2019 ford ranger review....

ArlyA · Sep 11, 2023

Same ol, same ol towing a 1600lb 6x6.

ArlyA · Sep 27, 2023

towing junk in.

dstig1 · Sep 27, 2023

I got mine ~2 weeks ago. Couldn't find one locally so had to go out of state. They were getting pretty rare as the '23's run out and no new SuperCabs in '24 (at least so far - someone elsewhere posted that they might be bringing one out later...dunno). Had to fly over your way to Deeeetroit to pick it up. Got to visit with my daughter on the way back and stay overnight to break up the long drive which was nice. Need to add the parts for the tow package to it now as that was one key thing I could not find along with heated seats.

Here it is.

ArlyA · Sep 28, 2023

dstig1 said:
I got mine ~2 weeks ago. Couldn't find one locally so had to go out of state. They were getting pretty rare as the '23's run out and no new SuperCabs in '24 (at least so far - someone elsewhere posted that they might be bringing one out later...dunno). Had to fly over your way to Deeeetroit to pick it up. Got to visit with my daughter on the way back and stay overnight to break up the long drive which was nice. Need to add the parts for the tow package to it now as that was one key thing I could not find along with heated seats.

Here it is.

View attachment 823699 View attachment 823700 View attachment 823701 View attachment 823702

Do post a report after you get miles on it. We still like (love really) ours.

dstig1 · Sep 29, 2023

Well I have 900 miles on it already, mainly due to driving it back to the Twin Cities from Deeeetroit, so....

The major stuff I like. Ride, handling (for a truck), power/acceleration, braking, step-in ht, ergonomics (overall), comfort, size, etc. Mileage was surprisingly low, IMO. I got 20-21 on the trip home, all freeway, mainly 75-80 mph. I was kinda expecting mid 20's. It does seem to lug a bit before downshifting when it is at a steady cruise and you want to speed up, but not a major deal.

Where I feel Ford really dropped the ball was on the details. As noted I missed getting the tow package on this. Since I still need to do something there, my research found out it is not hard to add back what you need to get to that. BUT...There was never an integrated trailer brake controller (TBC) and I ASS-U-ME'd there was one in the tow package. In 2023, the biggest frappin light truck maker misses an integrated TBC on a new truck?!?! But yes, I found the add-on TBC kit from Ford and will do that along with the rest of the tow stuff when I get around to it.

So that is a big one. Other stuff like my phone does not connect Android Auto wirelessly because they didn't put Wifi in the system, but they did Bluetooth, so phone calls work, but I have to plug it in for AA. Not an issue on long trips as you need to plug it in anyways, but the day to day stuff, that becomes annoying. I've found several small items like this where I find my self saying "Really, Ford?!?!" and it is all relatively small stuff but in 2023 you expect many of these things to be there.

Were I to order one, like I had planned, I would have optioned it differently, which would have been nicer but that is just the way the cookie crumbled this time. It doesn't have the adaptive cruise, and let me tell you, after regularly driving a car that has it (like my main car), it is super easy to forget that you DON'T have it when driving this one... Can get interesting before you switch brain on

Overall I'm happy, I like it, and it will do just what I need. Mainly hauling and occasional towing, and a comfortable winter driver. But the small annoyances still kinda bug me.

txdon · Sep 29, 2023

dstig1 said:
Overall I'm happy, I like it, and it will do just what I need. Mainly hauling and occasional towing, and a comfortable winter driver. But the small annoyances still kinda bug me.

Good looking truck!
Sounds like you needed a Lariat Ranger with tow package like I have. My iPhone connects as soon as I get in the truck, and it has adaptive cruise. I use apple CarPlay for navigation and don't have to mess with nav updates. Our town adds about 20 new streets a month. I have not noticed any little annoyances that you have mentioned. 2019, Just turned 50K miles.

ArlyA · Sep 29, 2023

Our dealer orders there trucks with the tow package but as you state, doesn't come with the brake parts. That would be nice. The phone integration doesn't bother us but we live in a small town.

dstig1 · Sep 29, 2023

txdon said:
Good looking truck!
Sounds like you needed a Lariat Ranger with tow package like I have. My iPhone connects as soon as I get in the truck, and it has adaptive cruise. I use apple CarPlay for navigation and don't have to mess with nav updates. Our town adds about 20 new streets a month. I have not noticed any little annoyances that you have mentioned. 2019, Just turned 50K miles.

Interesting. One of the things I have read is that Ford kept deleting minor features in model years since the reintroduction in 2019 and this may be one of them. Probably some combination of cost savings and supply chain/chip shortages. I suspect many of those deletions are related to the minor annoyances I have run across...

Adaptive cruise was an option, but I just was not lucky enough to get it. They really shorted the Extended cab overall as they easily made 10x the number of crew cabs as ext cabs so they were hard to find well equipped without ordering. Couple that with them going away and I had to scramble to find anything decent. Not sure if that is a chicken/egg problem: Did people not buy them because they weren't making them, or were they not making many because people weren't buying them? Dunno

Bearsixty7 · Sep 29, 2023

dstig1 said:
Interesting. One of the things I have read is that Ford kept deleting minor features in model years since the reintroduction in 2019 and this may be one of them. Probably some combination of cost savings and supply chain/chip shortages. I suspect many of those deletions are related to the minor annoyances I have run across...

Adaptive cruise was an option, but I just was not lucky enough to get it. They really shorted the Extended cab overall as they easily made 10x the number of crew cabs as ext cabs so they were hard to find well equipped without ordering. Couple that with them going away and I had to scramble to find anything decent. Not sure if that is a chicken/egg problem: Did people not buy them because they weren't making them, or were they not making many because people weren't buying them? Dunno

I think most people prefer the full cab and doors. My first 2 F250's were extended cab and the last 2 were F350 Crew Cab and I wouldn't consider going back to extended cab.

ArlyA · Sep 29, 2023

Bearsixty7 said:
I think most people prefer the full cab and doors. My first 2 F250's were extended cab and the last 2 Crew Cab and I wouldn't consider going back to extended cab.

That might be correct but we commonly fill the 6ft box ours extended cab has.

Bearsixty7 · Sep 29, 2023

ArlyA said:
That might be correct but we commonly fill the 6ft box ours extended cab has.

LOL! Yeah, I guess that may make a difference on those "toy" trucks (

I had to!).
I have an 8' box on my F350 CC for the same reason. I've never had anything other than an 8' box since my very first pickup, an '83 Toyota Deluxe reg cab, 5-spd. I think it had a 6.5 or 7' box, not sure.

paulsharvey · Sep 29, 2023

I had a couple extended cabs (dakota, chevy 2500, personnel, and work, dakota, gmc 1500, ram) and currently have a Ram 1500 crew. I like the crew, But as the kids get grown and move out, I wouldn't mind an extended cab. The dakota, back seat was a joke, and not meant for people to sit in; the Chevy2500/GMC1500, it wasn't bad for an adult for trips under an hour or two.

dstig1 · Sep 29, 2023

Bearsixty7 said:
LOL! Yeah, I guess that may make a difference on those "toy" trucks ( I had to!).
I have an 8' box on my F350 CC for the same reason. I've never had anything other than an 8' box since my very first pickup, an '83 Toyota Deluxe reg cab, 5-spd. I think it had a 6.5 or 7' box, not sure.

Yeah it is small, but that is the main reason I bought it! I was coming from an F250 ext cab with 8' bed. The 8' bed sure was nice for lumber/plywood, which is a lot of what I end up hauling, but I hated driving it as it rode, not ironically, like a lumbervagon. Plus it was huge, sucked gas and was impossible to park. Not to mention falling apart from rust being 19 yrs old up here. Also my need to haul massive things has greatly diminished and if I REALLY need that, I can either rent the capability or get stuff delivered.

While I agree that an 8' bed can't be beat, it also can't be parked anywhere! A 6' bed in a much smaller, more comfortable package is a compromise I can very much live with.

ArlyA · Sep 30, 2023

We test drove a f150 when we were looking at the ranger, it was like piloting a small ship.

KennyG · Sep 30, 2023

ArlyA said:
We test drove a f150 when we were looking at the ranger, it was like piloting a small ship.

The increase in capability of "1/2 ton" trucks has made them more like the old 3/4 tons. When I went from a Dakota to a F150, it was a bit of an adjustment to the size, but, like anything, you get used to it and the towing capability is the key benefit if you need it.

goeduck · Sep 30, 2023

I wonder if they will actually bring out the F200 or if it will be EV only.

Ford F-200 Coming As Heavy-Duty F-150 Sibling

The Blue Oval has applied for the F-200 trademark. CarBuzz discovered the trademark applications filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This news comes shortly after Ford filed a trademark application for the "Lobo" name in the USA.

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