2024 Ford Ranger – middle child syndrome

The 2024 Ford Ranger has become a middle-child in Ford’s truck line… between the best-selling F150 & the funky new Maverick. So how does the Ranger fit in to its new family dynamic? Here’s the key impressions… 

The 2024 Ford Ranger has filled-out nicely…

The biggest takeaway from the new 2024 Ford Ranger, is that it feels bigger than ‘a Ranger’. Nearly everyone who got in this truck, was initially surprised at how spacious it feels from the driver’s seat. There’s a couple reasons for that: 1) The Ranger isn’t small anymore lol. And 2) Ford has bulked-up & chiseled the design of the new 2024 Ranger in strategic ways. The previous Ranger was more smoothed-out & sloped on the nose & interior (see comparison photos below). But for 2024, Ford has squared-off the front-end, hood, and dashboard. And that results in the new Ford Ranger presenting itself more like an F-150. 

Depending on your needs… 

The 2024 Ford Ranger is surprisingly convenient & livable. It’s not off-the-charts economical however, as MPGs between the Ranger & F150 (2.7) are kind of negligible in the lower-to-mid 20s. As a truck owner/buyer, you just have to be honest with yourself about your wants & needs. The Ford Ranger fits the needs of a lot of truck owners out there. Yet a lot of people want more… and that’s totally understandable. Part of the appeal of truck ownership, is that you’re not just prepared, but over-prepared for whatever comes your way.

The bones of the new 2024 Ford Ranger… 

Seem to be about the same as the last model. At 270hp, the 2.3 Ecoboost engine makes good power for the chassis. But more telling than ‘the numbers’… is how the engine makes its power. It’s useable. When the 2.3 comes on boost (turbo), it surges up to speed effortlessly. And being that it’s mated with a 10-speed transmission, it’s always right there in the boost zone. What that means is: 

The 2024 Ford Ranger feels sporty… 

When I say “sporty”, understand that’s being said through a truck filter lol. But light-to-light (or pulling into traffic), you don’t feel the drag, bulk, or tug-boat feeling of a stereotypical body-on-frame truck. It’s worth noting that even the new-generation Toyota Tacoma has moved to a turbocharged 4-banger as well. Overall, turbocharged 4-cylinders seem to be a good recipe in a truck of this size. But at the end of the day…

The 2024 Ford Ranger is in a competitive segment with a lot of interesting overlap…

It seems to be a solid truck, but there’s a lot of competition & strong contenders… even within Ford. For example, if you start to option-out the Ford Ranger with 4wd & off-road/luxury trims, it can easily move into F-150 & Bronco price-range territory. And on the other end of Ford’s pricing spectrum, there’s the new funky/functional Maverick to consider. Outside of the Ford brand, Toyota offers the tried & true Tacoma, which historically boasts leading resale value & reliability. Although – it’s a bit premature to factor ‘history’ into the brand new Toyota 4-cylinder & hybrid packages. Then you have the Jeep Gladiator, an iconic lifestyle 4×4 with tremendous versatility & capability… and great incentives currently. Each of these trucks excel in their own ways, and I would crawl around each one before I made a final choice. 

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