2019 Ford Ranger Taking Orders

[plainjaneFJC]

You guys are gonna piss off the thread nazis lol. I wonder if mister pop a vein is lurking out there...lol

 

[Clutch]

what do you guys think about Tom Brady and the Patriots? Man that Patrick Mahomes from the Chiefs is something else. I heard he loves ketchup. oh and we get terrible inversions in NW montana and in the summer the air is so thick from forest fires smoke that you can not see your mailbox, any body thinking of getting a Ford Ranger? they don't look very good I think I will wait and test drive a Jeep Gladiator first.

LOL! Have a hunch that you'll have a better chance of test driving the Ranger first.

Oh...I like both the Ranger and Gladiator but for different reasons. Ranger will be more practical as a daily, I think. Be cheaper too. The Jeep will be a vehicle for who wants to be seen, and the Ford for the person who doesn't want to be noticed.

See a couple few BS things with both, imagine they will be fine over-all.

If I had a choice between the two, would have to go with the Ford, because you can get an extra cab 6' bed, that and since FCA has such a poor track record. While I secretly hope Toyota steps it up a bit with the Tacoma as I am fearful to stray from the brand.

 

[Dalko43]

LOL!

Oh...I like both the Ranger and Gladiator but for different reasons. Ranger will be more practical as a daily, I think. Be cheaper too. The Jeep will be a vehicle for who wants to be seen, and the Ford for the person who doesn't want to be noticed.

See a couple few BS things with both, imagine they will be fine over-all.

If I had a choice between the two, would have to go with the Ford, because you can get an extra cab 6' bed, that and since FCA has such a poor track record. While I secretly hope Toyota steps it up a bit with the Tacoma as I am fearful to stray from the brand.

I still get the feeling that the Jeep JL is more a toy than it is a true longterm work/overland vehicle. Don't get me wrong: I know plenty of people wheel their Jeeps all over North America, and the world, with good success. But everything from the doors, weather seals, interior materials and, to some degree, the powertrain and chassis, seem like they're built for a sunny weekend at the Rubicon rather than a month-long trip through Siberia or central Africa. Some of the Aussies who wheel them will readily admit that a lot of stuff needs to be "tweaked" and religiously monitored in order for the vehicle to survive in the outback...which is similar to how the Defender was viewed by many offroaders.

I'm also not thrilled that FCA decided to keep the same body style (with removable hard top and doors) for the Gladiator....if you're going to market the vehicle as a robust, do-anything midsized offroader, I'd put a solid roof on top, with good sound deadening and insulation. The Gladiator still strikes me as a "fun-in-the-sun" vehicle.

I've got higher expectations for the Ranger, purely based on its global track record...we'll see if the North American Ranger lives up to that reputation. I'm hoping it does.

 

[Dalko43]

Which is pretty much the opposite of how some of the most of the iconic and acknowledged global trucks are built. The 40 and 70 series Land Cruisers, the old Broncos and Blazer, the Series and Defender Rovers, MQ and Y60 Patrols, etc. Crude is synonymous with simple and reliable.

The modern 4runner and LC 200 have good insulation and sound deadening...I certainly don't consider them to be any less simple and reliable because of it.

You're comparing the Jeep JL to old vehicles. The JL is an old-fashioned design, but it's competing in a higher-tech society. Solid front and rear axles, mechanical lockers, truck frame, and all the driving attributes that come with that type of old-school design I'm all for. But interior components falling apart, the truck's interior being cold as hell during the winter, letting water leak in, windshields cracking very easily....that's not indicative of a truly robust, go-anywhere vehicle.

The Jeep still seems like its catered towards the California, or Southwest, weekend offroad crowd. It's not the kind of vehicle I'd be happy to take for a week-long trip through Ontario in the dead of winter....but that's my subjective take on the matter.

 

[Dalko43]

Whether you consider them so or not is irrelevant, they are not simple. They are fairly reliable but not more so than their 1980s and 1990s versions. And they are also neither global versions of the trucks. A bloke shopping for for a truck to drive the Pan-Am or in the Outback would skip them both for lower spec versions of the Prado or Cruiser that we don't get.

I consider the LC 200 and 4runner/LC Prado to be quite simple by modern standards, but that's a subjective debate with no end in sight.

They are very much the same as the global versions (minus some interior trim differences and engine options). I don't see why someone would refuse to take a LC 200 or a 4runner on a long expedition trip just because either vehicle had too nice of an interior...some would even argue that is partly the reason why those vehicles are considered quintessential overland vehicles. Driver comfort is especially important on long trips. Plenty of people have in fact taken 4runners and LC 200's on long expedition trips in places like South/Central American and the Australian outback.

The Jeep is throughly modern compared to a 78 or 79 series Cruiser, which is held as the standard in most people's minds. And those just went through their modernizations to coil sprung fronts pretty recently, 1999 right? They only got airbags maybe 10 years ago.

The difference is the LC 70 series is a truly robust vehicle built to withstand longterm abuse in rough conditions…I don’t think the same can be said for the Jeep, as capable as it might be offroad.

Good thing that Jeep knows the majority of people actually putting down their hard earned money live in these places, then.

Okay, so you agree that the Jeep is built to a particular standard with a particular consumer in mind? That’s all I was saying in my earlier post.

 

[Buliwyf]

My Jeep did fine in the Ohio snow belt.

It wasn't until I got to Floriduh's rippled sand roads that I became jealous of fullsize trucks,and haven't looked back.

 

[ultraclyde]

I have a Jeep. I just bought a Ford pickup because I own a Jeep. I'll be selling the Jeep.

Granted, the Jeep is a '97 but before it I had a '97 V8 Explorer that was hands down a better-built, more reliable vehicle. I sold it to a friend with 215k miles on it and his daughter is still driving it daily 2 years later with no major breakdowns. The level of work I've put into the 170k mile Jeep to get it to the same level is preposterous. Now I will readily admit the Jeep is far more capable in rough terrain.

Although I'm still excited about the Ranger I decided to go ahead and buy a used full size instead of waiting for the initial pricing blush on the Ranger to relax. Plus I want a bigger boat, and although the numbers on the Ranger would get me there the longer wheelbase and higher rating on the F150 will make for a more comfortable margin.

Plus this puts us in line to perhaps look at a Bronco for the missus when they come out.

 

[Buliwyf]

If you think a '97 Exploder was a decent vehicle,.......you're going to be shocked when you see how much better Fords new ''halo'' vehicles have become.

Mines the best built American vehicle I've seen yet. (mass produced at least)

 

[Wallygator]

I am starting to change my tune on this truck. Ok now that more info is out I feel this new Ranger has a solid platform except maybe the engine?? I just don't trust Ford tech and this motor is about as high tech as it comes. Fully boxed frame with six crossbars, same 10 speed transmission as the F150 (should be solid in a smaller truck), and a dana rear end with 3.73's in it. I'm not a fan of the aluminum 2.3 EB that is used in several other Ford cars, but it has a forged crank and rods in the truck version. The start/stop crap can be turned off. Should be reliable???

So I went on the site and built one. A crew cab 4x4 XL completely bare bones except for...package 101A, locking rear diff, spray in bed liner, tow package, keyless entry keypad, and splash guards. Vinyl seats...truck came to $33955. As little electronic BS as possible. Could maybe get this for under $30K out the door. If/when the aftermarket gets involved this truck has serious potential. The bumpers will be an easy upgrade. Suspension. Front locker. 255/75/17's. Go Fast Camper with dual battery in the back. Hmmmm.....

I do not like how the back seat doesn't fold flat, is not split, and when the seat bottom is lifted up it severely decreases the ability to carry things and because it's not split it makes the vehicle a two passenger only vehicle. Ford blew it here. Ford usually has a well thought out rear seat so why is it complete crap on this new truck? at least make it a split seat so you can remove one half for cargo and still have room for another passenger. Just dumb on Fords part here. Ok so research continues and it will be interesting to see how it stacks up against the others but at it's core this thing could be a winner....if the EB is up to the task.

 

[DaveInDenver]

@Wallygator, I built the same truck sans the keyless stuff. I was forced into the 101A package for some reason that I forget at the moment. Really dig that it can be built as XL with the locker option and vinyl seats. I did the rear seat interior delete in a Super Cab, though, my trucks have always been 2-passenger anyway.

ETA: 101A is needed to get cruise control. I'm not sure if I was actually go with vinyl seats, though, I don't mind cloth other than it getting filthy.

 

[Todd780]

So I went on the site and built one. A crew cab 4x4 XL completely bare bones except for...package 101A, locking rear diff, spray in bed liner, tow package, keyless entry keypad, and splash guards. Vinyl seats...truck came to $33955. As little electronic BS as possible. Could maybe get this for under $30K out the door. If/when the aftermarket gets involved this truck has serious potential. The bumpers will be an easy upgrade. Suspension. Front locker. 255/75/17's. Go Fast Camper with dual battery in the back. Hmmmm.....

The Canadian configurator just went live here. So i built one. Can't get a XL crew here. Or any 2WD's for that matter.

I built a 301A 4x4 XLT crew with the FX4 and trailer tow package pkg and the bed utility package.... $43,300.... FX4 and trailer tow added $2,000 to the bottom line...

 

[Buliwyf]

Sadly, the new vinyl is nicer than the leather.

You can always Katskin the seats if you don't like them.

 

[ultraclyde]

If you think a '97 Exploder was a decent vehicle,.......you're going to be shocked when you see how much better Fords new ''halo'' vehicles have become.

Mines the best built American vehicle I've seen yet. (mass produced at least)

Well the truck I bought is a '13 Ecoboost FX4 F150 and I'm pretty impressed so far. That explorer was solid though - 302 V8, 4R70W trans. It ran when nothing else would. Loaned it out all over the family. Drug a 3000lb camper all over north Georgia. Never let us down.

 

[Buliwyf]

Your new Eco is ten times better built. The only nag I have is the silly start stop that is easy to disable, and the front hubs that try to grind in when they fail.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Sadly, the new vinyl is nicer than the leather.

You can always Katskin the seats if you don't like them.

I've go the vinyl and love it. Used to be the Ford vinyl looked horrible, now with the stitching and texture it looks pretty good.