It’s no secret that vans have gotten uncomfortably costly. Whereas the reminiscence of $30- and even $20,000 pickups stays recent of their minds, most fashionable pickup-truck customers might be greeted at the dealership by bona fide luxe vans. The 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 that CarGurus lately reviewed price greater than $66,000, and a brand new Ford F-150 can crest $70,000 earlier than you add a single possibility. With that in thoughts, we drove a 2019 Ford Ranger throughout 4 of New England’s six states to find out simply how a lot worth a midsize pickup can present.
The Ranger Affords Ruggedness and Worth
At the start, regardless of a $24,110 base value, the Ranger received’t all the time come low-cost. Our check automobile rang in at $41,595. However that value purchased us putting Lightning Blue paint, the FX4 off-road package deal, and a variety of security techniques, together with lane-keeping help and adaptive cruise management.
That mentioned, the Ranger XLT SuperCrew 4×Four we drove didn’t really feel overly fashionable, both. Consumers who need their truck to really feel rugged and prepared for work will love the new Ranger, however customers who prioritize consolation will tire of its enthusiastic however unpolished journey. After leaving the truck open air in a single day in a few of Maine’s well-known single-digit climate, we woke to find that the Ranger’s sliding rear window (a part of the $2,800 Tools Group 302A) rattled incessantly when the automobile was chilly. It took roughly an hour of driving earlier than the brittle-sounding body holding the window warmed up sufficient to settle down the ruckus.
The 2.3-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine delivered nice energy: 270 horses and 310 pound-feet of torque. The selectable 4-wheel-drive (4WD) system dealt with snow marvelously, and the Ranger felt as succesful cruising alongside the freeway because it did whereas trudging by way of rutted dust roads. The 4-cylinder always roared underneath light acceleration, and it returned a light 21.Four mpg throughout 653 (largely) freeway miles. That type of efficiency didn’t wow us after we received to the fuel pump, nevertheless it wasn’t too far off the EPA’s estimate of 20 mpg metropolis, 24 freeway, and 22 mixed.
However an Even Higher Possibility Is on the Means
Midsize pickups like the 2019 Ford Ranger and its main opponents, the Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma, have grow to be extremely interesting for younger, typically urban-living, weekend warriors. They’re sufficiently small to drive by way of a metropolis however succesful sufficient to load up with skis or bikes and take to the woods. Sadly, this section has aged quickly. The Colorado (and its company cousin, the GMC Canyon) debuted in 2015. The Tacoma was final up to date in 2016. Even the Ranger, which arrived in the United States in 2019, has been on sale internationally since 2011 and was final refreshed in 2015.
5 years is a very long time in the auto world, and that age exhibits, significantly inside these midsize pickups. The best-feeling possibility is probably going the Honda Ridgeline, which might’t come near the beginning value of the better-selling Chevy, Ford, and Toyota.
Nissan is predicted to disclose a refreshed Frontier in 2021 (the Frontier hasn’t been meaningfully up to date for a whopping 15 years). Fortunately, competitors breeds excellence, and we doubt Ford, Chevy, or Toyota will let Nissan run away with the section. For now, the Ranger and the remainder of the midsize pickup section provide real usability and enticing costs. But when it have been our resolution, we’d maintain out and see what the future brings.
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