Fence Sitting on Ranger Raptor or Ranger Lariat

[RonM_TX]

I fell in love with Lariat 2.7 but the price was within 2K of the RR. With dealer discount the RR was less than the Lariat so I went with the RR. The Lariat was more like a luxury car while the RR is more like a sports car. So it depends on the type of ride you are looking for, sporty is fun and doesn't wear you out on long trips. I love that I can adjust the shocks, the steering and exhaust note from the steering wheel. It makes the RR very easy to live with in daily driving. Also the RR is going to hold its value.

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[joe281]

Asking for some input from 6Gen RR and Lariat owners, please. I currently own a 2021 Ford F150 Lariat Supercab 3.5L FX4 w/26,500 miles, in excellent condition with a lot of accessories like Line-X bed liner, undercoating, rust proofing, Borla cat back exhaust, Bilstein 5100 shocks, etc. The truck is great at my height of 6'4" but now that I am 70 and retired, I find it more difficult to park it and get around in the city. I live rural, so I still use a truck. I owned a 1996 Ranger STX Extended cab 3.0L and 2003 Ranger Edge Extended cab 4.0L, so my experience with them is also great but dated, and the current Ranger is larger. I test drove a 2025 Maverick Lobo, both engines, and meh. Small bed, not a truck to me. So, I drove and like the 2025 Ranger. Now the issue. I asked my dealer to find a 2025 Ranger Lariat for me in Ruby Red, 2.7L, Black Appearance, FX4, normal trailer tow, no VIN recalls. He just found one out of State 185 miles away. He is attempting to dealer trade but has not been successful doing that in the past, at least for me, or I could drive there to buy it. If not, I will order a 2026. But, on the lot, he has a new 2025 Ranger Raptor in Marsh Gray. It has been there since mid-June with no offers to buy it. $58,725 MSRP for a Ranger is certainly a lot of money, and for that price the truck owners around me buy RAM 1500s or F150s, with some dropping even more bucks for high trim levels, but not Rangers. So, I looked at the RR. I like it. I also like the Ranger Lariat with the 2.7L. The RR at the dealer cannot be sold until the VIN airbag recall is fixed, which is expected 4Q. Still, my dealer cut the Raptor price to $57K because, as he said, they need to move it. My military retiree discount of $500 does not apply to the RR but does apply to the $54K Lariat, which he will also discount. So, my comparing the two trucks, the RR has obviously got power, is fun to drive, uses Premium fuel, and sucks gas with a small 20-gal or so tank (I get 20.4 MPG AVG with my 3.5L Ecoboost and have a 36-gal tank). The RR has the e-shifter, the Lariat is mechanical. Not sure why that makes a difference to me. I do not see having to accessorize the RR much to configure it as I like it, so below MSRP for a RR seems a good deal and my trade is @$40-45K. The Lariat with the 2.7L has plenty of power, regular gas, and better MPG. I would add all the accessories I have now: Fox 2.0 shocks, Borla, etc. The price difference is close, so not an issue. Gas mileage and premium fuel is something to consider but not a deal breaker. Comfort is important to me, and both are comfortable. Not concerned about resale or depreciation. How I would use it: drive it two or three times a week for short trips 15-20 miles round trip, for errands. Maybe a longer Interstate highway trip of 3-4 hours once in a while to visit friends across State. Where I am stuck is if the RR is too much truck I won't use compared to the Lariat because I will not be off roading in Kansas and my idea of camping now is to find a nice hotel. Any owner experience as to why they went with what they did regarding the RR or the Lariat, or both, would be appreciated.

This may be more info than you requested, and I hope I'm not too late, but I thought it would be helpful. After driving F150s for 20+ years (and a Ranger XLT prior to that), we moved to a house with a VERY shallow garage, and so I had to downsize. The only two trucks in 2022 that would fit in that @#$% garage were the Ranger and the Nissan Frontier. I drove both, and really wanted to stay with Ford, but their only power train option was the gutless 2.3L I4, so I went with the Nissan which had a very peppy V6. WORST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED.

A month ago after passing 60K miles, the Nissan started making expensive sounding noises, so I went truck shopping. I went back to Ford and drove a Lariat FX4 with the 2.7L (black with black appearance and tow pkg, same as you are looking at) and a Raptor with the 3.0. Both had a ton of get up and go, and all the options I wanted. The Raptor was much sexier: more lift, bigger tires & wheels, adjustable exhaust sound etc., but was priced $14K more than the Lariat. I just couldn't justify that much more money for unnecessary bells and whistles (and I really did not care too much for the red interior flourishes others had mentioned).

I could not be more happy with my decision: I love, love, love this truck. My wife and I drive 4-5 hours one-way every 6-8 weeks to visit and take care of her 93 YO father and this truck is as comfortable for long rides as my prior F150 was. The back seat has more room and is more comfortable than the Nissan I traded, and the under seat and seat back pocket storage is better. I love the infotainment center. I had owned several F150 Lariats over the years (that is my default trim level) and this Ranger is right up there with them. I sometimes have a heavy foot, but on regular gas I am getting ~22 MPG (which is better than the Nissan's 20 MPG and prior F150 5.0L's 17 MPG).

Hope this helps.

 

[Onceaneagle]

The Raptor is not the truck For you. It tows just over 5000lbs. The Lariat can tow up to 7500lbs if properly equipped. You mentioned towing 6000lbs. I would look hard at how often and how far I’m pulling that kind of weight. Also how fast you want to drive. The 7500lb towing capacity only includes a 150lbs of people and cargo. With driver & passenger and anything else you haul in the truck you could be getting near 90% capacity. Find someone you can visit with who tows that kind of weight. I would be concerned if a F150 might be the best choice. Maybe keep are get a new F150.

They were assembled with the same care as all previous Edges and Nautiluses. It's how we do things here.

That is very nice to hear. I would not wish what happened to me on anyone.

 

[Onceaneagle]

This may be more info than you requested, and I hope I'm not too late, but I thought it would be helpful. After driving F150s for 20+ years (and a Ranger XLT prior to that), we moved to a house with a VERY shallow garage, and so I had to downsize. The only two trucks in 2022 that would fit in that @#$% garage were the Ranger and the Nissan Frontier. I drove both, and really wanted to stay with Ford, but their only power train option was the gutless 2.3L I4, so I went with the Nissan which had a very peppy V6. WORST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED.

A month ago after passing 60K miles, the Nissan started making expensive sounding noises, so I went truck shopping. I went back to Ford and drove a Lariat FX4 with the 2.7L (black with black appearance and tow pkg, same as you are looking at) and a Raptor with the 3.0. Both had a ton of get up and go, and all the options I wanted. The Raptor was much sexier: more lift, bigger tires & wheels, adjustable exhaust sound etc., but was priced $14K more than the Lariat. I just couldn't justify that much more money for unnecessary bells and whistles (and I really did not care too much for the red interior flourishes others had mentioned).

I could not be more happy with my decision: I love, love, love this truck. My wife and I drive 4-5 hours one-way every 6-8 weeks to visit and take care of her 93 YO father and this truck is as comfortable for long rides as my prior F150 was. The back seat has more room and is more comfortable than the Nissan I traded, and the under seat and seat back pocket storage is better. I love the infotainment center. I had owned several F150 Lariats over the years (that is my default trim level) and this Ranger is right up there with them. I sometimes have a heavy foot, but on regular gas I am getting ~22 MPG (which is better than the Nissan's 20 MPG and prior F150 5.0L's 17 MPG).

Hope this helps.

Many thanks for that. You are not too late as my dealer can't sell the Raptor until the airbag recall is fixed and he won't talk trade-in now due to "used truck market volatility." I am not in a hurry because I want to make the right decision. All of this input from everyone is great and exactly what I wanted.

 

[waffleso_0]

My thought is I prefer the fenders on Lariat/XLT over the raptor. Plastic fenders vs the painted gloss look of the regular ranger is what I prefer.

The v6 2.7L is the way to go as well. It's a powerful engine. I got the XLT and added katzkins leather, and they are so nice! I drove 13 hours without any pain.

I love the green color of the raptor but also not a fan of the orange accents

 

[joe281]

Many thanks for that. You are not too late as my dealer can't sell the Raptor until the airbag recall is fixed and he won't talk trade-in now due to "used truck market volatility." I am not in a hurry because I want to make the right decision. All of this input from everyone is great and exactly what I wanted.

Glad I could help.

FYI - when I was looking last month, the Ranger inventories down here in North Texas (DFW area) were VERY limited - I was only interested in 2.7L Lariats and Raptors and ended up having to drive 50 miles across the metroplex to find a dealer with both on the lot. The used truck market down here is still doing good ... you might want to talk to a different dealer if there is one available.

 

[cc1999]

I agree the 2.7 is the way to go if not doing the Ranger Raptor. I am not sure there is not more Raptors currently available then 2.7s though.

Plus, that stop sale BS is likely to limit the number of choices quite a bit as well.

 

[joe281]

I agree the 2.7 is the way to go if not doing the Ranger Raptor. I am not sure there is not more Raptors currently available then 2.7s though.

Plus, that stop sale BS is likely to limit the number of choices quite a bit as well.

Down here they are willing to come down off the price on Lariats (and lower end trim levels), but barely budging on Raptors ... it's kind of like the Broncos a few years ago: they were making people to pay OVER sticker price.

 

[pkvir]

Down here they are willing to come down off the price on Lariats (and lower end trim levels), but barely budging on Raptors ... it's kind of like the Broncos a few years ago: they were making people to pay OVER sticker price.

I'm in North Texas and have been looking for a RR with no added premium for quite a while. It's actually really hard to find a new RR on the lot. The stars aligned for me a couple months ago and feel happy I paid MSRP with no adders.

 

[Alaska_Wolf]

I am 70 and retired, I find it more difficult to park it and get around in the city. I live rural, so I still use a truck.

I was in the exact same boat myself. I decided to sell my F 150 and buy a smaller truck that was easier to park and get around town with. I looked at all the available mid-sized trucks, but after 50 years of Ford F Series trucks, I decided on Ford (imagine that). I did look at the Maverick, but decided that I could not utter Unibody and truck in the same sentence, so I took the Rangers out for a test drive, besides I found the Maverick to be rather uncomfortable. I drove both the Lariat and the Raptor, and ultimately decided on the Lariat. Raptor was a nice truck, but I didn't see much point in it for mainly in town and highway driving, besides I was not going to give a dealership $10,000 ADM for the "privilege" of buying a Ranger Raptor. Honestly, if I wanted a Raptor, I would have just bought the Raptor Type R I test drove; that was a WAY more fun truck to drive, but would have left me with the same problem. So, I bought a Ruby Red 2.7L Lariat for me and a Rapid Red King Ranch Powerboost for the wife. Best of both worlds. Still a Ruby Red Ranger Raptor might have just tipped the scales just a bit...

 

[Onceaneagle]

Glad I could help.

FYI - when I was looking last month, the Ranger inventories down here in North Texas (DFW area) were VERY limited - I was only interested in 2.7L Lariats and Raptors and ended up having to drive 50 miles across the metroplex to find a dealer with both on the lot. The used truck market down here is still doing good ... you might want to talk to a different dealer if there is one available.

I have been looking at inventory in many States. There are several Raptors out there in Velocity Blue around Kansas City. Some have ADM of 10K over MSRP, some with added gizmos dealer installed, and others have "dealer appearance packages." Few are below MSRP. There are Lariats in nearby States with the 2.7L and the packages I want and my dealer is working those. Most are under do not sell recall.

 

[cc1999]

If your doing your own searches you can access the windows stickers to check the production dates and that way you know before inquiring on it if the truck is caught up in the stop sale recall.

You need a blend date to that shows an August date many are likely in transit or just landed on the lots.
0824 was mine.
Truck has to be built after July 30th to avoid the stop sale.

 

[Onceaneagle]

If your doing your own searches you can access the windows stickers to check the production dates and that way you know before inquiring on it if the truck is caught up in the stop sale recall.

You need a blend date to that shows an August date many are likely in transit of just landed on the lots.
0824 was mine.
Truck has to be built after July 30th to avoid the stop sale.

 

[Onceaneagle]

Thanks. This is the one on my dealer's lot. There is graphene coating on it but not asking any ADM. Blend date of June 16, thus the recall.

 

[Onceaneagle]

My thought is I prefer the fenders on Lariat/XLT over the raptor. Plastic fenders vs the painted gloss look of the regular ranger is what I prefer.

The v6 2.7L is the way to go as well. It's a powerful engine. I got the XLT and added katzkins leather, and they are so nice! I drove 13 hours without any pain.

I love the green color of the raptor but also not a fan of the orange accents

Katzkins are nice! Did you go with air cooled/heated seats? My closest installer is in Kansas City, 3 hours drive plus they need the vehicle for a while so would also involve other logistics. Would be nice if vented seats were available on Lariat and Raptor. I have them on my F150 Lariat and use them.

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