Looking to buy. 2.3. 24 or 25? Trans differences?

[Cametotruth23]

I've read about the differences between the two engines and the new brake booster. Im having difficulty deciding if I want to focus on one year versus the other.

The old 2.3 seems to have the bugs worked out and seems solid. Far as I can tell the biggest difference would be port injection which would help remediate carbon build up on the valves.

Does port injection also help with low speed pre ignition?

Does the 24 have the same transmission as the 25s or does it use the 10r80?

The epa ratings are different, is there a real world difference in economy? 26 on the highway sounds nice. 24 is rated at 24mpg on the highway.

Any reliability issues with the new 2.3? I've seen a couple posts about the waste gate being stuck.

One more question. Is there a dark mode for the interface? Seems that bright white would get old fast for me.

Thanks in advance!

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[purdyd]

So here are some thoughts.

first it is nice to have this problem because both years seem reliable and I don’t think there is any difference in transmissions

the 25 lost the 12v power in the bed, but it is accessible on the connector, a bit a pain though

my thinking is if you are buying the 2.3l get the 25 with the mpc 2.3 l

the 2.7 get the best deal

there are great deals on 24s right now, and if you like cactus gray, you need to get a 24.

I test drove the 24 and 25 weeks apart and the 25 brakes seemed better

sample size of one, could be confirmation bias.

 

[superj]

I have driven both also and i was impressed with the power on the 2025 2.3 but not enough that i am unhappy with my 2024 2.3.

Same trans on both.

I noticed no difference in braking.


If the prices are the same, i would go for the newer onw but if the 24 is way cheaper, i would get that one and be totally fine. I love my 24 and have gotten up to 27mpg in it though usually its around 24 in the highway because the speeds of the highways, here

 

[Grand Nat]

Pros. 2.7 L A little more power. Cons. If you intend to keep the vehicle for the long run it's extremely hard to work on. As an auto motive tech I feel the 2.3 is easier to work on O2 sensors are accessible exhaust drops right down from the turbo belts are very accessible and so are the coil packs. The electronic wastegate is accessible and there's only one. There really is more then enough power with the 2.3 then most individuals will need due to the combination of the 10 speed transmission although the V6 looks awesome sitting in that engine Bay I ordered the Ranger with the 2.3 then changed my mind and wanted to order the V 6 I went to change the order however it was too late it was already in production so I was stuck with the four and i don't have a problem with it. I use the Ranger on the beach and there is more then enough torque to handle the sand. I am getting around 23. 1 Mpg s I have a light foot. Don't have any pre ignition problems as you mentioned. The braking was very soft at the beginning of its journey it took about 1800 miles before the pads started to break in and started to respond quicker. I think by design they are soft because of the emergency braking safety feature .My Ranger is 2025 FX 4 with duel injection.

 

[gtistiffler]

There is a dark mode for the screen that you asked about.

 

[Cametotruth23]

Pros. 2.7 L A little more power. Cons. If you intend to keep the vehicle for the long run it's extremely hard to work on. As an auto motive tech I feel the 2.3 is easier to work on O2 sensors are accessible exhaust drops right down from the turbo belts are very accessible and so are the coil packs. The electronic wastegate is accessible and there's only one. There really is more then enough power with the 2.3 then most individuals will need due to the combination of the 10 speed transmission although the V6 looks awesome sitting in that engine Bay I ordered the Ranger with the 2.3 then changed my mind and wanted to order the V 6 I went to change the order however it was too late it was already in production so I was stuck with the four and i don't have a problem with it. I use the Ranger on the beach and there is more then enough torque to handle the sand. I am getting around 23. 1 Mpg s I have a light foot. Don't have any pre ignition problems as you mentioned. The braking was very soft at the beginning of its journey it took about 1800 miles before the pads started to break in and started to respond quicker. I think by design they are soft because of the emergency braking safety feature .My Ranger is 2025 FX 4 with duel injection.

Nice looking truck. I like the red. Nice user name too.

In my area for some reason there are a fair amount of 2024s left over and the prices have dropped to almost reasonable. Not pre covid prices where I could've had an xlt 4 door for 31,000. But still tempting.

 

[Cametotruth23]

There is a dark mode for the screen that you asked about.

Good to know, thank you. I hadn't seen a picture of it so I was wondering.

Does sync 4 allow for color changes? I don't like the blue my sync 3 forces on me. I'll live with it though. Much prefer the old green Ford had for instrumentation.

 

[superj]

No idea about that color question. Maybe aomeone else can say yea or nay

 

[Grand Nat]

Nice looking truck. I like the red. Nice user name too.

In my area for some reason there are a fair amount of 2024s left over and the prices have dropped to almost reasonable. Not pre covid prices where I could've had an xlt 4 door for 31,000. But still tempting.

The dealers want to reduce the amount of left over 24s before sell 25s. Of course. Maybe because lots of individuals are leaning towards the dual injection engines.

 

[ChronciallyChronic]

Check when the 24's you're considering were built. If after mid-September things like the box reinforcement and electronic brake booster is already present.

 

[Cametotruth23]

Lots of good info here. Thanks everyone.

 

[Rangerjimm]

2025 2.3 Lariat. I am getting 26-27 mpg at 70mph in normal mode. I am averaging 24. I have 800 miles on the truck so its not quite broken in yet. Im very happy so far.

 

[Gplassm]

I've read about the differences between the two engines and the new brake booster. Im having difficulty deciding if I want to focus on one year versus the other.

The old 2.3 seems to have the bugs worked out and seems solid. Far as I can tell the biggest difference would be port injection which would help remediate carbon build up on the valves.

Does port injection also help with low speed pre ignition?

Does the 24 have the same transmission as the 25s or does it use the 10r80?

The epa ratings are different, is there a real world difference in economy? 26 on the highway sounds nice. 24 is rated at 24mpg on the highway.

Any reliability issues with the new 2.3? I've seen a couple posts about the waste gate being stuck.

One more question. Is there a dark mode for the interface? Seems that bright white would get old fast for me.

Thanks in advance!

I am the person who had the stuck wastegate on my 2025 2.3L Ranger. No big deal. The factory forgot to put some little E-clips on the linkage. Easy fix. BUT… My dealership gave me a 2024 2.3L Ranger as a loaner for a week, until the parts came in to fix mine. I can tell you that there is a huge difference between the 2025 2.3L engine and the old (2024 and earlier) 2.3L engine! The 2025 MPC engine feels much stronger and sounds much deeper!
There is no way that I would pick a 2024 2.3L over the new 2025 2.3L engine!

 

[Meatbag]

I think the trans calibration is also better on the new 25s. Can't compare since I haven't driven a 24 as I have a 25, but there's info out there for it. I think the dual injection is well worth it alone.

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