Ranger vs Tachoma

[Anupam Routh]

Greetings! In our town in the south, I am seeing more Tacoma with 4 door than before. Why does not Ford import 4 door Ranger from Mexico? Is Ford afraid that 4 door Ranger will compete with F150? With thanks.

 

[FlipTrac_511]

I think right now with the Sport Trac (and a fairly new 2nd generation one at that) still available in the states that a quad-cab Ranger is too redundant. Also, I think a 4-door version of the current Ranger would sell just as much as the 4-door GMC Sonomas/Chevy S10s (?) did. Not that it would compete with the F150 but rather it couldn't compete enough with all other quad-cabs available.



With the Sport Trac on its way out and a new Ranger on its way in, this will probably change.

 

[Tom Schindler]

While I like the Ranger body style, the 4 door versions just don't look right. Plus, why buy a 4 door Ranger when you can get a 4 door Sport Trac?



As Flip said, with the Sport trac going out of production, Ford REALLY needs a good looking small truck. A 4 door Ranger might be my next vehicle. If not, an F-150 is what it will be.



Of course, this is still many years off. My Trac isn't old enough and is just too reliable to replace.





Tom

 

[swshawaii]

Agree with Caymen, the "crew cab" Ranger looks like an afterthought.

Initially, felt the same way with the ST. After parking next to a Honda "Ridgeback", it's beautiful.

BTW, what's a "Tachoma" ?

 

[Matthew Runals]

well there are reasons why someone should by a ranger over the st, mainly because the st has no bed, ok sure sure it has four feet which is nothing compared to what you could get with the ranger or even with another make. the four door s-10 sold pretty well in Va, see several models and to me Ford is wasting money have both the st and the ranger models. to me they could end the ranger and combine it with the st.

 

[Kevin Lang]

The ST has a short bed, yes, but it is much deeper than the average ranger and S10 bed, so while it can't haul loads as long, it can probably fit as much, if not more, cubic footage.



Bed Extender gives one 6 feet of length. I've seen many people who have the 6-8 foot beds and rarely, if ever, use them. They're like a status symbol.



I also see a lot of people getting massive trucks with rear dvd systems and using them as "cool" minivans, using the bed once in a blue moon. People who could more than make due with the ST are going for something they don't need just because it fits their desired image. Personally, a truck with a rear DVD system is an abomination; I'd rather see a truck drag it's frame along the road than be beaten down to be minivans.

 

[Andy Chase]

've seen many people who have the 6-8 foot beds and rarely, if ever, use them

That is the one feature I miss with my F-150, is the 8' bed. It might never have been completely full, but it was very useful for my camping trips, I didn't have to dig out anything as most things were single stacked. The best feature is I put a rod rack into the topper and my rod's were accessable and never broke. I could fit about 12-15 rods in the rack with little problems, now I have to make sure I pack them nicely in the ST with the bed extender and make sure that nothing will slide in the bed and break the rod.

 

[Kevin Lang]

Andy, I know that I for one could use a longer bed. Shoot, I can't even lay down in the thing with the bed extender out



Though I needed the passenger space, and the ST is my first truck. To make up for it, my bed is almost always loaded down, but I can't see upgrading yet.

 

[Andy Chase]

KL,



Similar reason for me to get the ST, we had one baby and one due, and my F-150 was a standard cab. I still have not given up on my F-150, even though I haven't driven it in a year, I'm going to fix the 1 problem it has (power steering) and have it has my winter beater for the days when I only need to fit 3 of us and not all 4 of the family.

 

[JerryW Gilliland]

KL said:

"Personally, a truck with a rear DVD system is an abomination; I'd rather see a truck drag it's frame along the road than be beaten down to be minivans."



LOL Obviously you don't have grandkids. We grandparents think differently. I think we lose our pride somewhere along the way. :lol:

 

[JerryW Gilliland]

Oh yeah..I wanted to add that the Tacoma back seat is very tight compared to the Trac.

Barely enough room for an adult's legs. The 4 door S-10 and the other little GM 4 doors aren't really any better, IMO.

One can't really sprawl out in the Trac's back seat, but it beats the other's by a mile.

 

[gary s]

TACOMA



after 3 tracs, the major reason why i know longer drive one. i no longer need the p/u bed of the trac. i am sure at least 50% of trac drivers never use the p/u bed ( probably a low estimate) on a regular basis. but still, a very cool looking vehicle.



btw, i had a rear dvd in my last trac and have one in my new ride

 

[Kevin Lang]

..and you needed a DVD player in your trac because?



Seriously, I didn't grow up with a rear dvd player. It didn't kill me, and it didn't kill you either. They're so overhyped.



Alright, on the 5 minute ride to daycare, you're gonna watch Baby Einstein...



On the 6 hour car trip, you're going to watch Avatar and miss out on the journey.

(Aside, Avatar was uncannily awesome)



On short jaunts, having a dvd player seems stupid. On long journeys, if you immerse yourself in a DVD, you're missing the experience and might as well just fly...or take Amtrak, though I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, even you, gary s.



If you have to have a dvd player, why not have a minivan or some other sort of people hauler? Why not go all out on the "taking the inconvenience out of road trips" approach and rent an RV?

 

[gary s]

"..and you needed a DVD player in your trac because?"



because i can

really, got it for my son. comes in handy while driving at night ny to fla.

overhype? no just a sign of technologhy becoming more widespead.

do have a cell phone? why you can just use a payphone :lol:

and why do i have a rear dvd player in my 4runner, so the sport trac behind me can watch some movies

 

[Tom Schindler]

and why do i have a rear dvd player in my 4runner, so the sport trac behind me can watch some movies

Actually, it is to pass time while waiting for a tow from AAA.





Tom

 

[swshawaii]

Ever heard of a "portable" DVD player? Each child could watch their own movie, with headphones.

Panasonic or Sony 8" screen with 5+ hour battery and 12V adapter for well under $150. Less chance of "break-ins". Alarms are NOT fail safe.

 

[Kevin Lang]

Actually, it is to pass time while waiting for a tow from AAA.

:lol::lol::lol:



Gary S., you make enough trips down I-95 (I feel for you lol) to justify an integrated dvd player? That still sounds like you're trying to take the inconvenience out of road tripping, and God already provided airplanes for that And payphones don't really exist. I know of 3 which function. I don't think that's a valid analogy, comparing in-car dvd players to payphones. The pastimes of the Car like reading, music, and that oft-neglected talking have not become extinct.



For the ST behind to watch what you're watching, you'd need a screen the size that the Welfare bought Escalades come with, and I'd hope you'd draw the line before that, as those things are ludicrous. No bad puns intended. BTW, who thought he could act? Seriously.

 

[Andy Chase]

I think the DVD system is good and bad. Personally I'll never get one. I work with a couple of guys and they can't even take their kids on a 30 min car ride without popping in a movie. Meanwhile I had my 2 kids (age 1 and 2.5) on a 13 hour car ride to Michigan, and they did just fine looking at all the new scenery. We had toys and books for them to look at, but it was kind of a bonding experience and was nice to show them new things. If they were glued to a movie, they'd miss out on all that. I know its cool technology, but all of us grew up looking out the windows and experiencing the world first hand, not just through the TV. If you're going through a "boring" part of the drive, (i.e. nebraska or iowa) you can talk or play road games. I actually had to introduce my wife to the alphabet game that we'd play with my dad so she would stay awake (she blames her parents for driving around until she falls asleep, now when she's a pasanger its almost lights out in 30 minutes).



But if you feel like you need the DVD player, buy one, no skin off my back. I just won't be in line with you to buy one, thats all.

 

[TrainTrac]

Back to the original topic, Ranger vs. Tacoma, and comparisons with the Sport Trac:



One of the main things that I found appealing about the Sport Trac was the view/seat height, both in the front and the back. I had a '96 and '99 Ranger before my '02 and current '04 Sport Trac. The Rangers were great trucks, and I had little to complain about with them, except for the low seats. The Trac is much more comfortable with it's taller seating.



And when I've sat in other small trucks, (Tacoma, S10/Colorado, Frontier), that's the main thing I haven't liked about them. If I'm in a truck, I don't want to sit down low like I'm in a little Miata or something. I prefer a "commanding" view of the road.



So if and when I finally decide to replace my 2004 STA, I'll likely be in the market for a used Gen 2 Trac, since I won't be able to buy a new one after this year.

 

[gary s]

kl,

we fly the majority of the time, but i do like the drive at times (I-95 corridor after dca & bwi are fine). as stated above the rear dvd works well at night for a 20 hour drive.

how is a rear dvd taking the inconvience out of road tripping. it is a form of entertainment as is satelite radio. i guess the built in nav is also a waste?

i don't get the walfare escalade comment :huh:



train,

imo, the tacoma can not compete with the trac in a true 4 door suv/pick up.

i consided a tacoma before getting my 07 trac and i felt that the trac provided the best room by far for 4 passengers. there was no V-8 available either.

i also had a colorado in my fleet and there was less room then the trac and the build quality was poor.