Is the Ranger the Hilux we've been wanting?

[Buddha.]

I drive a late model Tacoma at work, we use them to patrol a largish compound. I’ve done more off roading in that thing than I’d want my boss to know about. I’ve got about 2+ years sitting in those things/ 40 hours a week. I don’t dislike them, it’s definitely a car engine not a truck engine but we don’t tow with them. My biggest complaint is that they’re getting up to about 100k miles now and the seats were blown out 50k miles ago. I suppose having 250lb gorillas in the seats 24/7 will do that though. As for disc vs drum brakes, I’ve seen more failures with disc brakes where the slider pin gets stuck taking out the disc, pads, and possibly caliper.


I’ll keep my Chevy though.

 

[Wallygator]

If you put a small travel trailer behind that little turbo, you won’t be passing too many gas stations without stopping.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's the one thing about the ecoboost motors. Major difference in economy between a load versus not.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

The interior of the 1/2 tons sure seem nice, compared to mini trucks like Canyon and Taco, whose interiors look like Fischer Price toy designers went wild one day and created all those oversized every things. Bob Builder would love the Canyon interior.... and I mean the character, not a real contractor.

I think the quality of the interior entirely depends on trim package, so one has to compare apples to apples. The interior of our Canyon is way nicer than the interior of our Silverado. Silverado is a WT, Canyon is All Terrain package. Compare the Canyon AT with the ZR1 Silverado or All Terrain Sierra and they are very similar with regards to interior design and fixings, but in my opinion the fit and finish is actually much better on the Canyon than it is on comparable trim, full size 1/2 tons.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

That's the one thing about the ecoboost motors. Major difference in economy between a load versus not.

Either EcoBoost gets roughly 1mpg less than the 5.0 while pulling.

The upside is the vastly improved performance while towing.

 

[nickw]

We've been kicking around the idea of getting an All-Cab Khaya, and I have been doing some home work on truck specs, since the 4Runner is going to have to go... I have discovered that all these Tacomas I see with loaded Four Wheel Campers have to be grossly over weight.

The new Ranger 4x4 DC has a 1650lb payload capacity, the Tacoma has only 1175lbs, that's a 475lb difference. A fully kitted 4 person Khaya, per All-Cab's specs, is 1698lbs and this is before the fore mentioned four people get in the truck. And you know y'all expo sexual types are gonna throw the the whole OK4WD catalog at that Taco.

A 500lb difference in payload capacity is substantial. I test drove a Ranger the other day and it is spunky, at least empty it is. Why do we keep buying Tacomas? I know the Ranger is new to us, but this current platform is actually a bit dated. I personally despise GM but I did look to see that the Canyon has the same payload capacity as the Ranger and the choice of three engines. I also looked at the Australian Toyota website, don't look its too painful, and yes it's in the same league as the Ranger, but of course costs more.

I think it is, which is why I bought one. It's a bit dated which I liked. I was in Australia last year and they were all over the place, which is kinda cool to have a rig they have....albeit with slightly different drivetrain (arguably better), for here in the US.

The Aussies love them, the ones I talked too liked them every bit as good as the Toyota's.

It's a new truck, but relies on a robust proven platform, including the engine. One of the cool things about it is the ability to easily mod the engine, safely and reliably. You can easily get 350 HP out of it for minimal $$. The old Toyota V6's had the ability to be supercharged but it was $5k.

I have nothing against Toyota's, have owned a few over the years and really liked them. The new Tacoma didn't do if for me, did not like the seating position or the engine/trans, both somewhat personal, but it's a common complaint. Nevermind the poor payload ratings.

 

[Dalko43]

At 25 mpg an 18 gallon tank is more than adequate for the overwhelming majority of consumers.

Except that the initial realworld fuel results are out, and no one is averaging 25 mpg. Maybe 2wd, on the highway at 55 mph with no hills...but in the realworld, the Ranger seems to get the same 18-20mpg average that the Tacoma and Colorado are getting. 19mpg * 19 gallons = 361. Take off 50 miles to account for the fact that people rarely drive the tank completely dry and you're at 311 miles...not all that impressive. And that's a considering a low payload/low towing scenario...under load the ecoboost engines see a significant decrease in efficiency.

Torque delivery of the Ranger is definitely better compared to the Tacoma, but the range and efficiency will likely be similar, or worse, in real world driving scenarios.

Engine performance aside, I think the Tacoma still has a proven and capable base platform, that the others (GM and Ford) have yet to rival in terms offroad performance.

 

[calicamper]

I have to buy what I fit in.
The Global Conspiracy Against The Tall prevents me from even considering the Tacoma.

BTW, I can't drive a Jeep JL without hitting my head on the soundbar. But I fit in the Gladiator ---- might just be seat difference. And although the Gladiator pumps my nads, the pricetag is insane.
sigh

I finally got to sit in the new ranger and play with seating space. It’s surprisingly decent. The 10spd is a big deal. The payload is a big deal, the engine I’m not super thrilled about but of any Turbo DI auto maker I think Ford has the best chance of being the most durable and reliable of the Turbo DI high torque trend.

I’m not even a big guy and can’t stand the Tacoma door entry and seating layout.

 

[calicamper]

If I could get the wife to move past 6-7 seating capacity my choice would be in this order.

Canyon 4dr LB gasser 4x4. I would love diesel but my short around town kid hauling trips would destroy the diesel emissions gear in a yrs time.

If the Ranger did a 4dr LB that would be my top choice due to interior and torque.

 

[calicamper]

My buddy just bought a Tacoma, and is very disappointed.

Bad fuel economy - I get better in F150 4X4 5.0 by over 2 MPG!
Range - From LA to my house in Gardnerville Nevada is 441 miles, he can not make it without getting gas cruising at speed limit!!!
Ride sucks
Bed and interior space is tight.
He paid a premium for Toyota
Rear drum brakes

He regrets not getting a full size 1/2 ton PU - any brand. NO matter the brand - Tacoma, Ranger, Canyon, I think most people would be happier and better off with a full size 1/2 ton also.

I did a 2900 mile family of 4 trip recently with my 06 Sequoia 4.7 towing a low profile 4x6 900lb trailer. Another dad just did a 1800 mile summer trip family of 4 2018 Taco no trailer. He was shocked when I showed him our fuel vs mileage info for our trip. Plus we were in areas where we were running 20mph faster than 90% of his road time. My old Sequoia matched his numbers and beat them in some cases. Whats sad is my buddies 2018 Extra long Escalade crushes my Sequoia on mileage in every way. He gets 19mpg around town and gets 21-24mpg on big road trips.

I get 15 around town and between 16-21mpg on long trips. Speed determines the average on the long trips.

 

[shade]

My buddy just bought a Tacoma, and is very disappointed.

Bad fuel economy - I get better in F150 4X4 5.0 by over 2 MPG!
Range - From LA to my house in Gardnerville Nevada is 441 miles, he can not make it without getting gas cruising at speed limit!!!
Ride sucks
Bed and interior space is tight.
He paid a premium for Toyota
Rear drum brakes

He regrets not getting a full size 1/2 ton PU - any brand. NO matter the brand - Tacoma, Ranger, Canyon, I think most people would be happier and better off with a full size 1/2 ton also.

The sad thing about those complaints is that every one of them was easily known prior to purchase. While I agree that there may be room for improvement, I have no sympathy for that owner.

 

[calicamper]

The sad thing about those complaints is that every one of them was easily known prior to purchase. While I agree that there may be room for improvement, I have no sympathy for that owner.

Except in LA full sized parking isn’t exactly easy unless your in the outer regions.

No one has ever said midsized is better than full sized regarding comfort, mileage, power load capacity. But when you can’t find parking for it, full sized doesn’t even matter. LOL

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I finally got to sit in the new ranger and play with seating space. It’s surprisingly decent. The 10spd is a big deal. The payload is a big deal, the engine I’m not super thrilled about but of any Turbo DI auto maker I think Ford has the best chance of being the most durable and reliable of the Turbo DI high torque trend.

The engine and tranny have been used in the Mustang (the tranny is also in the F150)for years, they are both very durable and problem free. Its freakishly easy to get more power out of the Motor.

 

[shade]

Except in LA full sized parking isn’t exactly easy unless your in the outer regions.

No one has ever said midsized is better than full sized regarding comfort, mileage, power load capacity. But when you can’t find parking for it, full sized doesn’t even matter. LOL

I didn't see a parking complaint listed by the remorseful owner.

I wouldn't have sympathy if I did. If someone can't be bothered to discover something so basic during a test drive, that's on them.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

I didn't see a parking complaint listed by the remorseful owner.

I wouldn't have sympathy if I did. If someone can't be bothered to discover something so basic during a test drive, that's on them.

I test drove a 2017 Tacoma before buying my F150... I was disappointed before I left the parking lot.

 

[shade]

I test drove a 2017 Tacoma before buying my F150... I was disappointed before I left the parking lot.

Sounds like a successful test drive.