What do you think of the Quality of the 6G Rangers - Subjective is Ok

[josephp732]

What's everybody's thoughts on the overall quality of their 6G Rangers?

Myself - I have been a Toyota fanboy for a longtime, own 3 5th gen 4Runners, and kind of hold up the 4Runner as a reference of a quality built vehicle. It's by no means perfect but things like fit and finish are excellent and it's projected longevity certainly can be attributed to its ancient design, but all in it's a very solid vehicle that can easily take you 300k miles. (Rust a side)

So, I will say that my exceptions were mixed about what I would experience when I decided to get a 2025 Lariat Ranger (as much as I like Toyota - the Tacoma just didn't make the cut for me).

So far - I find the Ranger's physical build to be very good. Panel fit and finish is excellent. Paint is good, I don't see much orange peel. Inside the cabin, quality is also very good, no rattles, very comfortable place to be. I have the 2.7l EB and the engine is very smooth, the transmission can be a bit clunky, but livable, brakes are so, so - this is a weak point for me. The infotainment system works well (I like it) and there is no comparison to the 4Runner's - it is dinosaur. Longevity has yet to be seen - but everything being built today is so complex - I guess that why you buy the extended factory warranty.

Over all, after 6 months of ownership, I'm very happily surprised with my Ranger.

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[hand-filer]

My experience is on par with yours. I've always had favorable experiences with Ford and Lincoln products. My Mustang is 14 years old now. It's as tight and rattle free as the day I drove it out of the showroom.

 

[Scooter]

I have a XLT 2.3L MPC motor on order. I ordered one because the motor is better then the out dated Mazda Gen.

Yes Ford made the engine compartment larger for the 2.7L. From what I can see nothing has been up graded. I do not know how many people would pull a close to 7500 lbs trailer in hilly areas with the 2.3 L.
Just sounds like the brakes are inadequate on the 2.7L. Maybe even a solid drive shaft would have helped.

I am hoping this is a long term vehicle with not too much going wrong. Lot's of plastic in engine Bay Area. Auto Makers put the O ring clip fittings every where. Easier to break.

I am a Ford Guy coming from a very basic 2011 last 4th Gen Ranger with 2.3L, standard transmission. Its been a reliable truck but not a lot to go wrong. Roll up windows.

One of the things i do not like is finding poorly engineered equipment.
On my 4th Gen the E Brake has a rotor with a drum inside. I tried fixing it a few times. Had to remove axles to get at pad area. Just junk. I took it all off. All I do now when parked is put my Standard transmission in gear, wedge the front wheel against a curb or block the wheel.

 

[TheSecondOfMany]

It was a tough decision between the Tacoma and the Ranger for me. I've had issues with Ford in the past (3 different cars, various mechanical and electronic issues) and none with the Toyota's (4 various models and years). But when I drove the Tacoma, it felt like a bus. I know the issues with the V35A-FTS wouldn't carry over to the Tacoma engine, but I was genuinely concerned about unknown issues in the new model, so I went with the Ranger.

I have loved this truck so far. There are little quirks that come through, but nothing that makes me so frustrated as to regret the purchase; more like personality, which is something I like.

 

[1996-to-2025]

It's only been 4 months and 2,500 miles, but I am super pleased with my new Ranger so far. I love the 2.7, it's the main reason I bought the truck and it has not disappointed. I do hate those transmission cross braces underneath the truck, serious rock magnets. Apple CarPlay can be finicky at times. Paint and panel fit good on my truck. The bed has about 100 holes in it, still trying to figure out how to mitigate dust intrusion. Stock tires are not great, but that is usually the case.

 

[Jason B]

I can only compare it to my 5G 2021 Ranger.
I can comfortably say the '24 is much better in ride, handling, power, and quietness.
SYNC4 with wireless Android Auto is much better than having to always use a USB cable for AA.

 

[SubZombie]

I find the quality to be great. I've had a LOT of cars but in terms of mid sized trucks specifically I've had a Mazda B4000 (as a farm truck), a 2nd Gen Tacoma Off-Road and a 3rd Gen Tacoma TRD Pro. Out of those, the RR might as well be a Rolls-Royce in terms of quality of materials, design and tech. I do believe that they have some lazy workers at the factory when it comes to minor finishing touches (My ford performance door sills were crooked from the factory for example, and most of the RR's I looked at before getting mine had at least 1 that was crooked).

I went directly from a Tacoma TRD Pro to the Ranger Raptor. If I compare those two specifically the quality is night and day. Tacoma's have always gotten a pass in terms of actual quality and people ignore the shit materials because their mechanical reliability (in previous generations) was second to none.

On my TRD Pro the steering wheel was good and the shifter was great. Basically everything else on the inside of the truck was cheap shitty plastic that looks good in a picture but looks and feels cheap up close (Like cheap to the point that every molded edge is uneven and has sharp overflow where it was broken out of a mold without any finishing work). Value wise I think the only thing I preferred in the entire truck was that the stock stereo came with a real 8" Subwoofer. The B&O still sounds better in the mid and highs but they should have put a real subwoofer back there.

 

[Fozzy136]

I have been very happy with my 2024 XLT FX4. It runs and drives fantastic. The 2.3 has plenty of pep. The only issue I have is with the quality of the paint. It seems to attract stone chips. It reminds me of the paint issue I had with my 2022 Ford Maverick. One of the biggest documented issues was the quality of the paint on those vehicles. I have become pretty good with touch up paint.

 

[superj]

I really like my ranger. My previoua 2 trucks are an 04 ranger and a 17 texas titan.

The 04 is still going strong with no leaks or weirdness and the ac is still cold.

The titan was very well put together but had lots of issues that made me uncomfortable keeping it past its 7 year/100k warranty. We hit the time way before the miles and had used the warranty a few times each year to have things replaced from the throttle body to the engine. I really liked the truck and got compliments everywhere i went but was to worried about what was going out next.


This 24 ranger with 2.3 has been excellent though. Not a single issue and even my wife is happy in it.

 

[Bushmechanic]

Mechanically it seems fine, and the interior is fine for the price, with only a few creaky areas on the door panel, which all American cars seem to have. There are some engineering mistakes, but only one is offensive; and that's the exposed, flimsy sensors on the trailing arms. That's just plain lazy.

Overall build quality seems fine, as well.

From an electronic perspective, however, it's nowhere near where it needs to be. That's a problem, because it's a heavily computerized vehicle. It's closer to the Starship Enterprise than a conventional automobile.

From the show, the Enterprise is supposed to be 90% automated, with crew engineers only able to directly access about 10% of the ship's systems. Sound familiar?

If the ownership experience was smooth sailing, it would be a no-brainer purchase. It's already the best value on the market, given how loaded it is. The only thing it's missing is cooled seats.

 

[purdyd]

Coming from 1985 Toyota pickup and 2003 Tacoma

Truck seems solid. No squeaks or rattles. Crawling around underneath things look tidy

I appreciate the room in the engine compartment with the 2.3l

Been happy with how it drives.

Will see how it compares to my old Toyotas in terms of reliability.

I think lite tray in the center console is really out of place on such a nice truck

I think ford could do a better job of allowing customizing the displays. Why should I need to get forscan for changing the number of blinks in a lane change? And others like dark mode and displaying tire temp.

It is an odd complaint coming from trucks with roll down windows and no cruise control. But I think we have different expectations these days.

 

[Bushmechanic]

Coming from 1985 Toyota pickup and 2003 Tacoma

Truck seems solid. No squeaks or rattles. Crawling around underneath things look tidy

I appreciate the room in the engine compartment with the 2.3l

Been happy with how it drives.

Will see how it compares to my old Toyotas in terms of reliability.

I think lite tray in the center console is really out of place on such a nice truck

I think ford could do a better job of allowing customizing the displays. Why should I need to get forscan for changing the number of blinks in a lane change? And others like dark mode and displaying tire temp.

It is an odd complaint coming from trucks with roll down windows and no cruise control. But I think we have different expectations these days.

I think it's a reasonable complaint, these days.

There's no reason why I shouldn't be able to change the display themes to green or amber, for example. Green displays have a reason to exist, and amber's the next best option.

That's a bit of an annoyance I have with modern cars; not just Ford. With all the computers in them, you'd think they would be a little more customizable.

 

[DrIanMalcolm]

I’ll share my perspective here. One of my favorite vehicles I have ever owned was a 2004 F150 FX4 Flareside. I put a ton problem-free miles on it and it drove great with a good amount of power. My favorite everyday vehicle of my lifetime (so far, I’m 45) has been my 2013 Tundra Rock Warrior. The Tundra was fantastic and I drove it for about 10 years without an issue. It didn’t have the interior bells and whistles, but it was a great truck with a fantastic drivetrain. The Tundra really drew me in regarding reliability, I convinced my wife to buy a RAV4 in 2015 (still have it), and we’ve had Camrys, Corollas, Highlanders, Prius, and Siennas in our immediate family.

Earlier this year, I wanted to buy a truck after a couple of years driving our Corolla. I thought the Canyon was a great looking truck with a ton of features, but I am wary of GMC from just personal exposure to other peoples vehicles. The Ranger Raptor seemed like it had a lot to offer, but I didn’t even look because I was leaning so heavily out of the gate to Toyota. I didn’t need a full size, so I bought a Tacoma in March.

Almost immediately after brining the Tacoma home (maybe a couple of weeks), the truck didn’t feel right. It was hard to put my finger on it exactly, but it felt like a vibration through the steering wheel and pedals at low speeds and early shifts. It also shifted from cold starts really rough (this is preempted in the manual as an expectation) and my inclined driveway seemed to make the initial shift from R to D almost painful to execute and feel. I thought at first the truck was riding stiff bc of the KO2s I had put on at the dealer upon delivery. I had the tires and alignment checked (both fine) and eventually swapped the KO2s for Toyos, still couldn’t get rid of the vibration. It was subtle enough that I tried to ignore it but present enough to drive me crazy, if that makes sense.

During a family trip in June, the vibration was becoming more pronounced. When we got home I dropped it with Toyota and they acknowledged the vibration and told me they thought it was a transmission issue. Toyota kept the truck for a week, and when the regional specialist looked at it, his report stated there was a vibration but it was to be deemed “within normal operations, for now”. Corporate told me flat out to drive the truck and be rest assured that Toyota would fix it if it broke. I was pretty disheartened by the experience, I asked Toyota if they could help me get into the exact same truck and they said basically my only option was to trade it in. It literally had 3000 miles. I test drove a couple of other Tacomas to make sure what I felt in mine was unique and confirmed it.

Long story short, I found a Ranger Raptor semi-close by and scheduled a test drive. I knew I was buying one in the first two minutes of driving it. Traded in my Tacoma on it and one month later, I am very happy.

My thoughts on the Ford: fit and finish are fantastic. The interior is MUCH nicer than the Tacoma (as stated by someone earlier, this is the give and take for the reliability IMO), the stereo is noticeably better, the power is great, and the day to day driving is awesome. The suspension really makes this truck float over bumps and it’s really comfortable. It looks and feels like a much more premium product, for less than the well-equipped Tacoma i was looking at to get out of my other 2025 Tacoma. There isn’t much I do not like about the Ranger Raptor, and if I had to nitpick anything, I’d say I wish the bed lights came on when I unlocked the truck via remote. Again, even after I bought the Tacoma, I had quite a few complaints (transmission was clunky even before vibration issue, stereo was sub par, the cost associated with the hybrid motor and non-cloth seat package was astronomical).

I have my reservations. I haven’t owned a Ford in a long time. I can tell you that I have a plugin hybrid Escape (2023) as a work issued vehicle and I put a ton of miles on it. It’s really comfortable and has been trouble free. I did buy the ESP through Granger to cover me for 7 years in the Ranger Raptor.

I love trucks. I’m probably the last person to hate on any brand. My buddies have Raptors, Jeeps, and everything in between. I wish all of them would stay on the road for as long as justifiable for their price tags.

 

[Henry]

2025 XLT here. Coming from a 2009 F150 Long bed, I wanted a smaller truck, but still wanted a truck. This is supposed to be my retirement truck, as I plan to retire in 2 years, so I want it to last. I have 3000 miles and have been to the dealer already twice. Once for a washer fill neck leak, and the braker booster recall. I really do like the truck, room inside, how it handles, etc..but have never owned a brand new car/truck that has been in the shop twice for issues in the 1st 4 months of ownership.

 

[VehicleNanny]

I worked in sales and serive for General Motors for 32 years. In that time, I got a different company car at least three times per year. In a lot of those vehicles, I experienced dash and/or door panel rattles. I used to drive with a roll of duct tape and a baseball bat in the car (the bat was there to help me reach the passenger door panel while driving--not to beat on anything!).

Since retiring, I have bought three MINIs, a Subaru and now a 2024 Ranger XLT. Other than the 2.3 inherent roughness, I am impressed with the build quality and structural rigidity of the Ranger. In fact, the Ranger feels better built than countless GM products and the Subaru. I will be buying more Ford vehicles in the future, as long as they make one that fits my needs.

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