I’m switching to a Ranger (from Bronco)

[Rebel Bronc]

The last few years as a Bronco owner were great, I really like my Bronco. But I’m not wealthy enough to have multiple vehicles and I miss having a truck bed. The Bronco was fun, just not practical. So I gravitated towards this forum, soaked in a bunch of information, scoured the internet and found my truck. It’s a new ‘25 Marsh Gray Lariat with the 2.7. The dealership took off like $9k and is putting in a spray-in bedliner at no charge to me.

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[dpAtlanta]

I was in the same boat... I sold my full size 4-door truck and had my 2024 2-door Badlands.
I was going to buy a trailer for the times I needed to haul things.
Then the wife said, "We now only have 2-door vehicles, we need another 4-door."
I jokingly said, "How about a Raptor?"
She said "Fine"... I wasted no time with that response.
I was fortunate enough to keep both.
The Bronco is a fun toy, especially off-road.
The Ranger is quieter, quicker, and handles better than the Bronco.

 

[stemplar]

The last few years as a Bronco owner were great, I really like my Bronco. But I’m not wealthy enough to have multiple vehicles and I miss having a truck bed. The Bronco was fun, just not practical. So I gravitated towards this forum, soaked in a bunch of information, scoured the internet and found my truck. It’s a new ‘25 Marsh Gray Lariat with the 2.7. The dealership took off like $9k and is putting in a spray-in bedliner at no charge to me.

Congratulations! As a fellow '25 Lariat FX4 owner with a 2.7, I think you'll really appreciate the truck. A word of caution though: it looks like it has the tow package, but not the advanced tow package. The base tow package does not include a brake controller, and I think I read that it's not as easy to add one after purchase as it used to be. If you care about towing, you should consider shopping around for a truck with the advanced tow package. Everything else about that truck and the deal looks pretty sweet, but for me the lack of advanced tow package would be a deal breaker.

 

[ryanO]

Congratulations! As a fellow '25 Lariat FX4 owner with a 2.7, I think you'll really appreciate the truck. A word of caution though: it looks like it has the tow package, but not the advanced tow package. The base tow package does not include a brake controller, and I think I read that it's not as easy to add one after purchase as it used to be. If you care about towing, you should consider shopping around for a truck with the advanced tow package. Everything else about that truck and the deal looks pretty sweet, but for me the lack of advanced tow package would be a deal breaker.

He's got the advanced tow package listed. I agree that its a necessity, whether you currently tow or not.

 

[Jon_M]

I have a 2024 2.3L FX4. Compared to my 6-cylinder 4runner it’s much better to tow with. Going from SLC 4000ft+ up to Park City over the pass at just over 7000ft+ then back down 6000ft & back up to the Uinta mountains around 8000ft in elevation. The 10-speed trans was a lot smoother, the 2.3l had no problems & never struggled. I’m coming from a 4Runner with a 4.0L V6 & I’m happy with the 2.3L Ford Motor so far. The trailer break is EZ to use as well. I’ve been lazy on setting up my boat & camper trailer profile for the trailer control & just have used the default. So far it feels more controlled than my 4Runner. At first, I did not care about the cameras but now that I have used them towing & can say I like them & they do help when changing lanes. I was bouncing between another 4Runner & the new Ranger & I’m happy I went with the Ranger. The ranger has about another foot & half of storage room for loading up our crap on trips than my old 4Runner even with dropping the seats. I wonder if it would be similar coming from a Bronco. The only downside is that the stock tires are not that good. I’m running Toyo open country AT 275 -70r17. My only real complaint about the truck that I can’t fix is I wish there were more buttons & less stuff on the screen. I did get used to it but physical buttons are just nice & EZ. All in all I like the truck.

 

[surfstar]

^ I believe the 2025's get better tires than the 2024 FX4s.

If they look like this:

you'll want to replace them

If they look like this, wearing them out is fine

 

[bgn]

^ I believe the 2025's get better tires than the 2024 FX4s.

If they look like this:

you'll want to replace them

If they look like this, wearing them out is fine

I was prepared to spend $2500 on new rubber and 17" wheels because the 2024 tires all got terrible reviews from everyone. But the 2025s have been fine for me for light offroading. We'll see what happens in the snow.

 

[exner60]

I just went in the other direction. I was initially looking to trade my '24 Ranger Lariat 2.3 (7300 miles) for a Tacoma TRD Off-Road primarily to gain options that my Ranger was lacking: power moonroof, ventilated seats (I'm in central Florida), and a longer bed. I then found my dream truck, a Ram 1500 Laramie but was overruled by the spouse. So we got the Ford equivalent of the Laramie, the F-150 Platinum. Both the Ram and Ford were discounted ($12781 for the Ram from $89,565; $11400 for the Ford from $86,940). It would have been nice to have the passenger dash display, rear reclining seats, full rear-sliding window, and 6-foot bed, but the Platinum is nice.

 

[Sharpie223]

Also came from a 4th gen 4runner 4.0 4wd.

I was tempted by the bronco, but aside from being a little newer looking it didn't really do anything that my 4runner couldn't. And it had less towing abilities and less cargo space.

I think the big reason I chose to get a ranger was the extra cargo space now available. But I had to find a vehicle that I trusted not to have major issues, which is very few and far between. Don't like that full time 4wd isn't standard (this day and age it should be on any 4wd), but at least I should be able to swap in a raptor transfer case once the warranty is up.

I also agree that I wish it had more physical buttons. If the digital console ever gives out, I'll probably swap in something that lets me run a double din, or maybe an older oem radio. I'll loose some features, but nothing I can't aftermarket with some thinking.

 

[AlloyPony]

I just went in the other direction. I was initially looking to trade my '24 Ranger Lariat 2.3 (7300 miles) for a Tacoma TRD Off-Road primarily to gain options that my Ranger was lacking: power moonroof, ventilated seats (I'm in central Florida), and a longer bed. I then found my dream truck, a Ram 1500 Laramie but was overruled by the spouse. So we got the Ford equivalent of the Laramie, the F-150 Platinum. Both the Ram and Ford were discounted ($12781 for the Ram from $89,565; $11400 for the Ford from $86,940). It would have been nice to have the passenger dash display, rear reclining seats, full rear-sliding window, and 6-foot bed, but the Platinum is nice.

I leased a '22 Ram 1500 Laramie and it was the nicest vehicle I've ever had. It was so nice. And that genuine leather smelled like a new baseball glove every time I got in the truck. Gosh I kind of miss that one....

 

[exner60]

I leased a '22 Ram 1500 Laramie and it was the nicest vehicle I've ever had. It was so nice. And that genuine leather smelled like a new baseball glove every time I got in the truck. Gosh I kind of miss that one....

I am stilled completely bummed. The fit-and-finish and quality of the materials surpass that of the Platinum. (Then there's the Ram 1500 Limited!)

I know this discussion isn't appropriate on this site, but it did center on replacing a Ranger with a Ranger (no chance after elimination of standard equipment the last two model years) or a Tacoma.

 

[Rebel Bronc]

I’m sure the 2.3L is a fine engine, but I’m trading in a 2 door Bronco with the 6 cylinder engine. I know and like how it runs, and want to continue to have that power.
Picking up the truck in a couple of days; it’s a bit of a drive. But I’ll post pics!

 

[Jon_M]

I’m sure the 2.3L is a fine engine, but I’m trading in a 2 door Bronco with the 6 cylinder engine. I know and like how it runs, and want to continue to have that power.
Picking up the truck in a couple of days; it’s a bit of a drive. But I’ll post pics!

When I bought my truck the 2.7 was not really available so that was not an option. But coming from a V6 4.0L I’m not disappointed at all. I do understand going with the 2.7 though. The 2.3L has plenty of pep when it’s time to go. If I had the option for the 2.7 I would most likely go with it too, but I would want to drive both to see if the 2.7 would be worth spending the extra money. Something ells I do like about the Ranger is the seating position with the power seats & I feel like I can see over the hood & dash better than the newer Toyotas. I like how the screen is not sticking above the dash. The back seats are bigger than the Tacoma too. The only other thing I’m looking to do down the road is to lift the front end 1” to 1.5” just for a little more clearance off road & back country driving. Looking forward to seeing your truck.

 

[Sharpie223]

When I bought my truck the 2.7 was not really available so that was not an option. But coming from a V6 4.0L I’m not disappointed at all. I do understand going with the 2.7 though. The 2.3L has plenty of pep when it’s time to go. If I had the option for the 2.7 I would most likely go with it too, but I would want to drive both to see if the 2.7 would be worth spending the extra money. Something ells I do like about the Ranger is the seating position with the power seats & I feel like I can see over the hood & dash better than the newer Toyotas. I like how the screen is not sticking above the dash. The back seats are bigger than the Tacoma too. The only other thing I’m looking to do down the road is to lift the front end 1” to 1.5” just for a little more clearance off road & back country driving. Looking forward to seeing your truck.

What year was your 4runner? I had a 2005 and the reality was that it had plenty of pep, but the transmission tune was absolute garbage that tried it's hardest to not let you experience it. Constantly found myself locking out gears for the sake of drivability.

 

[LangWWilliams]

I had a 23 Bronco. I installed sasquatch take off suspension and wheels/tires. The ride and wind noise from the multi piece top got old. I wanted a RR since they came out but they were selling for several thousands over sticker at first. I did really well trading the bronco in an was able to swing the RR at a payment I was comfortable with. I love it (other than the gas mileage). For what I want it's a better vehicle to live with and have fun with.

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