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Comments
Quality wise, they the absolute worst quality 4x4 on the market. Worse than Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. Maintenance records support this
I've found that Ford sales departments are generally pretty good. Maybe the fact that there's usually one about 5mins away that has something to do with it. I've heard thousands of horror stories about the service departments, though. But, I can't rate the one I've gone to on a couple of occasions anything other than very good to excellent. Maybe I've just been lucky... I guess it must be an either or thing because their sales staff are a bunch of a$$holes.
Just ready to turn 35K on my XLT. Other than the door sensor and the wiper switch, replace on warrenty, no real issues.
Say spoog, notice you commented favorably on the post from a guy that has problems with a 95 Ranger.
No favorable comments for rick who had problems with his Tacoma.
Your bias is showing badly.
Hit a 97 Chrysler. There was a big Chevy beside me so I backed out slow and the woman did not stop[or back up. And I could no see her.
On the Chrysler, front fender, hood, one light, bra and front bumper were bent/damaged.
My Ranger? Scraped the plastic on the step bumper and bent slightly the reciever hitch cover.
It was about a 3 mph hit.
offroading fun are numbered. \\
Offroading isn't well groomed forest roads.....
\\ She wants a mini-suv
in the family. I can't argue too much either. I
have been very busy the last 6-9 months with my
kids soccer, swimming, basketball, dancing and so
on. This has put a squeeze on my being able to go
into the Cascades as much as I would like. I have
only made it up there about 4 times in the last
month. And a mini-suv will get me into the fishing
areas I like, just can't go onto the harder
trails.. Sigh....\\
The mini SUV won't be a downgrade at all from the Ranger in 4x4 use. The Ranger was never designed for offroad use. Your just as well off getting that new Ford Escape, which is pretty sharp looking. Same ground clearance as the Ranger, and you still get your limited slip.
Consistant mistakes regarding the Tacoma in his discussions indicates this.
Have you ever seen a picture of his? NO! and he has been asked many times.
Remember that commercial of a woman holding up pictures of an SUV seeing what it looks like in front of a boat in a neighbors driveway?
Thats spoog, all dream, no machine. . .
I don't know whats going to happen. I enjoy my Ranger, enjoy the outdoors. I don't plan on making any type of move until next fall anyway. It has come down to whats practical though for the family. So spoog, I have plenty of play time left. Time up in the Cascade range of Oregon /Washington. Doing things in a 4x4 Ranger you only dream of...boy.
FOR A "MIGHTY" RANGER AT ONCE!!.....LOL
A newbee to the room, welcome jray18. How can I burst your "Tacoma is god" bubble today?
I know the open axle gets you Toyota boys going, along with the HP/Torque curve issue, and crashtest issue, along with your cheap and badly laid out interior... LOL! along with the premium price you boys paid for a set of 4 Bilstein shocks and springs, a locker you will maybe use 2% of your total driving time, and a sticker that says "TRD Toyota racing development" ooooh cool... Enjoy the sticker...
Defect Investigations 1989-2000
Ford Ranger - 20
Dodge Dakota- 14
Chevy S10 - 51
Toyota Tacoma - 2
Safety Recalls 1989-2000
Ford Ranger- 32
Dodge Dakota - 28
Chevyy S10 - 47
Toyota Tacoma - 6
Technical Service Bulletins 1989-2000
Ford Ranger -2,279(yes, 2,279)
Dodge Dakota- 940
Chevy S10 -448
Toyota Tacoma - 150
-------
So there you have it. All data is factual, and very telling. This is NOT "subjective".
A trucks reliability and build quality is NOT "subjective".
Not all trucks are built the same, as you can plainly see.
Here is the hard link:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Better seats
Better ride over rough pavement; less harsh
Less noise, especially wind/road noise
Better sound system
Better ergonomics; the Tacoma has an AWFUL steering wheel; the Ranger has more leg room
So now you can repeat yourself and once again tell me how you love your Tacoma and disagree with my opinion. OK, fire away.
Here is a real truck
I thought you had a Tacoma...
spoog, interesting data on TSB. however, reasearch and data collection never prove anything. they merely suggest a possibility. statistical relevance is also an issue. there seems to be no information regarding the statistical implications of that data. it is my opinion that the percieved quality between foriegn and domestic cars/trucks is GREATLY exaggerated. supposedly, companies like ford are only after the bottom line, the heck with quality. yet, japanese companies care only about quality. right! every company is out to suck the last dollar out form under us. it just so happens, people are suckered into paying a premium for japanese vehicles. granted, i would never buy a chevy but you know what im saying.
personally, i dont understand, if someone is going to have a 4x4 for 4x4 purposes, why wouldnt someone buy a really old jeep, truck, whatever? whats the deal with buying BRAND SPANKING NEW vehicles so you can pretend you are rugged and live in the woods anyway? do you like throwing away thousands of dollars? thats what happens when you buy a new truck. come on! the rigs in the 4x4 mags are all old beat up peices of modified crap and they seem to be doing just fine.
thanks for reading....
vehicle?\\
Production? Specialty?
The basic Jeep is the best stock production offroader, followed by the Toyota LandCruiser and Toyota Tacoma.
\\i noticed that someone stated that a
ranger isnt meant for serious offroading.\\
This is correct. Ford does not build their trucks with even a HINT of offroad philosophy. They build their trucks to haul, tow , and be comfortable on the highway. They do this job well.
\\ if that
is true whats the point? wouldnt that mean that ALL
pickups arent meant for offroading?\\
No. Pickup trucks are not all cut from the same cloth......
\\ if so, wouldnt
a better choice be something like a subaru? a
subaru is a "serious" off road machine considering
its vast experience in winning rallys. are there
various degrees of offroading? where do the ranger
and tacoma fit? im serious! all things considered,
what do those of you with experience believe to be
the most sensible offroad vehicle? please dont tell
me its a brand new $23 thousand dollar pick up.\\
The most sensible offroad vehicle? A used Cj 7 with around 6 grand of work to it.
But this is NOT a reliable vehicle. This is why Toyota has earned such a great world wide offroading reputation:
Not only do they make good offroading trucks, they can take the abuse as well. Thats a pretty rare thing.
The Jeep is stil the better trail vehicle.
WINNER: TOYOTA TACOMA TRD
Although the compact Tacoma XtraCab itself is not completely new, the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) suspension and locking rear differential package is. The TRD Off-Road Package offers oversized fender flares, alloy wheels, 31-inch tires, Bilstein shocks, slightly softer spring rates, and an electromechanical, button-actuated rear locking differential, all for $1,690.
Our Surfside Green test unit came with the 3.4-liter, dual-overhead cam, 24-valve engine and five-speed manual transmission. The Tacoma came factory-equipped with the lowest axle gears of the test: 4.10:1. It was this combination of excellent gearing (First gear for the factory five-speed is 3.83:1) that made testers comment about how readily the Tacoma jumped off the line. In fact, during track testing, the Tacoma was substantially faster than the others, both loaded and unloaded (see page 30). Tract ion came courtesy of a more aggressive tread in the 31x10.50 Goodyear Wrangler three-stage GSA. We found it supplied surprisingly good cornering power on pavement, with plenty of potential for aired-down trail running.
As well as the Tacoma performed on the track, it was on the trail where the premium import seemed most comfortable. Best-in-class ground clearance, the most aggressive tread of the bunch, and a crawl ratio of better than 40:1 made the Tacoma everyone' s choice for hill climbs and steep backside descents. Even our resident auto-tranny diehards had to admit that the lively throttle response, sure-grip clutch, and built-to-work gearing meshed together as well as any championship-caliber team. In each perf ormance-related category of our test, the Toyota won.
It's not often that our collection of testers agree on anything (in fact, never), but this year's Pickup Truck of the Year was a unanimous decision. Praises relating to the TRD suspension mentioned its ability to control rutted, seriously choppy terra in better than any other vehicle we'd driven. One tester went so far as to note that during a few moments of an effortless dry-wash run, it seemed the spirit of Ivan Stewart had taken over his body. This is a truck that can go slow or go fast, on pavement or off.
Ultimately, in addition to a strong engine, good tires, and supremely tuned suspension, the clutch defeat switch (the only one in a truck sold in the US.), lever-operated transfer case, and pushbutton locking rear differential were the icing on a toug h-truck cake. Although you have to pay a premium for a premium package, the TRD Tacoma, dollar for dollar, is the best on- and off-highway compact package (maybe of any truck) we've seen. This truck has features the others just don't offer, and they all w ork. And that's why it's our 1998 Pickup Truck of the Year.
We would characterize the drivetrain, specifically the transmission, as biased for highway performance as well. All 4.0-liter Rangers (and Mazdas, for that matter) ordered without the manual tranny get the first five-speed automatic transmission offer ed for any pickup. Our testers split over the need and/or usefulness of a mileage-biased transmission geared for empty-load flatland running. Those in favor noted the nearly seamless transitions from one gear to the next, and how the transmission itself c ould, if the vehicle was driven right--no jackrabbit leadfoot starts--tack on another 50,000 miles of life to the engine.
On the trail, we found the automatic transmission to be a double-edged sword. The smoothness of the First-to-Second shift, combined with the inherent low-end grunt of the engine, was almost enough to overcome the taller gearing. And in the end, voting followed individual preferences for manuals versus automatics. Two testers noted both the manual transmissions (Mazda and Toyota) felt more "in control" on the twisty low-range trails of Truckhaven, where face-down compression braking was very helpful o n steep-trail crawling. 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.
Likewise, where the stiffened front suspension cleanly handled all paved-road obstacles thrown in its path, the Ford IFS had trouble keeping up with the broken terrain of dry washes, hill climbs, and washboards. Admittedly, it is a rare vehicle that c an manage all the extremes with equal aplomb, but several testers commented that the Ford liked to spring a little bit quicker (and hop higher) off the rolling whoop-de-doos. For the most part, we found the sacrificed off-highway capability to be greater than the gained on-highway performance, and for that reason it didn't score well in the parts of our test that are most heavily-weighted; however, that isn't to say testers weren't squabbling among themselves to get into the Ranger for the highway drives up the mountain.
Finally, testers showed their traditional colors by not favoring the dash-mounted rotary dial ("looks a lot like an A/C control--and no Neutral") of the Borg-Warner 44-05 electronic transfer case. The 44-05 never gave us a lick of trouble--we submerge d the gearboxes under freezing water, as well as subjecting them to high-heat, dust-blasted wash runs--and by going to a dial, floor space opens up, but our scorers' preference is for a lever-actuated system, or anything with a Neutral position, regardles s of the floor space it takes up.
Like any good four wheeler, we found the Ford Ranger could do several things quite well, scoring highly in On-Road Ride and Handling and Interior Comfort. To us, the new Ranger is a nice-looking, comfortable truck that is easy to drive and easy to own . And it's made in plants with a reputation for quality. But the Pickup Truck of the Year has to do it all pretty damn well, and it has to be great off-highway. And so we introduce our 1998 winner.
The Ford five-lug 8.8-inch rearend comes standard with the 4.0-lite/five-speed auto combo. Leaf springs and 3.73:1 axle gears are rated to carry 1,180 pounds. Mazda's 7.5-inch rearend is standard with the 3.0-liter V-6. Not surprisingly, our ride-quality vastly improved with 12 bags of landscape rock in the compact's bed.
Toyota's TRD Tacoma comes with the only factory offered rear locking differential on any (full-size or compact) pickup. We found it a huge asset for trail adventures.
FORD & MAZDA TOYOTA
Ford's new compact frontend uses F-150-style short- and long-arm IFS, with torsion bars. The setup offers big gains on pavement--but not without trail sacrifices.
The new Pulse-Vacuum Hub (PVH) used exclusively on compact Fords and Mazdas allows for true in-cab-controlled shift-on-the-fly capability.
Toyota's double A-arm/coilover frontend handles pavement cornering and trail flex with equal skill. We like the six-lug axles and big-caliper front discs.
After weighing each truck at a commercial scale, we subtract that amount from the factory-rated Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) to arrive at an actual maximum payload number. We run track testing with truck beds both empty and with half their calculated payload, this year using 35-pound bags of landscaping rock. In this case, the Ford and Mazda each ran with 16 bags, the Toyota with 18. We think it's valuable to see how each truck performs when carrying a load; that's why they have a bed. For a significant portion of the rest of the test, we run the trucks at half maximum payload. This also allows us to see how mileage is affected, as well as how the engine and chassis react.
At each stage of our test, drivers rotated from truck to truck during a variety of terrain changes--recording comments and scoring each truck as they go.
In the end, each tester scores each truck in 38 different categories with "Mechanical" accounting for 25 percent of the book total;
"Trail Performance" accounting for 30 percent; "Highway Performance" 20 percent; "Interior" 15 percent; and "Exterior" 10 percent. Each logbook accounts for 80 percent of overall scoring, with the remaining 20 percent centered around our nine "Empirical" tests you'll find in chart form: Ground Clearance, Noise at 55 mph, Payload, and so forth.
Finally, we've printed point totals so readers may weight their own "paper test," awarding points for those aspects of a truck they find most valuable. Some may appreciate interior or highway feel more than we have. Change the percentages around and choose your own winner. Of course, that certainly won't be as much fun (or difficult) as running around the countryside with a group of brand new four-bys.
-Edmunds.com
" The Ranger rattled like a Diamonback offroad"
- Edmunds.com
Suspension: Independent double-wishbone front suspension with torsion bar springs and stabilizer bar; 4-link rear suspension with coil springs, stabilizer bar and semi-floating axle
--------------------------------------------------
But the Rangers and F150's and Expedition suspensions are designed for the highway using the SAME DESIGN. Gee, maybe spring rate and damping can make a difference?
I think I hear a TSB list coming up!!
"The basic Jeep is the best stock production
offroader, followed by the Toyota LandCruiser and
Toyota Tacoma."
"Ford does not build their trucks
with even a HINT of offroad philosophy. They build
their trucks to haul, tow , and be comfortable on
the highway. They do this job well."
So let me get this straight, unless I'm only interested in offroading, I should get a ranger because it's built to do what a pickup truck should do. (tow, haul, etc.) but if I only care about offroading, then I should get a wrangler?
where does the tacoma fit into all of this?