TOYOTA TACOMA vs FORD RANGER- Part XI

cpousnr · June 2001

Done, will collect the responses and post tomorrow night.

frey4 · June 2001

this truck i bought off the lot new in Aug. of 2000. it now has 7300 miles on it. all "babied" highway driving. i test drove it, truthfully, at lower speeds about town. i did not notice significant vibration until i owned it a while. i have had NEW tires (Michelins as described), and they have been balanced twice (with very little weight: the Michelins seem to be much better made than the Firestones). the shudder/ floorboard vibration still exists, and is enough to literally make my legs go nearly numb after an hour of driving at 65. i can feel it in the roof pillars, and the seat and the seatbacks vibrate. also, the mirrors outside shake. i find it hard to believe this is "typical of Rangers". i really appreciate your help. i want to LIKE this truck. it is great if it weren't for the shakes. i am a high school chemistry teacher, and worked a long time to get enough dough to buy a new truck: my first BRAND new truck in my lifetime !

rmacias_ · June 2001

Tacoma_TRD:

As far as I've been informed Rancho does not offer their RS9000 shocks for the front suspension of Tacomas. They do offer them for the rear only. The front will have to be equipped with RS5000's due to the coil-over design strut.

tacoma_trd · June 2001

thanks for the advice guys, I was looking around and I think I rather the rancho's over the blisteins plus I love the looks of them, If its really not worth it and you can only get the 9000's for the rear, I may just get the 5000's all around.

eagle63 · June 2001

Do your Ranchos give you a firmer ride than the stock shocks, or is it softer? Also, what do you think of Pro Comp shocks?

cpousnr · June 2001

From Bogger:
"i have heard of this a lot with newer rangers, having bad shafts from the factory and for claiming it is natural!! also, run beside him on the interstate, watch the tires for hop, rotate the tires, see what that does."

Shafts have to be balanced, otherwise they shake. When the one was replaced on my B210, if first did not fit. Took it back, they cut it putting on a new yoke. I installed and it shook. Took it back and they rebalanced it.

cpousnr · June 2001

The ride is firmer, but not objectionable.

At hwy speeds it rides real nice, just floats over any bumps on the road. Offroad there is less of a rocking in off camber situations, less leaning. Not that you could not get through with the old shocks, just a much better ride, very noticable. Well worth the 230 bucks.

The stock shocks were setup for a softer ride I think, these work fine.

rmacias_ · June 2001

I installed RS9000's on my 97 Ranger and they made a significant difference in ride and handling. It was nice to be able to adjust the firmness of ride in less than 60 seconds. The 5-position settings allow you to go from "Cadilac" to "Armored Tank". They are worth the extra money, you can't go wrong.

sasquatch_2000 · June 2001

...but I would think the adjustable rear shocks with set fronts would not be a bad idea. That way, when towing or hauling some heavy load, you can adjust accordingly.

ebbgreatdane · June 2001

Follow the link below. Compare the Toyota Tacoma with the Ford Ranger (link in the bottom left hand corner). I think Tacoma owners will be pleasantly surprised but I think Ranger owners should consider that the not all Gov't required testing is comprehensive.

Both vehicles overall have an identical rating in the off-set crash test (Note: they only tested the 2wd models). Also, if you check out the best in class vs. the worst in class for this testing category, they are the Tacoma and the Dakota respectively.

Food for Thought,
John

http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/98003.htm

natureboy1 · June 2001

The Tacoma Doublecab is also the 2001 Four Wheeler Pickup Truck of the Year...

That's its 3rd win...

How many times did the Ranger win this award???

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm................

cpousnr · June 2001

Actually Ranger has won 3-4 awards from Fourwheeler, a couple on p/u of the year and at least one on "Best Buy, 4X4 truck".

ebbgreatdane · June 2001

As much as I would like to jump on the Spoog bandwagon (actually I have no desire to), I don't think a magazine that both Toyota and Ford pay for advertising in and sponsor events for is the best/fair judge of a good truck. Too biased for my tastes.

cpousnr -
Nice picks in post #1433. Excuse my ignorance but where were these taken at?

John

cpousnr · June 2001

1st one near the summit of Weston Pass between US 285 and US 24, south of Leadville and Fairplay, Colo. at about 10,500 ft elev., looking SE.

2nd one in the middle of English Valley 4X4 area, between Center and Del Norte Colo., off in the foothills of the La Graita range.

3rd from near the top, somewhere over 10,000 ft, of the road heading to the Wheeler Geological Area between South Fork and Creede Colo., off Colo rt 114 at Wagon Wheel Gap, using Forest Service Road 600.

cpousnr · June 2001

4th was taken in some arroyo's between Castle Rock and Franktown colo. It was SUPPOSE to show my Ranger with the wheeles in the air, guess it was too dark! Gotta go there again. It was an area with short pretty steep arroyo's, with short runs where you can get airborne. A guy in a Jeep got too high coming out, about 4 ft up, snapped a motormount when he came down and punctured his oil filter!

cpousnr · June 2001

pictures say it all. . .

http://us-g.rrorc.com/a_little_blurry.htm

spoog · June 2001

hahahhaha! Fords offroading!!!

hahahhahahha

ebbgreatdane · June 2001

He had the 2000 right? Doesn't Ford cover front end vibration under warranty? You should seek and independent mechanic to confirm there is a problem and/or find another dealer who will acknowledge the problem and fix it. Front end vibration is unacceptable unless you are not properly maintaining your truck or unless you break your driverside front axle ;-)

Spoog -

Taco's are great
Taco's are grand
Please stop the posts
No more can we stand

- a Taco owner

midnight_stang · June 2001

There are more Fords probably offroad right now than you have duplicate posts on this board. And THATS a feat.

allknowing · June 2001

Pretty funny comment but I'm not sure that you're accurate. Spoog has been posting for a long time.

cpousnr · June 2001

Here is Tacoma wheeling off road. Can we spell hydorlock boys and girls?

http://www.truckworld.com/Stuck-Of-The-Month/stuck-trucks.html

davidb72 · June 2001

Midnight Stang, that's one of the funniest things I've read on the internet in a long time. Thanks for the laugh.... You too allknowing!

spoog · June 2001

Dont you get it yet my man?

The tacoma beat the hummer , wrangler, and range rover in a head to head offroad comparison...

*sigh*

scape2 · June 2001

Anyone can read the article and see the course and tests were not that hard. The TAcoma won because of its comfort and Toyota paid more to the mag for advertising. Go into the Jeep room and try to brag in there, you'll be laughed out bud. Anyone who actually beleives a Factory built Tacoma can offroad better than a Hummer deserves to be taken.. I will pick the Hummer..
Those pics are great! I thought Tacoma's were supposed to be indestructable? Toyota boys!?? Just another over confident Toyota owner who was won over by Toyota's great marketing group....

eagle63 · June 2001

I wonder which has a better ramp score.... hmmm.....

cpousnr · June 2001

and the Jeep is not, would suspect that the Jeep can very easily out score the Tacoma on the ramp.

indacurl2k · June 2001

Nice shot of that Taco in the mud hole chief. Sucks being that dude.

Hey Vince, not all Toyota owners think their trucks are indestructable. Only the dumb ones who do things like that do. Now if you think ALL Tacoma owners are 'stupid' then it's just another example of the pot calling the kettle "black".

Vince, you think a stock __________ (fill in the truck) would have made it through that? I've seen all kinds of trucks get stuck, with few exceptions***. For the most part, it's not the truck it's the owner. Either the owner is over-confident and tries something stupid like that (CPO's picture), or the owner isn't bright enough to be offroad in the first place.

***The only exceptions are the trucks that people don't take offroad; i.e. Navigator, BMW, Mercedes, CRV and I don't see too many Hummers off road either.

I agree though that there is no way a Tacoma is going to outperform a Hummer. That test was a farce.

rickc5 · June 2001

Ya shoulda been in Moab at the beginning of May, when the Hummer club met to have some fun. These guys were seriously trashing their Hummers. Absolutely unreal! They had three mechanics and their trailer to "put them back together again" at the end of each day. The amount of money it took just to attend boggles the imagination.

cpousnr · June 2001

That pic was in my back pocket, waiting spoog's response. As his response was as expected, the pic got posted. There was another I could have posted where a 4 banger older Toy lunched an engine in a creek, and in the same spot a mid 90's Ranger is going right thru the water and up to the bank and out. No problems.
8^)

Yep that was not a good day for that Toy.

For the record, the white Ranger had just slipped off into the rut and due to the angle the rear went up.

Now imangine if you will that white truck was a Tacoma, locker installed and engaged.

Would the locker CAUSE the truck to flip as the right rear dug in and the left rear spun in unison?

The Ranger w/open or LSD would have attempted to send power to the left rear slipping tire and it would not have flipped, just stopped as it did.

Talked to the guy in the 2nd pic, darker Ranger in the left background. He had broken a CV attemeting to get to the white Ranger. Seems that all they had to do was jerk the rear of the Ranger over and it could be driven out. Guy with the broken CV hooked a tow strap hook into the CV and drove home at 25mph. Ford Tough perhaps?
8^)

The engine on the Tacoma was shot, major repair. . .

cpousnr · June 2001

Planning a trip maybe in two weekends, at least 3 10,000 ft + off-road passes and mybe a 4th.

Browns, Breakneck, Weston passes and then over to Shrine pass with Ptarmigan Loop (many water crossings, that is why I do not know if this will be open) or Camp Hale road off of Shrine and then over to the summit of Vail Pass. Would be a full day, planning lunch in Leadville. I might even call this in as a Rough Ranger Off-road Club event.

Maybee jholic too?

Interested?

eagle63 · June 2001

I know, I was being sarcastic.

spoog · June 2001

Guess what gang-

A ford truck didn't make the cut for the ultimate 4x4 tets...there is a reason. Ford doesn't make offroaders.

" the Tacoma was the best vehicle on the dry washes"

fourwheeler.com

" The tacoma went places the other trucks simply couldnt"

fourhweeler.com

Nice try Vince, Toyota didnt pay anyone off. In fact would you like to compare fords advertising budget verse toyotas? lol.

Fourhweeler is a offroad mag, they dont give high credence to comfort. ROTFLMAO!!!!!!

spoog · June 2001

Thanks Mr. Jeffords......

issisteelman · June 2001

is definitely not a Toyota. Again, when it comes to quality, Yotas beat Fords hands down. Lets be honest here, if money is not an object and you have a choice between a Ranger and a Tacoma, I honestly think that we'd all chose the TACO. I know I would. I hate to say it, no matter how much everyone continues to put down spoog, he is correct. Yotas rock when it comes to off roading. If you like the highways, then stick with your Ranger. See you in the mud..........Steelman.

indacurl2k · June 2001

rick, I believe it. Those things are expensive as all hell.

CPO, all of those pics are good. I can't believe what I see other people doing offroad sometimes. I was on the beach in NC a few years back w/ some friends. Saw a guy in a Chevy Suburban stuck in the mud. The guy had about 6 people in the truck and they're all drinking. They were partying on the beach all day and parked the truck close to the water at low tide. But somehow the truck got stuck in the soft mud. The driver keeps spinning the tires which in turn causes the truck to sink deeper and deeper into the mud. Then they guy gets the idea that if he digs out the mud, he'll be able to move. I stood there, trying like hell not to laugh out loud, when this guy asked me to help him dig the mud out from under his truck. I refused and pointed out that digging the mud out was only helping to sink his truck. He asked for a tow but I told him he was in too deep and I wasn't going to risk getting stuck (For vince: I know my Taco is NOT indestructable). Now he's pissed at me and his truck keeps sinking deeper & deeper. I offer to call in a tow for him but he declines. The tide starts coming in too which made the whole situation even more dire. I retreat and crack another beer and watch. The truck is stuck now and isn't going anywhere without a tow. Waves are lapping at the front of the Chevy. An F150 (no 4wd) happened on the scene and offered to pull him out. So they hook up tow straps and the Ford not only gets stuck, but it looked like he tweaked his suspension too. The whole time I'm thinking, "This is better than anything on ESPN." Finally they take me up on the cell phone offer and call in a tow, for both trucks. In 10 minutes I watched a tow truck driver make $250.

scape2 · June 2001

Its just the mentality that you have that just kills me. This thing about "if we all had the money we would all opt for a Tacoma"? What are you saying? That only poor people buy Fords? I sure wish I could show you my 401K, home, and portfolio you may think twice. Ever thought that maybe you have been had by the great Toyota marketing? There is nothing special about your Tacoma bud. This huge quality gap that you wish in your mind was there, is not. Toyota has lost its value it once had in the 80's. Resale, hope the Tacoma is better, you paid more in the first place..
As far as the Hummer/Jeep vs TAcoma debate. As I keep saying. I keep waiting for spoog to hop over to these chat rooms and claim Tacoma as king.. LOL!

issisteelman · June 2001

No, I am not trying to imply that only poor people buy Rangers. What I was trying to imply is that if you take 100 people (where money is no object) and give them a choice between and Ranger and a Taco, I am willing to bet that 90 of them will chose the Taco. Even better, if given a choice between a free Taco and a free Ranger, 90 out of 100 would pick the free Taco. I know I would. I believe most intelligent consumers would. Take care and I'll see you on the 4-wheeler trails..............Steelman.

allknowing · June 2001

Let's make it clear that it's very unlikely that many Toyota owners think that their truck is a better off-road vehicle than a Hummer. I really doubt that even Four Wheeler Magazine would have wanted to see our military driving Tacomas in Desert Storm rather than the Hummer. The Toyota is probably a lot more reliable and quality made than the street version of the Hummer but hardly as capable off-road. I don't even think that spoog could believe that.

eagle63 · June 2001

exactly. They wouldn't sell many magazines if they always chose the Hummer as the best off-roader.

bess · June 2001

You claim that if you take 100 people where money is no object, that they'd pick the Tacoma 90% of the time..

Sorry, but if this was really the case, then why does the Ranger outsell (number of units sold per year) the Tacoma by such a huge margin?
Sure, the price difference is a factor, but if the Tacoma were truly seen by 90% of the people as 'much higher' quality truck, there wouldn't be the huge gap in sales.

I think you'd lose your bet..

spoog · June 2001

Read the article! The Tacoma *did* beat the Hummer in certain aspects offroad.
It's the May, 2001 Issue of Four Wheeler.

Some great photos, tech information. They get real down and dirty and detailed in the comparison.

\\would have wanted to see our military driving Tacomas in Desert Storm rather than the Hummer. \\

Well, the African and Mideast armies do in fact use double cab tacomas as machine gun mounts and troop transports.....

See...they don't have too many repair shops in Africa

cpousnr · June 2001

I HAVE seen pictures of African thugs, would not call them an army, riding around in older Toyota trucks with machine guns. Not Tacoma Toyotas. Get real, where would they come up with $25-30K to get Tacoma double cabs when they cannot feed their own people?

I have seen pictures of some older Toyotas used in Africa for safari's, but more often than not I have seen pictures of Land Rovers and such for that purpose.

I have seen pictures of Suburbans and Explorers used by our embassy staff in African and Asian countries, not Toyota's.

Everyone has seen pics of my truck.

What we have not seen is pics of your truck.

8^)

cpousnr · June 2001

Check out July 1999.

http://www.truckworld.com/Stuck-Of-The-Month/stuck-trucks-99.html

That kind of like what your saw?

These are funny, sad, sorry it happened to them, but funny none the less.

In regard to the pics I posted, it is not fun to get stuck like that. And any vehicle can get stuck and or ruined by DWS...driving while stupid.

Also when you DWS you sometimes disregard the environment which brings a bad name to all. Remember what I said regarding my trip to Wheeler Geological area? I got into an area, mud and ruts and while on firm ground I walked the next 1/4 mile. The 3/4 mile I could see was pepered by ruts and serious mud. I was alone and I just turned around a went down. MAybe I could have continued but I would have had to cross tundra to do it. I saw a nice Landcruiser in the Wet mountains a year ago that tried to go around a 5 ft snow drift to continue down the road. He crossed tundra that turned into muck. Down to the frame he went. I must admit the locker kept him going in a straight line, but he was 125 ft off the firm road, asking me for a tow out(yeah right, a Ranger will pull out a Cruiser stuck in mud to the frame). It started to snow, his kids were in shorts. . .well you get the picture.

frey4 · June 2001

i own a Ranger that i am not happy with, so i am probably biased. here is my take. strong points of my 2000 Ranger 4.0, supercab: A wonderful 5 speed auto, tons of torque [a great towing machine] and easy access to the cab. also, very stong rearand and suspension. what i HATE about it is it is impossible to get the vibration and shakes out of it, and the vague "wandering" steering feel. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT TACOS: Impeccable assembly quality, VERY smooth V6 engine, VERY high reliability, very high quality interior and seats. it needs the "doggie doors" of the Ford cab (a more practical design). why did i buy the Ranger ? MONEY. it literally cost 3900 bucks less than the Taco. would i do it again ? NO !! i am KICKING myself for not having bought the Toyota [remember that Toyota is assembled in the USA, so patriotism is not an issue. be aware that many Fords are Canadian or Mexican, not American. so the "buy America" mantra is emotional, not factual, anymore] .i see now that it is WORTH that extra 4 grand initially, and it's very likely that i'd get that extra 4 grand back out of it 4 or 5 years later. i am going to try to sell my Ranger and buy a Tundra. no more Fords for me [numerous defects and 11 trips to the dealer have worn me out..bad tires, defective rear door latches, warped driveshaft, FUBAR'd turn signal switch and windshieldwipers, shorted wiring harness (leaving me with no headlights), defective "gem" module, rear window leak, and SHAKES. in less than 8000 miles]. i beliveve i got a "lemon", and know a lot of happy Ranger owners. i am not happy. my next American truck will be a Toyota. my next American car will be a HONDA. good luck all.

allknowing · June 2001

As much as I'd like to think that my truck is a better off-roader than a Hummer, I've seen a Hummer in action off-road and there seems to be no contest. I guess I need to read the article but the only advantage I can see in the Tacoma would involve size. I've seen a Hummer drive through a stream almost completely submerged and the automatic air compressor on the Hummer can improve the traction at will. I like the Tacoma as you do when compared to other small trucks but I wouldn't bet any of my money on the Tacoma in an off-road competition between the two.

smgilles · June 2001

Those are the reasons I will NEVER buy an "American" care again. There are definitely goods one out there, but I am not going to take the chance of having to be lucky enough to get one. I had a dodge dakota (POS), a chevy s-10 (POS) and a Nissan Hardbody (197,000 miles and only replaced the fuel pump), they truck was a gold mine.

My brother-in law is a Ford mechanic and he warned me of the Rangers having spotty reliability(he even owns one). I still shopped for a Ranger, a Nissan, and a Toyota. As I have stated before I wanted the Nissan because of previous loyalty, but they wanted a mint. The Toyota was going to be about $1500 more than the Ford. I thought for the piece of mind of not living at the dealership I will spend the extra $1500.

Again, these are just my personal experiences and everyone has different ones, but the Japanese build a higher quality car/truck, from top to bottom. I now have 6500 miles on my 2001 ext. cab 4x4 and I think myself everytime I get in it and drive it.

Whenever my brother-in law go fishing, we always take the Tacoma:)

indacurl2k · June 2001

CPO, that's sort of like what I saw and that's likely would've been the result if we weren't there to let them use our cell-phone. The tide hadn't come in nearly as much as in that picture.

It's sort of like what they say about guns not killing people, it's people who kill people. Trucks don't get stuck, it's the drivers. I've seen more people do stupid things with their trucks because they thought the truck was invincible.

Vince, again we get back to the personal choice issue. Some people believe that Toyota IS a better quality vehicle than Ford. Hell, you've even admitted it to some extent. That is their opinion and they're entitled to it every bit as much as you are entitled to believe otherwise. If you think all Tacoma owners are stupid or suckers for buying a Tacoma over a Ranger, then you've got some maturity issues there bud. It's either that or you're trolling for a debate. You're looking for a pro-Tacoma person to come on here and debate you so you can show us all how great the Ranger really is. The Tacoma is a better truck, you've said it yourself. It's on here for everyone to read. The Ranger may be the better value for 99.99999% of the people buying an offroad, compact p/u. But is is universally agreed upon (even by you) that the Tacoma is better; even if only slightly. I think its sort of funny that you criticize people for buying a Tacoma over a Ranger and then you even go on record to say that the Tacoma is "slightly" better than a Ranger. I have one question for you bud, are you a politician?

There are thousands of different vehicles out there to choose from. Not everyone is going to see value where you see it.

cpousnr · June 2001

Pros

1. Impressive reliability and durability

2. Quality of fit, finish and material is topnotch

3. The 2.7-liter and 3.4-liter really pump out the power

4. Two-wheel drive models behave like cars

5. Superior 4-wheel drive Tacomas' off-road prowess

6. The 2.4-liter engine is very frugal

7. The Xtracab and Double Cab are quite roomy

Cons

1. Tacomas received low marks in collision tests

2. Tacomas are more expensive than equivalent competitors

3. The V6 engine lacks torque at low rpm

4. Stopping distances are long and erratic without ABS

5. Getting into the Xtracab's rear seats is something

6. The high center of gravity of 4x4s makes curves dicey

7. Double Cab 4x4 length and wide turning radius hamper maneuverability

Hmm, lacks low end torque in the V6?
I cannot relate, my Ranger gets it's max torque, 225lb/ft at 2700 rpm, not 3600+ as in the Tacoma.

midnight_stang · June 2001

Yeah, torque down low is good. Even in my 93 2.3l, I rarely get the RPM's above 3200(Which is usually only in 1st gear). That's also probably why I get 315 miles to the tank or more, with over 135,000 miles logged. The low RPM's also probably attribute to the fact that my valve cover has come off once, purely because I wanted to, no need to repair or maintain anything.

Frey--->I personally haven't seen any of your problems... so Your ranger must of been built on humpday.

I would take your dealership service for a ride and show them the vibration... probably just a wheel or cv axle out of balance. Everything is fixable, and should of been noticed during initial test drive.

smgillies--->Funny you mention not buying a domestic built truck. Tacoma's are built in Freemont California, and Ford Rangers are built in St. Paul, Minnesota.

scape2 · June 2001

for people to understand me? I have said over and over again. Yes, the Tacoma does hold a slight edge in the reliability area, but not this HUGE gap that some Toyota owners wish potential compact truck owners to believe.
And once again the HP/Torque curve issue. And again, the Ranger is a made for towing, hauling and pulling. Its torque band is lowwer than the TAcoma. And now with its new SOHC 4.0 it plain out powers the Tacoma.
In todays paper I was thumbing through the ads. I notice a 4x4 TRD package Tacoma pretty well loaded for $18,988 (4 of them)! I did a double take and it was true! I called the dealer and its the 2.7 model 5spds. Still I was surprised, figuring a 3.4 model would only be about 2-3K more with automatic The same mega dealer is offering EDGE Rangers 4x4's for 18,488 12 of them, loaded with the 5speed SOHC 4.0. it almost looks like car prices are dropping due to the economic conditions.
The new Jeep Liberty is selling in my area for 21K with the new V6 and nicely optioned. Anyone else notice this trend?

TOYOTA TACOMA vs FORD RANGER- Part XI

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