Considering Ranger coming from f250. Help me decide

[superj]

Sounds like a good deal to me. I would have also gotten the 4x4, not fx4.

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[Medic 6]

I have a 2018 F-150 Raptor that I ordered new and still have it. I bought a dealer ordered 2024 cactus gray RR. Here are my 20k mile observations. I would never take my 2018 to work, parking garage is tight, albeit I have seen 250s, 2500s, and others in there. The RR works great in DC traffic and the garage, very sporty in traffic for the two days a week. I work at another facility the rest of the week. Driving normally, I get about 18-19 mpg. The RR tows my 14 foot trailer with two ATVs for weekend fun and hauls yard waste to the dump and recycling. The 2018 OG Raptor is comfortable for long trips with my wife and I. Fuel mileage is slightly less but is still the first Raptor and will stay with me. I do like them both but daily the RR. Not sure if this helps you or makes it more confusing.

 

[jdmarler]

Once you go ranger, you don't go stranger.

Im sure the ranger will be able to do the job you need if you're within towing capacity.

 

[designrlee]

I downsized from an F350 (gas) to Ranger XLT (4 cylinder). I don’t haul or trailer anymore, but I love it as a commuter. I run in Eco mode 100% of time and have been averaging 26mpg on my 48 mile commute (2/3 highway)!

 

[stemplar]

I bought a 2025 Ranger Lariat 2.7 at about the same time my son bought a new Tacoma SR5 fully loaded. I can tell you that the Ranger is a MUCH better designed and built truck than the Toyota. The ride is much more refined, the Ranger is quieter and has much more power. The Ranger has FAR BETTER electronics and driver assistance than the Tacoma. The Toyota build quality feels “cheap” compared to the Ranger. They both have comparable towing capacity. My Ranger also gets much better gas mileage than the Toyota . . . 18/26 vs 13/20.

If I were you, I would not go for the Ranger Raptor only because they have significantly less towing capacity than the other Ranger models.

I think you would be really happy with the Ranger Lariat 2.7L.

The one compliment you paid the taco was, “they both have comparable towing capacity”, and with the sr5 able to tow up to 6,500lbs I think the ranger’s 7,500 is significantly better, and based on my (admittedly not extensive) experience trying to do work with tacos, I’m willing to bet that the ranger’s will be far-better composed when working at or near their capacity limit than the taco would be. Tacos are great for hauling a kayak through the woods to a lakeside campsite, while the rangers will haul enough building material to build a cabin at that same campsite

 

[surfstar]

Jumping on the nitpick bandwagon - an SR5 is far from a fully loaded Taco.

 

[flcnplt]

Ok this might be kinda long cause I ramble but I’ll try to condense the highlights at the end. So I currently drive a 2014 f250 diesel. However, I owned it because I owned a lawn and landscape company and needed a truck I could trust to pull trailers daily. Due to some life changes, I sold the company and am returning to my civil engineering degree. I’m going to be at a desk, and my commute will be 60 miles a day, so getting rid of the fuel guzzler is a must(plus it’s getting old and blah blah). Thing is I can’t decide what I want. I looked at tacomas but decided over priced. Then o moved onto rangers(I’ve always owned fords so makes sense, but taco is where my mind first goes on smaller trucks). Then I got to second guessing myself.

the thing is I won’t be running the company anymore and I’d say 90% of my time a ranger will be just fine, if not ideal. The issue is that 10%. We don’t pay for trash service because it’s horribly unreliable in my area, so I save up a bunch and take it myself in my dump trailer(7x14). I do all my own work. Currently building a garage, so I haul stuff fairly often. I own other trailers for long lumber, I even use them a good bit with the diesel as it’s just easier to load. The big issue is just handling it. So then I start to tell myself I better just upgrade to a 150 to cover my butt. Similar fuel mileage and for used, which is what I’d buy, price is fairly similar.

so to sum up

- want ranger after owning f250
- worried about towing capacity
- considering just going to 150 for piece of mind


Questions
- will it feel under powered?
- will the 90% commute use make up for the 10% hauling?(if hauling heavy, I can always borrow a buddies truck for a day. Yeah. Be that guy)

For me after driving a F-150 for decades I bought a new Ranger and love it. It has a towing capacity of 5000lbs, if you get the brake controller it jumps to 7500 lbs. literally have no regrets in getting the Ranger for around town or cross country trips. In fact, I will drive from the PNW up to Alaska on 26 August.

 

[dabaur]

If you haven’t yet (I may have missed it above as this is a lengthy thread), by all means go test drive a Ranger before you make a decision. i moved from a F150 Lariat to a 2025 Ranger Lariat. The Ranger has a lot of pluses- it’s more maneuverable than an F150, and in many ways more fun to drive because it’s lighter and more tossable. The sound system, at least in the Ranger Lariat, is quite good. The 2.7 is a fun engine! It will get up and go. But the sound is boring, especially if you’re used to an F150 coyote under the hood. Some disadvantages are the smaller size- you really don’t appreciate the roominess of an F150 until you try to get in and out of a Ranger, or try to carry anything in the back seat. I’m 6’2” and have to perform yoga moves to get out of the truck- foot space on exiting is tight to say the least. The seats are not nearly as comfortable, or as soft- as an F150. If you’re old like me with a bony ass you’ll be buying and using a cushion for long trips. Speaking of engines- I used to get 19mpg on highway trips at 70mph with the F150, and roughly 15 in the city. In the Ranger I get 18.5-19 highway, 17.5 city/mixed. So fuel savings really are negligible. Finally I’ve had no small amount of demons with the Ranger- from the engine stalling while making left-hand turns, to warning lights popping up saying the front camera is no longer working, or the radio suddenly switching from a Sirius station to a static-only AM station that does not exist. Ive had the Ranger since January, so seven months. In that time I’ve receive either four or five recalls- I’ve never received that many recalls on any vehicle I’ve ever had, and I’ve owned a lot of vehicles. On the plus side, they have been able to fix almost all the recalls over the air. Not sure how they fixed the pinched wires doing that… hum… I think all this boils down to one simple thing- the Ranger, new, is considerably cheaper than a new F150, if for instance you are comparing apples to apples, or Lariats to Lariats. The Rangers are smaller but more maneuverable and easier to park in tight parking lots. But it is still less, overall, than a F150, which makes sense. Only you can decide, and you have to go spend some time with one to make an accurate assessment. I did. And I chose the Ranger. Do miss the cooling seats though… Good luck!

 

[Loudpa]

If you haven’t yet (I may have missed it above as this is a lengthy thread), by all means go test drive a Ranger before you make a decision. i moved from a F150 Lariat to a 2025 Ranger Lariat. The Ranger has a lot of pluses- it’s more maneuverable than an F150, and in many ways more fun to drive because it’s lighter and more tossable. The sound system, at least in the Ranger Lariat, is quite good. The 2.7 is a fun engine! It will get up and go. But the sound is boring, especially if you’re used to an F150 coyote under the hood. Some disadvantages are the smaller size- you really don’t appreciate the roominess of an F150 until you try to get in and out of a Ranger, or try to carry anything in the back seat. I’m 6’2” and have to perform yoga moves to get out of the truck- foot space on exiting is tight to say the least. The seats are not nearly as comfortable, or as soft- as an F150. If you’re old like me with a bony ass you’ll be buying and using a cushion for long trips. Speaking of engines- I used to get 19mpg on highway trips at 70mph with the F150, and roughly 15 in the city. In the Ranger I get 18.5-19 highway, 17.5 city/mixed. So fuel savings really are negligible. Finally I’ve had no small amount of demons with the Ranger- from the engine stalling while making left-hand turns, to warning lights popping up saying the front camera is no longer working, or the radio suddenly switching from a Sirius station to a static-only AM station that does not exist. Ive had the Ranger since January, so seven months. In that time I’ve receive either four or five recalls- I’ve never received that many recalls on any vehicle I’ve ever had, and I’ve owned a lot of vehicles. On the plus side, they have been able to fix almost all the recalls over the air. Not sure how they fixed the pinched wires doing that… hum… I think all this boils down to one simple thing- the Ranger, new, is considerably cheaper than a new F150, if for instance you are comparing apples to apples, or Lariats to Lariats. The Rangers are smaller but more maneuverable and easier to park in tight parking lots. But it is still less, overall, than a F150, which makes sense. Only you can decide, and you have to go spend some time with one to make an accurate assessment. I did. And I chose the Ranger. Do miss the cooling seats though… Good luck!

" If you’re old like me with a bony ass you’ll be buying and using a cushion for long trips. "
LOL so true and this is not noticeable on test drives.

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