Fence Sitting on Ranger Raptor or Ranger Lariat

[RonM_TX]

Glad to hear the OP is now RR shopping and that our posts and insights into the RR vs. Lariat debate helped influence that decision.

All 2024+ Rangers -- 2.3 and 2.7 in both 2WD and 4WD -- are wonderful, best-in-class vehicles that will serve their owner and their loved ones very, very well no matter what its called upon to do. Some Rangers are used for work and daily hauling, some are used as family haulers and grocery-getters while others serve weekend warrior duty towing a camper and get off the beaten path on the local trails -- and some perform them all. Clearly there is a Ranger for everyone.

The RR is in another league however and at least in my (admittedly) biased opinion is the single best midsize truck ever produced and released to the U.S. market. The fact that it's currently available (although still in pretty limited numbers) at a nearby Ford dealer for a price point around $60K is, to me, an amazing feat of Ford engineering, R&D utilization, and market research.

Kudos to the wonderful people at Ford who made the RR a reality.

Here she is at home

I agree the RR is the best midsize pickup on the market.
Ford is build RR at a pretty fast pace right now. My dealer is getting 13 RR this month (all sold) and 17 next month with most of those are for stock. So availability should get much better for the rest of the model year production.

Just curious, what is the dealers name?

Long McArthur Ford in Salina Kansas

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[Onceaneagle]

I agree the RR is the best midsize pickup on the market.
Ford is build RR at a pretty fast pace right now. My dealer is getting 13 RR this month (all sold) and 17 next month with most of those are for stock. So availability should get much better for the rest of the model year production.
Long McArthur Ford in Salina Kansas

Wow. L-M Ford is just one hour away.

 

[RonM_TX]

Wow. L-M Ford is just one hour away.

Just saw they have three RR on the lot right now. Not sure if they were for stock or ordered units that weren't taken. You may want to check them out with you being so close.

 

[easyheimer]

Nstme change coming soon, Future Bankrupt Ford

I’m still baffled by these dealers thinking people will pay markup. At this point you can easily get a RR for MSRP if you look around.

 

[Onceaneagle]

I’m still baffled by these dealers thinking people will pay markup. At this point you can easily get a RR for MSRP if you look around.

If Ford doesn't seem to care about what those dealers are doing to the Blue Oval, then we as consumers either pay or go somewhere else. 2,833 Ford dealers in the US, as of August.

 

[james1108]

There’s only a 3,000 dollar difference here. The answer is to obviously go for the Raptor. I don’t understand why Lariat option even exists. With the Raptor just barely more money it makes zero sense to buy a Lariat. I think they should replace the Lariat with a Limited option instead. If you want something cheaper than the Raptor just get an XLT with the options you want. I will say while the 2.7 is fine but you can definitely feel the difference in horsepower and torque that the 3.0 twin turbo has. And that’s before getting the ford performance upgrade

 

[Onceaneagle]

There’s only a 3,000 dollar difference here. The answer is to obviously go for the Raptor. I don’t understand why Lariat option even exists. With the Raptor just barely more money it makes zero sense to buy a Lariat. I think they should replace the Lariat with a Limited option instead. If you want something cheaper than the Raptor just get an XLT with the options you want. I will say while the 2.7 is fine but you can definitely feel the difference in horsepower and torque that the 3.0 twin turbo has. And that’s before getting the ford performance upgrade

Waiting to see the 2026 Raptor build and price. Agree that in my case a Raptor makes more sense.

 

[Viporpa]

There’s only a 3,000 dollar difference here. The answer is to obviously go for the Raptor. I don’t understand why Lariat option even exists. With the Raptor just barely more money it makes zero sense to buy a Lariat. I think they should replace the Lariat with a Limited option instead. If you want something cheaper than the Raptor just get an XLT with the options you want. I will say while the 2.7 is fine but you can definitely feel the difference in horsepower and torque that the 3.0 twin turbo has. And that’s before getting the ford performance upgrade

Well , i have the lariat and thought the same as you about the raptor. When i ordered my truck , there was much more than a 3,000 dollar difference between mine and the raptor. Zero sense to buy a lariat . . . . . 2 reasons jump out immediately. Towing capacity on the lariat is roughly 2000lbs more than the raptor. Gas mileage is tremendously better. There are other reasons as well. It is all in what you want in a truck , so its subjective , but to blindly make the statements you made is one sided based on your wants of a truck.

 

[Onceaneagle]

Well , i have the lariat and thought the same as you about the raptor. When i ordered my truck , there was much more than a 3,000 dollar difference between mine and the raptor. Zero sense to buy a lariat . . . . . 2 reasons jump out immediately. Towing capacity on the lariat is roughly 2000lbs more than the raptor. Gas mileage is tremendously better. There are other reasons as well. It is all in what you want in a truck , so its subjective , but to blindly make the statements you made is one sided based on your wants of a truck.

Good points. From all the great thread comments, want vs need jump out. In my case, I'm old. Don't tow. Don't camp. Short trips. In the city once a month. Infrequent driving. Two passengers max. Not carrying lots of cargo. Rural living with ify roads of pavement, potholes, sand, gravel, dirt, mud, water, ice, snow. The F150 I have has Bilstein 5100 shocks, and a 3.5L Ecoboost with FX4. Plenty of power and smooth ride. So Raptor to me can handle my situation and if I can't work with my dealer, then a Lariat with a 2.7L.

 

[swindixy]

I went with the Lariat 2.7 for my new truck (queued for delivery in November). It had the features I wanted over the XLT and while the RR is great, i couldn't justify the price for my needs. I want to tow, and don't have much need for the RR true off-road capabilities. The regular Ranger will get me as far off road as I'll need to go.
My brother in law has a ~2022 XLT and he loves it.
Don't know why people say Ranger is overpriced... In my eyes (and testing vids) it outperforms Tacos for the money. The Tacos are overpriced for what you get.. Badge premium. My buddy just bought and returned a new Taco after a week. The dealer let him back out and gave him back his trade-in older Taco. He hated the interior, and said he felt the engine sounded strained under heavy acceleration.

Get whichever suits your needs and your wallet.

 

[Neil S]

Choice between Lariat FX4 and RR:
1st of all, around Nashville there were only 2-3 Lariat FX4 and zero Raptors. Yeah I could have had a dealer transfer but, in the end that would have cost me another $2k-5k more due to not getting the dealer hold backs.
2nd, AWD versus 4WD. AWD is going to wear more on tires and fuel than 4WD and associated drivetrain components. I'm looking for a great price point, better MPG, and reduced life costs compared to AWD.
3rd, I had 4 offers, unsolicited, for my 19' Ranger Lariat FX4 that started me thinking about a 2025 Ranger Lariat FX4. With limited vehicles that fit my criteria around my area (6-8 weeks delivery to order), yes, I dreamed of a RR but, the $'s and AWD convinced me that the Lariat FX4 with 2.7l TT was the way to go.
So what am I really lacking by going with the full-boat Lariat FX4 versus the RR? Rhetorical question, that only I can answer and my answer is the Double Black Lariat FX4 on the lot not 20 miles from my house. Loving it every day and the past 5,2XX miles since 28Jul25!

 

[superj]

Choice between Lariat FX4 and RR:
1st of all, around Nashville there were only 2-3 Lariat FX4 and zero Raptors. Yeah I could have had a dealer transfer but, in the end that would have cost me another $2k-5k more due to not getting the dealer hold backs.
2nd, AWD versus 4WD. AWD is going to wear more on tires and fuel than 4WD and associated drivetrain components. I'm looking for a great price point, better MPG, and reduced life costs compared to AWD.
3rd, I had 4 offers, unsolicited, for my 19' Ranger Lariat FX4 that started me thinking about a 2025 Ranger Lariat FX4. With limited vehicles that fit my criteria around my area (6-8 weeks delivery to order), yes, I dreamed of a RR but, the $'s and AWD convinced me that the Lariat FX4 with 2.7l TT was the way to go.
So what am I really lacking by going with the full-boat Lariat FX4 versus the RR? Rhetorical question, that only I can answer and my answer is the Double Black Lariat FX4 on the lot not 20 miles from my house. Loving it every day and the past 5,2XX miles since 28Jul25!

i was building a newer ranger on the ford site yesterday and it came out exactly to a double black fx4 with a 2.7. then i get on today and here it is, in real life

 

[Neil S]

Loving it everyday!

 

[pkvir]

Choice between Lariat FX4 and RR:
1st of all, around Nashville there were only 2-3 Lariat FX4 and zero Raptors. Yeah I could have had a dealer transfer but, in the end that would have cost me another $2k-5k more due to not getting the dealer hold backs.
2nd, AWD versus 4WD. AWD is going to wear more on tires and fuel than 4WD and associated drivetrain components. I'm looking for a great price point, better MPG, and reduced life costs compared to AWD.
3rd, I had 4 offers, unsolicited, for my 19' Ranger Lariat FX4 that started me thinking about a 2025 Ranger Lariat FX4. With limited vehicles that fit my criteria around my area (6-8 weeks delivery to order), yes, I dreamed of a RR but, the $'s and AWD convinced me that the Lariat FX4 with 2.7l TT was the way to go.
So what am I really lacking by going with the full-boat Lariat FX4 versus the RR? Rhetorical question, that only I can answer and my answer is the Double Black Lariat FX4 on the lot not 20 miles from my house. Loving it every day and the past 5,2XX miles since 28Jul25!

Help me understand how the RR 4WD is different than the Lariat 4WD. I do understand that the RR has a locking front axle and you have the ability to put it in 4A, but I don't understand the AWD comparison. I keep mine in 2WD almost all the time anyway.

 

[Neil S]

From what I have read, the FX4 is 2WD until 4WD is selected. Mine also has the e-lock Diff, when needed.
The RR has All Wheel Drive where the "smart" drive picks and chooses how to distribute power to the wheels. Yes, the 2025 Ford Ranger Raptor is equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD). It features a sophisticated multi-mode shift-on-the-fly 4×4 system, allowing it to drive either on the front wheels or all four wheels, ensuring positive traction in various conditions.

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