined
Apr 21, 2019
Threads
12
Messages
142
Reaction score
163
Location
ohio
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ranger
For most of my life I have gone back and forth between Ford and Toyota. Would you believe I owned 5 Rangers between 1986 and 2004? And throw in 3 Mustangs.

The Toyotas were the most dependable and I've owned 4. Three 4Runners and a Tacoma (the last) that I bought in 2012. However, the last 4Runner I had gave me problems with the rear differential. The steel was so cheap that it developed pin holes and leaked.

The nail in the coffin was the 2010 Tacoma purchased used in 2012 with almost 20k on the odometer. Toyota at one point had problems with clutches made in Mexico. Mine had one and started slipping as the weather got cold. Toyota would not stand behind the clutch saying it is a wear item like brakes. Six months later I got a letter about a class action on the rear springs being made of cheap steel and the catalytic converter. About a year later I got notice of the frames rusting out. It took Toyota 5 years to replace the rear springs and converter.

It was time to move on from Toyota. There is no doubt in my mind that Ford builds a good truck. Having owned the Tacoma I fell in love with the midsize trucks. The timing of the Ranger was good as I needed something new just as they started showing up at the dealers.
 
Last edited:

UncleBob

Well-Known Member
First Name
Bob
Joined
May 3, 2019
Threads
2
Messages
215
Reaction score
286
Location
Fullerton, CA
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger Lariat SuperCrew 2WD in Magnetic
Occupation
Retired
I had been looking for a replacement for my '02 Sport Trac for years but no manufacturer offered anything close that I liked or even would fit in (I have long legs) and most small trucks were too small for me PLUS I has a requirement that it fit in my garage. I did not want a full size pickup.

I had been waiting for the new Ranger to be available to give it a hard look before deciding. After finally getting to see one and trying all of them on for a fit, the choice was between the new Ranger and the Chevy Colorado (and GMC version) as the only ones I would fit it. every thing else was too tight of a fit as the seat would not go back far enough to feel comfortable.

The GMC lost out as it had too much of a utilitarian feel to it although it fit just fine.
The Colorado fit as well (naturally) but during the test drive the 'feel' in the cab just seemed a little on the frugal side.
The options available seemed a little skimpy. I did like the fact that the Colorado was available with a V6

The test drive of the Ranger did reveal that the front driver's seat leg room was just 'barely' adequate for me and I will probably look into the possibility of relocating the seat rearward a couple of inches if I can. I was also impressed with the look and feel of the truck and the options available. I went with the Lariat trim and the Technology option (not package) to get the feature mix I wanted and then added the tow package to top it off. With some minor exceptions that I will mention in other threads, I am happy so far with the purchase (only <500 miles on it).
 
Last edited:

AnimeRanger87

Well-Known Member
First Name
Brandon
Joined
Oct 21, 2018
Threads
0
Messages
227
Reaction score
868
Location
Greensburg, Indiana
Vehicle(s)
2001 XLT 2X4 Reg cab. 2019 XLT Supercrew 4x4, 2000 XLT Supercab 2x4
Occupation
Production associates with Honda
Vehicle Showcase
1
Been a loyal Ford guy and a Ford Ranger fan my whole life got to drive my cousin's 1992 Ranger 2wd 2.3 5 speed when I was 10 and I instantly fell in love with the truck and couldn't wait to get my license so I could get my own Ranger. In my junior year of high school I bought my first Ranger a 89 4x4 5 speed Regular cab and I was excited about. Now today I am still a proud Ford Ranger owner with a 2001 Regular cab 2wd, 2000 Extended cab 2wd, and 2019 Ford Ranger Supercrew 4x4. These trucks have never me down and I couldn't ask for anything better.

20190305_125626.jpg
 
Last edited:

Hounddog409

Well-Known Member
First Name
Tod
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Threads
17
Messages
1,062
Reaction score
1,164
Location
Ohio
Vehicle(s)
F150
Vehicle Showcase
1
Had a 2006 ranger 4x4. Got 300k out of it.
Went to a 2014 F150. Loved that truck hut just too big.

GM is not an option with the crap tranny's that they've been trying to fix since 2016.
Good friend is service manager at a local dealer. He tells me at least 25% change I will have an issue. No thanks.

Neve been a Nissan or Toyota fan. Ford also did not take bailout money. That matters to me.

For me, Ranger is the only option.
 

Anthony

Well-Known Member
First Name
Anthony
Joined
Feb 6, 2019
Threads
43
Messages
693
Reaction score
1,278
Location
Connecticut
Vehicle(s)
2019 Ford Ranger XLT FX4 SCrew
Occupation
COO
Vehicle Showcase
1
I knew my next vehicle would be a pickup. My only criteria was that it had to fit in my garage and have four doors.

I've owned Rangers, S-10's and F-150's previously (besides literally about 40+ cars over my life). I loved each of the pickups for various reasons. However, none of the pickups I previously drove are still in production. So, I started with a clean slate.

Colorado / Canyon: The styling is fine (especially since from the side the Ranger looks very similar), however I cannot stand GM interiors. Everything is playskool designed and fat cheap plastic. They still have not learned how to make quality looking and feeling switchgear in their trucks, it seriously reminded me of the same plastics in my 97 S-10. While the outside looks fine, I gotta sit in the thing, so the interior knocked those off the list.

Frontier was never considered. Too old.

Taco: I actually really like the way these look. They stand out and have an aggressive look to them. But again, the interior killed it for me. Uncomfortable. Plus the powertrain is just not up to snuff.

Ridgeline: I like them for what they are and they seem to know their customer. However, their customer is not me.

Ranger: Best of all worlds. Fantastic powertrain. The interior (while not world class) is very comfortable and I just love the SYNC system. It has its flaws, but the good things about the truck definitely outweigh the bad.
Sponsored

 
 



Top