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Comments
The COVER of Four wheeler has a, well,
FORD!
Mean looking mother!
Also, excellent article on the Mazda B4000 long term road test, kinda a less expensive Ranger.
*** listed as 1500 lb payload!!!!!!!
*** built in Edison, NJ!!!(USA, USA!)
*** "...comfortable and economical daily driver 4X4..."
*** "...solid minitruck that's ready to play hard and look good doing it."
Had the 3.55 gears which is not real hot for 4 wheeling but still a nice writeup.
"and just in case you didnt know the higher torque
of the ranger engine allows for a Lower crawlratio.. my two cents"
What????? muhahahahaha!!! LOL!!!!!!!
That is too funny....Way to funny.......
Ford Ranger v6 4x4 crawl ratio = 22.1
Toyota Tacoma v6 4x4 crawl ratio =40.1
Heres one source:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/newtrucks/ptoty/98/ptoty.html
paraphrasing 4wheelr:
"In low-range, our automatic Ranger offered a rather delicate 22.8:1 crawl ratio (First x axle gear x low-range); the Mazda and Toyota offered 34.4:1 and 40.4:1 gearing, respectively"
"DELICATE"? Sure doesnt sound very truck like.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/newtrucks/ptoty/98/ptoty1.html
"...its 30:1 crawl ratio was bit long legged for rocks..."
Well were they wrong on the 34:1 ratio or the 30:1 ratio? What else is wrong in Four Wheeler reviews?
The point is that is another error in Four Wheeler mag, or there are DIFFERENT ratios.
$0.09
Nine cents a mile to run the Mazda/Ranger.
But, hey if you keep on plugging that article, maybe you can get someone to believe it.
To all other Toyota owners: I have nothing against the toy. I think it's a pretty nice truck. I didn't consider it during my truck purch, though, because of the few extra grand for the same features and the safety thing. At least you guys don't drive Chevy's, that's a plus in my book.
5starranger writes:
"The December 1999 issue of Four Wheeler Mag., page
31, seventh paragraph of the article on their longterm test of the Mazda states:
"...its 30:1 crawl ratio was bit long legged forrocks...""
Pay attention to that word in there 5star..it begins with an "M" ........Ma.....z...d..a..
MAZDA. I was talking about the Ranger. YOur talking about the Mazda. The Mazda had a better crawl ration than the Ranger in the 4wheel mag test. Please make sure you have your head o straight next time you post. Thx.
"All of ushave seen the inconsistencies in the article and
know they put the bottom of the barrel (XL, 15"
tire, 3.73, street tuned suspension, etc...) "
The only suspension the Ranger has is a street tuned one. You cant get a better suspension at the dealer. The RANGER was at an advatange Thompson. A much shorter wheelbase should have provided better approach and departure angles for the Ranger. The rAnger was a reg cab. With a lighter and shorter wheelbase, it should have performed MUCH better than it did.
"ranger
against the top of the line Tacoma. I really
think it would be interesting (and might have
actually made the article credible) if they had
used the XLT 4x4 off-road pkg 4.11 ranger. "
What is the difference in that Ranger? Answer: none. You get the better gearing and a sticker with some flimsy skid plates that should be standard. It would of hardly made a difference.
In fact, please refer to Petersons offroad June 99 isssue where the Tacoma(not surprisingly) is declared the king of the compacts, beating the Ranger yet again. And this was a loaded to the gills Ranger. Heck, the Tacoma beat em all, declared the "compact king" by ANOTHER top of the line TRUCK magazine. So lets see, 4wheeler and PEtersons offroad(the two most prestigious truck mags avaialable) BOTH pick the Tacoma over theRanger...THAT in itself should tell you something. Oh yes it should.
Yeeehaaaww!
Includes bulge body shocks, styled manual mirrors and off-road Decal. NOT AVAILABLE with 95P, XF6, XR6, X87"
What ? lol!!!! Styled mirrors? What? What the heck does that have to do with offroad? DECAL?
LOL!!! HmmmVince, I wonder which offroad package is the "gimmick" now????
Also, I noticed that to get the 15oo payload capacity, you have to get that OPTION. Its 75 dollars. The question is.....did Vince or Cspousner get this option? How do you know if you have it?
Enjoy your sticker bud.
The Ranger is the BEST all around truck on the market today. The SAFEST compact truck on the market today. The BEST seller for 10, let me say this again 10+ years for a reason. The Tacoma has yet to even make a dent in Ranger sales even after being on the market for 4+ years! The Ranger outells the Tacoma almost 4 to 1. Do you know what that means? I will explain, For every ONE Tacoma sold, FOUR Rangers are sold. There is a reason for this, the Ranger is the better truck, the consumer has spoken year after year after year. I know, financing, well Toyota has offered low financing just like Ford, 1.9, 2.9, ect.... cash back..... All manufactures have.
Proud owner of a Ford Ranger!
You say that a truck with heavy duty shocks, larger tires (amounting to higher ground clearance), and lower gears will not perform better on the trails than a truck which has running gear meant for the road? I think you may have let that article (the one you posted in entirity a few hundred times) go to your head.
Oh, and you've gotten the off-road package incorrect (who would have thought). It includes:
- 16" wheels (vs. stock 15")
- OWL All-terrain tires (vs. 'street' tires)
- Buldge body shock absorbers
- Skid plates for fuel tank, transfer case, and stainless steel skidplate for front suspension
- 4.10 axle ratio
- oh yeah (some decals and 'styled' mirrors)
And, it costs $395 ($336-invoice). I'd consider that a bargain.
A question for anyone about toy's locker:
I've seen posted that the rear end is open above 5mph when using the locker. Does it come with a limited slip differential? Just curious.
"I believe that the option - payload package #2
(which costs $75) is for the auxiliary transmission
cooler. Ford then increases the Ranger's towing
and payload specs. So, it actually has nothing todo with the suspension, etc"
Right. And if you didnt iknow about this option, guess what? you have a truck that hauls 1,200 pounds. Yippe.
As for the Ranger "offroad" package....man o man
The fuel tank plate and skid plates come standard on toyota 4x4. Along with a clutch start cancel switch.
Oh, as for me only quoting 4wheeler...how about y'all check out the June 99 issue of Petersons offroad magazine.....Looks like they think the Tacoma is numero uno too, as they chose it the best all around compact truck available ove rthe Ranger and the others. So lets see.....
The ranger is beaten in EVERY SINGLE PERFORMANCE CATEGoRY byt the Tacoma, It spanks it offroad, has higher ground clearance, locking differential,
optional factory supercharger giving 260 HP 270 torque, has standard clutch start cancel switch, better departure and approach angles, better gearing, an offroad tuned supsension, Specially formualted IFS, 6 wheel lugs for a higher paylaod rating, a 3/4 ton truck rating, 30 more horseppwer in the v6, a better crawl ratio, and beter resale value. Not to mention 200 less recalss than the Ranger...opps...do I need to post that data again for the newbies?
So TAKE it from the experts. The TWO most reputable TRUCK mags on this very planet select the Tacoma over the Ranger. ONe of them UNANIMOUSLY.
Petersons Offroad and Four Wheeler.
Nice job guys...you were right on the money!
Yeeehawww!
larger tires (amounting to higher ground
clearance), and lower gears will not perform better
on the trails than a truck which has running gear
meant for the road? I think you may have let that
article (the one you posted in entirity a fewhundred times) go to your head. "
Oops...the Ranger ONLY offers a street suspension. PLease get your facts straight.
Here ya go:
"http://www.fourwheeler.com/newtrucks/ptoty/98/tech.html"
ANd those facts ARE right on. 4wheeler posts the minimum for both trucks. LEts face it gang. If you werent aware of the "payload" option, you got duped into buying a truck that can only haul 1200 lbs.
Oh, while ur at it read how 4wheeler tests these trucks. They even take them apart peice by peice and burn and freeze the parts.
Are you too poor after buying a Tacoma to AFFORD to subscribe to Four Wheeler and just read articles you find "KEWL" in a doctors office?
The December Four Wheeler CLEARLY, I repeat, CLEARLY stated that the ONLY part of the Mazda left to Mazda engineers is the front clip and bed. There is a very clear picture of both vehicles, the Mazda above a Ranger on the first page.
When I read/see Mazda, I see Ranger and visa versa.
http://www.fourwheeler.com/newtrucks/ptoty/98/pastwinners.html
ALUMNI ROLL CALL: PAST PICKUP
TRUCKS OF THE YEAR
1989:Toyota SR5
1990:Mitsubishi Mighty Max
1991:GMC Truck K-2500HD
1992:Dodge Dakota Club Cab
******************************
*1993:Ford Ranger SuperCab****
******************************
1994:Chevrolet ZR2
1995:Ford F-250 SC PowerStroke***
1996:Toyota Tacoma XtraCab
1997:Dodge Dakota
Hmm a Ranger won once too. . . and I do recall that the 99 Ranger XL was awarded Best Buy compact 4X4 OVER the Tacoma by, well, Four Wheeler Magazine. Hmm two Ranger wins by a Magazine quoted often by spoog.
This is all they do for the "Truck of the Year" for Four wheeler, and I DID NOT see any references to taking the truck apart and freezing/burning, please post your source, if it exists:
http://www.fourwheeler.com/newtrucks/ptoty/99/index.html
"...to qualify, manufacturers must produce an all-new or significantly revised pickup...".
Read into that, not Every truck is tested.
Incorrect regarding the payload package and off-road package for Ranger. Both give you bigger shocks and stiffer springs. it is not just the trans cooler.
For 4X4 add, according to Edmunds, :"... HD front shocks, HD rear shocks..." According to ford the Payload Package 2 stiffens the springs and bigger HD shocks. Now I will not argue with you that HD shocks equal Bilstines, but if you check a previous post by someone, Bilstines are over kill for a pickup so light as a Ranger/Tacoma.
But ask yourself the question again.
Did the Ranger traverse the SAME coarse as the Tacoma, and did it complete the trip.
The answer is a resounding YES, maybe not as easily but yes it did complete the run. And that, AGAIN was a BOTTOM OF THE LINE RANGER, NOT EQUIPPED FOR OFF ROAD,
EQUALING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF A Tacoma.
Equaling
Your obsessive behavior is bordering on AUTISM...do you need help? Your rambling like the Rain Man! :-) (sorry...sarcasm...couldn't resist)
Oh...and can you PLEASE post that FOURWHEELER article again? Thanks.
PS--When it comes to 4-wheeling, let's not forget that a stock, base, 4cyl JEEP could run circles around nearly EVERY production vehicle on the planet, all for well under $20k. :-)
I currently drive a '92 4.3 S10 4x4. Been a very good truck, minor problems, just to the point I don't trust it on long distances and need an extended cab.
I have been to the dealers, test driven, and researched. I'll buy the Tacoma 4x4 V6 xcab.
Why?
I like the looks better, built better, and 100,000 miles down the road I want a truck I can still depend on and have better resale value.
Don't get too excited about the Ranger's V-6. I drove it and it doesn't even compare to my S10. The Ranger also felt cheap, i.e. not tight and bad interior.
I know I will pay more, but in the long run it will save me $$$$.
"What improvements could/should Ford make so that
its 4x4 performance competes better with the
Toyota?"
Well, standard skid plates would be a good place to start, along with a standard clutch/statrt/cancel switch(which toyota only offers)
An optional locking diff would help ALOT, as would
a better crawl ratio, an offroad tuned suspension, offroad shocks, better departue and approach angles, and a higher minimum ground clearance. Unfortunatley for the Ranger, the Tacoma beats it in all these categories, and Ford dosnt even offer many of these Tacoma features.
I think a new rear end would help the Ranger also.
The Ranger rear end is just not a specialized unit. They are made universally to accomadate autos and manual trans to save production costs.
Making the HD payload package standard also would be a good idea.
Iv always said the Ranger is a decent truck. Its just not as offroad competent as the Tacoma, and the Ranger has ALOT of safety recalls and technical repair bulletins.
As far as I am concerned, its closest rival in small 4x4's is the Tacoma.
As for my postings, you are right about my obsessive behaviour. I don't know what it is about this board, but it just brings out the worst in me!
I own a Toyota and you are embarassing me. I agree that the Tacoma TRD is probably the BEST compact pickup out there, but it is also the MOST EXPENSIVE compact pickup. A new TRD costs almost as much as my 1998 4Runner SR5! If anyone has not gotten your point yet, they are not EVER going to agree with you. Crash tests are important, as well. All in all, different strokes for different folks.
vince;
Yes, Tacomas are more expensive than Rangers, but they also hold their resale values much better than Rangers (from Edmunds (1998 Ranger XLT 4WD Ext Cab vs 1998 Tacoma Limited Extra Cab)- both cars with: V6, 5 spd, alloys, CD player, cruise, keyless entry, power everything, tilt wheel, limited slip(Ranger), TRD (Tacoma), sliding rear window, ABS, A/C, 12,000 miles).
Guess what? Even though the Tacoma costs more out of the chute, it is worth even more after one year (Edmunds retail of $24,295 (Tacoma) vs. $17,200 (Ranger)). After one year, the Tacoma is worth $7,000 more than the Ranger! BTW, you do know that the more Rangers that are sold mean the resale for your Ranger is lower (Supply and Demand), don't you? It's a double-edged sword. That said, I think the Ranger is a fine truck as well and you are obviously happy with yours.
Oh?
Why then when I read the most current Four Wheeler Mag. I see LOTS of Jeeps, Many Chevys, many Explorers, Rangers and the long term Mazdab4000 article, an indepth article on Newfoundland with a Ford F550 4X, and where do I see Toyotas? ONE in the owners section, an 89 SR5 around page 10 and a TRD ad on the rear cover. That is it my friends nothing more.
I concede that the Tacoma is a very good truck and 4X but if they are that darn good why do you never see them doing anything. The only guy I have seen that posts what he does with his is
hindsite
and he give a fair even balanced set of comments, like saying some made it on a trip he took, some did not. Tip of the had hindsite.
A friend of mine went and looked at a TRD and the sticker was over $24K, figured he could have got it for $22.5-23K. My loaded 98 Ranger was $17.9K and goes everywhere I want it to go.
And you are also right about Spoog. I've tried to not get into name calling with him. He can certainly be childish at times. Some of his posts are actually good (I just wish he wouldn't post the same thing over and over and over...)
I do have one question. I went back and looked at many different crash test ratings. The Ford Ranger from about 1993, has the same ratings each year up until 1999 (I mean 4/5 stars for front/side respectively.) While the Taco is all over the board. Each year the results are different. I don't recall each number, but one year the front driver was 1 star while the passenger was 4 stars. The next year the driver & passenger had 2 stars. Side impact was usually consistently low. (I won't get into side impact, but I think trucks (as a class) don't require side impact beams like cars do. Rangers have had them for some time now. I don't know about Tacos and I'm not sure if they are required to.)
Anyway, after that tangent, why is Toyota so "all over the board" on the crash ratings? Why do they change every year? (Again spoog, this is not a dig, but a honest sincere question.)
I thought maybe Toyota was supplying totally different trucks each year (like 4x4, then 4x2, reg cab, then X-cab etc...) but with that in mind, the Ranger is still very consistent. So I'm having difficulty learning why. Any thoughts?
Happy Motoring.
The Taurus outsells the Mercedes E-Class, BY FAR. Does that make a Taurus "better" then and E-Class? Of course not, so sales numbers have NOTHING to do with it.
Spoog,
You were talking about the Tacoma having "denser, stronger metal" then the Ranger before...what the HECK were you talking about???????
Anyway, yes Spoog, please explain the denser metal theory. From my school days I seem to remember that denser metal of the same mass would weigh more than similar porus metal. Does the Tacoma out weigh the Ranger?
Happy Motoring.
Peace offering for Tacoma owners. Some good stuff from a Ford guy.
Contains reviews etc of Toyota off road products.
stronger metal" then the Ranger before...what the
HECK were you talking about???????"
Japanese metal is known to be of a higheer density and better quality. A couple summers back the U.S. had a steel shortage and Chevy had to build its trucks with Japanese metal. More expensive, but htey had to.
For offroading, resale value, and lack of recalls repair bulletins, yes it is.
"Why then when I read the most current Four Wheeler
Mag. I see LOTS of Jeeps, Many Chevys, many
Explorers, Rangers and the long term Mazdab4000
article, an indepth article on Newfoundland with a
Ford F550 4X, and where do I see Toyotas?"
Dont forget too that old chevies and Jeeps are much more common than toyota pickups.
BEcause you dont see a particular truck plastered all over 4wheelers pages does not mean it isnt one of the better vehicles. I suggest you rea d their website again. The way the Tacomas drivetrain operates and the features Toyota offers that others simply do not makes the Tacoma a very easy truck to pick if your an offroader.
"ONE in
the owners section, an 89 SR5 around page 10 and a
TRD ad on the rear cover. That is it my friendsnothing more."
And this proves...what? Absolutely nothing. How old are you 5 star ranger? You seem to be operating in the anecdotal-myhtological world of heresay.
"I concede that the Tacoma is a very good truck and
4X but if they are that darn good why do you never
see them doing anything."
I take mine swamp crawling and mudding and climbing when I can. It also tows a walleye/musky boat. I suggest you click on Cspounser's link again :
http://www.off-road.com/toyota
I could easily interpret what you said to mean that Chevy had to buy Japanese steel because American steel is in the highest demand. Hence, the low quality Japanese steel was all that was available. (I'm not stupid enough to make assumptions like you do, but if I was assuming...)
Again, it's obvious you don't comprehend world markets very well, but Japanese steel is higher priced in the US because...??? Could it be a multitude of factors including but not limited to some of the following: yen/dollar ratio, tariffs placed on steel imports, cost of freight for shipping steel to the US, etc. Geez.
Again, show us proof of your claim.
PS. as for your swamp crawling claim, BS. The swamp (Honey Island, La.) that I lived by for more than 20 years (a decade ago) was not the place for man or machine. An ATV wouldn't try that place, much less a Taco or Ranger. Have you ever heard of swamp boats? That's what you need in those places. Louisiana or Florida would eat up any truck in their real swamps.
Happy Motoring.
2 Seriously now, does the toy have a limited slip differential above 5mph or is it open? Please anyone answer, i'm really curious to know.
3 Could you post that 4-wheeler article for me again? I missed it the last few dozen times. (sorry, couldn't resist)
As for what you say should come standard on a truck, that's a rather useless gripe. I'd rather option the truck myself to suit my own needs than have to pay for expensive packages with items I consider personally unnecessary.
Yup, and if yer callin' me a redneck, i guss i just dont fit yer derscription. I'm a cpa for a public accounting firm in chicago. Try to lighten up a little and not take things so personally. I don't think name-calling has anything to do with this forum. I was just poking fun at the ford vs. chevy debate that's been raging for years (i've owned a few of both, and a toyota too).
NO the toy does NOT have a limited slip differential. It has a LOCKING diff. I f you were interested in either vehicle you would have known that by now.
"As for what you say should come standard on a
truck, that's a rather useless gripe. I'd rather
option the truck myself to suit my own needs than
have to pay for expensive packages with items Iconsider personally unnecessary."
um...yeah....having features factory standard on a truck that look nice and are under warranty is an advantage.
The Off Road suspension on the Taco has progressive rate springs which help on and off road and includes Bilstein shocks.
Locking Diff. The Taco has open axle unless locking is engaged. Found this out while stomping it on a wet road, right rear wheel went into hyper-spin until I backed off on throttle(4 cylinder, by the way!) I've been curious about whether it has to be in 4lo or not to engage locking diff. Tried to engage in 2wd and 4hi and dash light just blinks(I believe not engaged), but in 4lo, light comes on solid(I believe engaged). Tried this while stuck in my daily stop and go, bumper to bumper commute to work.
As to the 5mph limitation, this is a recommendation only, it does NOT disengage if you go faster than that. I believe this is lawyer speak for "if you can't steer properly above this speed, and crash, don't sue us! My opinion only.
It seems as though the locker is open when not engaged, one tire spins only. And Toyota won't take responsability if you go over 5mph with the locker engaged. So what good is it? Fact is we all know that most 4x4's don't see much more than a gravel road or a logging road of sorts. Seems to me the best truck is the truck that suits most of the segment of buyers its trying to lure.
The TRD is an very, very small segment of the compact truck market. And I really don't think a TRD owner is going to take a 24K truck into an area the locker is going to get its full use at under 5mph.
wsn - you commented on a price drop for the Tacoma. Does this mean all those who purchased Tacoma's previous to the price drop paid too much?
Resale value is all relative. You pay more coming or going. Also, please visit Kelly Blue Book and punch the numbers and compare you may be surprised. And about sales numbers, yes they do matter. Toyota can increase its capacity to build Tacoma's they have had 4 years to do so. Fact is the demand is not there for them to spend the capital. The sales numbers for Ranger have climbed for 10 years straight with no end in sight. If it is such a terrible truck why is this happening after 10 years? The Ranger/Mazda offer the best value, handling, safety, interior space and quality at a fair price. The consumer has spoken by continuing to purchase the Ranger in record numbers, year after year after year after year.
handling, safety, interior space and quality at a
fair price. The consumer has spoken by continuing
to purchase the Ranger in record numbers, yearafter year after year after year"
Well, you messed up Vince. On two counts.
First, the Tacoma beat the Ranger in every single performance category in 4wheeler and Peterson offroad. That INCLUDES handling.
As for the quality, this is EASILY clarified by the number of recalls for the Ranger to compared to the Tacoma.
89-99 Ranger-280 recalls
89-99 Tacoma 80 recalls
The Ranger DOES have a better crash record and offers a bit more interior room.
WOW.
I think this , along with the saftey recalls and technical repair bulletins(I will post all links pertinent) settles the quality issue by a LONG shot.
The 99 Ranger had 124 defect investigations.
The 99 Tacoma had 24 defect investigations.
Heres the link:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/
For those new here this site is the end all of safety and repair and recall data.
Now, lets move on to the total Safety Recalls for the Ranger and Tacom in a ten year period:
89-99 Ranger-280 recalls
89-99 Tacoma 80 recalls
HERE is a MAJOR kicker. Total Ranger and Tacoma Technical Repair Recall Bulletins from 94-99
WOW!
Tacoma = 40 Technical repair recall bulletins
Ranger = 526 technical repair recall bulletins
Absolutely, I say absolutely unbelievable!
Again, this is the definitve source for defects,recall, and safety data for cars in the U.S. IT is the government site, and where all the car mags and others gleen their sats from.
By the way Front Porch Philosopher, I can directly copy info from that site. It is not copyright infringement as that is open and uncopyrighted information.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/
You can check out all these figures for yourselves, at these links. Just click on wha ttype of problem, the year, model and make and you will be fully informed.
It's obvious this resolves the quality dispute.
IT has been proven in concrete.
I have posted sources for performance data that also concludes that at this current time, the Tacoma beats the Ranger in every performance category. I think that is sealed up until Ford puts in that new engine in 2000. Im sure that may change things quite a bit.
As for price, it's obvious the ranger is less expensive at this point in time. Theres no disputing those numbers(notice how I conced this Vince? Maybe you should do the same for this data here that I have provided). Th eRanger also has performed better in crash tests as well. The numbers dont lie from several sites. I will concede that, as I hope you all concede these numbbers and data I have posted in this article.
So, we have:
Price- favor, Ranger
performance-favor, Tacoma
comfort-objective
safety- favor,Ranger
quality-favor, Tacoma
I think at this point, to dispute this list would only cause more useless bickering. This is where it seems to stand at this time.
Any comments?
offroad performance = tacoma.. ok ill swallow a lil pride sure...
Onroad performance= ranger.... unfortunately we all spend most of our time on pavemnet.
comfort= that is definately and oppinion but mine is with the ranger..
safety = ranger Ford tough
quality = tacoma.. with ranger a close second.. and with appologies to the chevy owners thank god neither of themn are s-10's
i hope that was fair to all
J.D. Power & Associates 1999 Initial Quality Survey for Compact Trucks:
1. Dodge Dakota
2. Mazda B-series (Ford Ranger clone)
3. Ford Ranger
I tried the J.D. Power website, and I was only able to confirm the Dakota as number one. I couldn't find the complete list. Anybody got it?
Also, I would think that the number/frequency of trips back to the dealer would be a much better indicator of build quality. Anybody got those numbers? TSB's and recalls don't actually indicate whether something is wrong with a particular truck. It's an alert that a possibility of a defect exists (recall) and detailed instructions on how to fix something (TSB).
I haven't taken in either of my vehicles ('98 Ranger-16K & '99 SVT Contour-8K) with any sort of defects (knock on wood, you can never be too careful). However, I had to take in my '95 ranger to have the "wacky wipers" fixed under warranty. The damn things would just come on by themselves usually spraying windshield cleaner. Go figure. Oh yeah, I'll have to take in my ranger on that cruise control recall. Oh well...
My opinions on the following:
-Price - Ranger
-Off road - Toyota (but on 99% of trails, ranger will accomplish too)
-On road - Ranger
-Styling - Subjective
-Quality - Toyota (but not by much)
-Safety - Ranger (should be top priority, Toyota really needs to address this)
-Performance - I don't race my truck (that's what the car is for). I use it for hauling, towing, tooling around town, etc... The ranger's edge in torque (at lower revs too) wins me over. But, this is subjective. 0-60 and 1/4 times don't mean much to me if it's a truck (unless you're talking about a Lightning).
-Ergonomics - subjective
-Overall Value - Ranger
The JD power tests are a very, very small sampling of phone calls to people. Like I said, the NHSTA is the official actually, documented, investigated source.
As for street ride, I am not going to concede that. The superior supsension, performance and handling by the Tacoma clearly shows this.
I get the feeling many of you Ranger owners wont concede anything. I did.
Does anyone know how much an after market limited slip for Tacoma goes for? How about a locker?
Thank you for the info on the locker. Perhaps you can answer the question that was asked before.
What happens if the electrical actuator of the locker breaks and freezes in the locked position? Is there a way to break the connection or are you stuck locked?
spoog:
Ah spoog can count but must not be able to read.
Go here, your post:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/
read under safety defects and TELL US how many are duplicate posts and by that I mean THE SAME REPORT NUMBER. There are MANY duplicate posts, same number, same text, same problem on BOTH the Ranger and Tacoma posts.
BUT. . .
When you get to the 1999 Tacoma posts, pay particular attention to the one that discribes:
"...tranfer case locked-up. . ."
and the guy got stuck in an intersection. Hmmm, quality engineering on the "so called" superior Tacoma 4X4.
Also, pay attention to the number of reports that state there was an injury.
Lets play "Where is Waldo. . ."
Where is toyota?!?
"Highest Quality Head Unit Supplier"
Toyota second