Why did you pick Ranger

[MrBirdman330]

I didn't need a full sized truck, honestly I did want a Colorado Diesel and would take the necessary extra driving steps so the DPF filter didn't clog up, since I play the game what will I drive more daily? My Metris at work or my own personal vehicle. Though since getting a Colorado is little more difficult as in none of the GM dealers had a new one on their lot and I wanted new. I went with the Ranger since I was able to get the model I wanted with everything minus the color but again with shortages and long wait times, can't exactly be picky.

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[AzScorpion]

I always drove a full size F150 for business. When I sold the business and moved out here to AZ I didn't need a full size truck anymore. The Ranger wasn't out yet in 2015 so I bought a Tacoma which everyone know I hated. lol

I think I read every article and watched every video but I was still reluctant to buy a first year model which it really isn't. We were away on vacation in Durango, CO for the 4th of July and I met a lady who had just bought hers and wouldn't ya know it was a Saber color Ranger. When we got back home I found this site and read up on every thread every night and 3 weeks later I had Money Pit sitting in my garage. I've had dozens of new trucks and to say this is my favorite is an understatement!? It's also been th most expensive thanks to everyone here and their mods! ?

 

[Wence5]

For me it came down to a Taco or a Ranger.
The Ranger had best in class towing, better torque, best in class fuel economy, and it was less expensive than Toyota. Plus I've been a Ford guy since 1980.

 

[Synfulz]

Ford guy, needed truck to haul household items. Ford guy, oh a Ford guy.

 

[Retired1sg]

Went to Home Depot and bought some pine straw. Threw it in the back of my rav-4. Got home and my wife was helping me vacuum out the cargo area and she said you should just buy a truck.

Colorado was out. Had one for a company car for a bit and the seat was very uncomfortable. Frontier was out as Nissan has been a shit company for years. Ridgeline was out as they were out of my price range. So it was Ranger or Tacoma.

Went to my local Toyota dealer whom I’ve bought my last 3 vehicles from and tested a Tacoma. The only Tacoma I’d ever been in was my friend’s early 2000s model prerunner and it was great. This model Tacoma did not compare. The seat was uncomfortable. The fuel economy wasn’t great, and it felt bigger than it was.

Drove over to Ford and took the only new ranger they had on a test drive. Comfortable seat, good visibility, fx2 and tow packages, Apple CarPlay, mpgs looked decent, plenty of pep. Think I’ve got a winner.

Got more than I paid for the rav new in trade and 2k or 3k (don’t really remember the exact amount) in rebates.

Wife and I both had matching ravs we got during toyotathon the year the old body style was discontinued and the current body style rolled out (December 2018) so we got great deals on them to get them off the lot. After I got home and told her what they gave me for my rav she took hers straight to the Toyota dealership and got a new Camry the next day and got even more for hers than I did for mine.

 

[brroberts]

I needed a new vehicle to tow a minimum of 7000lbs, and carry a minimum of 1800lbs. The cheapest vehicle rated to do that is a Ford Ranger.

 

[Cabose-1]

This is the first vehicle i have chosen to buy!!!!
All other times it was because the right price for the car. Regardless of brand color yadayada.

I am a ford fan, so when i had the chance to buy what i wanted. I went ford.
F250 was just too too too expensive. The ranger fit my needs, not wants, f250 godzilla engine is my want, ranger just perfect.
Loved it so much i have bought another ranger just recently. Traded my 2020 for a 2022

 

[JohnnyO]

Ford guy.
Had two Rangers and two Sport Tracs previously, all of which served me well. A full size wouldn’t fit in my garage or even in my driveway. Kids are now grown and gone and I no longer need a full back seat so I went back to a Supercab.

 

[CP0861]

It's a great all around vehicle.

I looked at all the other smaller trucks....the Ranger seemed like the best bang for the buck. The toyota's track record is tempting, but I drove it and didn't like it. It was also several thousand dollars more expensive AND had $5k markups over MSRP in my area. Ranger also gets better MPG.

I've added a cap, and put almost 10k miles on mine so far (in less than 4 months) and have driven it on beaches....it's a perfect all purpose vehicle for me and my kids. Softball gear stays in the back and stays dry, 4wd for beaches, interior room is adequate, ride is decent, MPG is solid when considering overall utility. My last car was a Pilot (going to my daughter who is almost 16) and I liked the ability to throw stuff in the back...and be able to leave it....so the cap is perfect. Will also be easier for road trips. I'm planning on doing more surf fishing and camping as my girls get older and move out....will be odd getting used to free time!

I also watched a video on youtube where 2 guys towed 5,000 pounds for 1,000 miles with a ranger and a taco. The ranger was the better performer and their obvious favorite. I have always owned boats and have considered a small camper, so it's nice to be able to possibly tow more than the 5,000 pounds other trucks limit on. I doubt I'll need it, but nice to have a little more capacity. Who knows what I'll buy in 5-10 years...and I plan on keeping the truck for 20!

If I was a few inches taller, I could see wanting a full size.

 

[veedubtuner]

VW guy and VW doesn't offer a pickup in the states, and if they did, I probably wouldn't be interested in it as it would be packaged in a way I wouldn't want. I Looked at many midsized trucks and Ford just clicked almost all the boxes for me (if I didn't miss the 22' order deadline by a week, it would been all the boxes lol) that everyone else probably mentioned. The one thing I was really impressed with was the interior. Coming from the European world I have never been impressed with domestic interiors, until the Ranger.

 

[Ranger_Pawl]

Lifelong Ford guy. Literally. Even in the womb. Dad and Mom both worked at Ford, drove Fords, and raced Fords. I needed something new as my old 2005 F150 was begging to be put out to pasture. I wanted something smaller but still needed a pickup, so I ordered my Ranger. Didn't consider anything else. I now own my favorite vehicle ever. Never modded any other vehicle before, but I'm in heaven and having the time of my life with my Ranger. ?

 

[Dr_Strangelove]

Such a great thread to resurface for the newcomers. It was great to go back and read all of the responses from 2019. I can say, in 2022 my sentiments remain very much the same as all of yours back in 2019 when it comes to cross-shopping the mid-size truck market. Perhaps it's just "birds of a feather flock together?" Or is the Ranger just an amazing, capable truck. Maybe a little of A, a little of B.

The only thing I can add to this thread that hasn't been said already about the competition is, aside from the fact that in 2022 most of these trucks are not available to test drive; I was able to test drive a Chevy Colorado Z71 with the 8-speed. This was right after I had driven a "T6" Ranger with the 10-speed for the first time. I was going around a smooth, wide, Las Vegas corner when the transmission shifted up with a thunk I let out an audible "oof!" and the salesman looked at me and said "haha yeah it's got Chevy Shift alright." Chevy Shift. Ok.. I'll take it back to the lot. Test drive over.

I never considered myself a truck person although my first vehicle was a 1990 Ranger this was due to living in rural, cold Wisconsin and needing an "all-rounder" to get me 'tru da snow. Once I was at a place where I could "buy what I wanted" I lived in a warm climate and I always went for something sleek and low to the ground - fast. Now I've got a young family and all of my friends are going for the SUV's and 3-row flavors. I'm generally more conservative than my friends with my financial choices and move much more slowly. My boy is already nearly 4 years old and I've not yet bought the 'Burban to haul him around! However I had been noticing that the camping trips my wife and I were taking - where we can do without this, do without that, simply would no longer do. Little guy needed his stuff. And I was borrowing my Father's RX350 to go camping (glamping) - stuffing the dang thing to the gills with all of the stuff for bubba.

I recall a friend of mine who recently purchased a 4-Runner lamenting "I wish I had gone with the Tacoma or the Tundra." and when I asked why he said "because the cargo space is not as much as I thought it would be, I really wish I had an open bed." And thinking about how similar our lives were it was cemented for me - I was going to check out a pick up truck. At the time a lot of exciting things were going on with pickups - the Maverick was being announced and orders were being taken, and I was an inch away from placing one. But I had seen that the Ranger was also available and, well, my first car was a Ranger. What do you do about that?

You buy one! I love my truck so very much. It is turning out to be exactly what I wanted in my next vehicle. I don't feel like I left anything on the table in terms of capability or capacity. As a designer I think the truck is beautiful. I love that Ford uses round wheel-arches rather than trying to square them off to make the truck look more boxy. I think about that every time I pass a Taco or a Chevy/GMC. The visibility is wonderful, I feel sometimes like I'm sitting up as high as an F150, and the BLIS system is fantastic for someone who is not acquainted to having a long bed to look out for. The 2.3 Ecoboost with the 10-speed has been, for me, a dream. So buttery smooth. I tend to not drive trucks with a lead foot - I'm more a cruiser in the "big boy." (Son's name for it!) My very first tank has averaged 22.5 MPG on an engine with delivery miles on it.

It's the perfect size for a small family of 3 that likes to pack up their gear and go explore. There isn't a single fun trail in the southwest that will say no to me now, and I want to see them all!

 

[that408guy]

Too good of a deal to pass up for me. I used the Ford x plan. Plus the dealer was also having a special by adding $1,000 on top of your trade in value and! another $4,500 manufacture rebate.

Craziest thing was that the dealer gave me 1k (2k total with special) for my 1997 Lexus after we walked from their initial lowball (car had LOTS of issues). If you ever trade in a vehicle, don't be shy to walk. They called me 2 minutes after leaving. Never thought buying a Truck during a pandemic would pan out so well.

 

[Bob902]

Same reason my wife chose me. Awesomeness?

 

[RedDakooter05]

My F150 was getting worse at leaking ATF from the trans/t-case.
Didn't like the car feel of the colorado(like the exterior though) but difficult to find and order.

Wanted to try a frontier or Tacoma but next to impossible at the time to find em to test drive.

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