2019 Ford Ranger

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I think over the years that 1/2 ton trucks have grown in size as well as compact trucks, so it is all relative. My dad had a Ford Courier, which was made in Japan, now that was a small truck.

Maybe...but my 73 Dodge Powerwagon SnowFighter was a pretty big truck and it was a 1/2 ton single cab 8' box 4 x4

[Yukon Escape]

It appears to me that for some reason if someone buys a new truck, and likes it, everyone has to have one.
Here on Vancouver Island (Comox Valley) there is a preponderance of Dodge Trucks, Cars and Jeeps.
In Alberta you see a lot of Fords and GMC’s.
The Yukon was Dodge and Fords.
There are the usual mix of others, Tundras and so on.

Our 2011, Dodge Laramie Longhorn, has been up and down the Alaska Highway more times than I can remember and has taken it all in stride.
My only complaint, is the cost of spark plugs, they are to be changed every 50,000 K.
Doug

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Yukon Escape

It appears to me that for some reason if someone buys a new truck, and likes it, everyone has to have one.

That's not all. Had to attend the Christmas Eve service at my parent's church. The parking lot was full of Buicks. I'm convinced a respected member of the church is a Buick salesman.

How else could you explain so many Buick sedans in one small parking lot?

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Yukon Escape

It appears to me that for some reason if someone buys a new truck, and likes it, everyone has to have one.
Here on Vancouver Island (Comox Valley) there is a preponderance of Dodge Trucks, Cars and Jeeps.
In Alberta you see a lot of Fords and GMC’s.
The Yukon was Dodge and Fords.
There are the usual mix of others, Tundras and so on.

Our 2011, Dodge Laramie Longhorn, has been up and down the Alaska Highway more times than I can remember and has taken it all in stride.
My only complaint, is the cost of spark plugs, they are to be changed every 50,000 K.
Doug

My 2009 Ram was 25K and had 16 spark plugs due to the cyl deactivation issue. Traded for a 2014 that goes to 100K before the 16 spark plug change

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Yukon Escape

My only complaint, is the cost of spark plugs, they are to be changed every 50,000 K.

I remember when spark plugs were a 12000 mile tuneup item, along with points and condensors. 50K is a lot, like 2-3 years of average driving.

a lot of modern engines claim 100K mile spark plugs, but if you pull them out at the 50k or 60k point, there's hardly any electrode left, and putting new ones in is a very good idea.

[Yukon Escape]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

I remember when spark plugs were a 12000 mile tuneup item, along with points and condensors. 50K is a lot, like 2-3 years of average driving.

a lot of modern engines claim 100K mile spark plugs, but if you pull them out at the 50k or 60k point, there's hardly any electrode left, and putting new ones in is a very good idea.

Isn’t that the truth.
I have 157804 K on our truck, that equates to 98055 miles. Many years ago my first car was a Plymouth, when you opened the hood you could get in with the engine, and do anything needed.
With the new vehicles, you can hardly get your arm in.
The spark plugs (16) do not cost that much, the cost, involves the technician, (no longer a mechanic) having to try find the plugs, to replace them.
Doug

[John in Santa Cruz]

then there was our 2001 E150 with the 5.4L Triton, apparently to change at least 2 of the plugs, you had to drop the motor. indies claimed they could just partially drop it and reach in there, but dealer shops would drop the motor+tranny as a unit to service the engine.

all the newer big pickups, any major engine service like head gasket replacement, they remove the whole cab from the frame. apparently it can be done in 60 or 90 minutes of shop time.

[Pvreeker10@live.ca]

I tow a Bigfoot 5th wheel with a Nissan Frontier and have no problem it all,it is a mid size truck so I would think all mid size trucks would be great !

[Ronn]

Thanks for the input Peter. I understand that the Bigfoots are heavy, any idea what your weight and tongue weights are? How long is your bed and what are you using for a hitch?.
Ronn

[Pvreeker10@live.ca]

The Bigfoot is 3258lb and the box is 5 feet long and the hitch is a Reese 16 pro with a slider that is not needed but I thought it would be ok to have just incase I get in a tight spot.

[James Gang]

Doing some comparisons to two previous trucks I have owned. In 2003 I bought a 2003 Silverado ext cab Base 1500 with a 4.8L V8 and a 3.42 rear gear ratio. Specs were: 270hp, 285 lb/ft torque GVW 6200, and empty wt of 4600 lbs. Length 227.6", width 78.5", and wb 143.5". Tow rating of around 6700lbs. I then bought a 2004 21' travel trailer of around 4200lbs loaded. The truck would struggle up hills unless it was in 2nd gear. I always towed in 3rd gear. The Chevy 1/2 ton trucks overdrive gear was a little weak.

I then bought a 2005 Silverado 1500 LS Crewcab with a 5.3L V8, 285HP, 325 lb/ft of torque with a 3.73 gear ratio and about 5000 lbs empty wt. Length, width and wheelbase were the same. Tow rating of around 7700 lbs. Much better job of towing my 21' trailer. I still towed in 3rd gear.
But then in 2010 I bought a 28.5 ft trailer with a loaded weight of around 5400lbs. Now the 2005 truck struggled. So in early 2013, I bought a 2012 Ford F250 with a 6.2L V8. Now towing my 28.5ft trailer was a breeze.
My point is the 2019 Ranger compares somewhat favorably in some ways to the 2005 Silverado. Some more specs I have been able to find of the Ranger are as follows: WB 127", length of 210.8", width of 73.22" and weight of 4343 lbs. (These specs are off the Australian Ford web site). Yes, the length, width (5.28" narrower) and WB is less, but my Escape 21 is 8" narrower than my previous trailers. Mirror extensions I think would be needed. The 10 speed tranny would be a definite plus. Would I buy a Ranger? Maybe, when my Ford wears out. Of course it has only about 46500 miles on the odometer. So wearing out will be a long time.

[Ronn]

Thanks Barton, good insight and comparisons. Do you have any thoughts on mileage (and wear and tear) being negatively affected by the small engine needing to run in "boost" mode to do the job or if torque coming in at lower RPM's as Brian B-P pointed out make that less of an issue. Ronn

[James Gang]

I did some searching on the web concerning the 2.3L engine. It is, to the best of my knowledge, a detuned version of the Mustang 2.3. On a Mustang forum, there was one report of an engine failure. But, the owner had put a "tune" on it and Ford did not honor the warranty. There has been reports of head gasket failures on the Focus RS 2.3L turbo and of running hot. That 2.3 is slightly different and one report I read said Ford installed the wrong head gaskets (actually putting Mustang head gaskets on the Focus engine and that there enough differences to have caused this problem). I would never buy the first year or two, It seems that many vehicles have teething issues that first year of production. There are several members here who have said the 10 speed tranny is great My only issue so far with the Ranger is the mirrors. I have not seen where tow mirrors will be offered.

[Ronn]

Mirrors for now I would be looking at a quality detachable towing mirror along with the ETA camera set up to use as a rear view mirror. I believe many are setting up there cameras. Clear in Australia has a Ranger towing mirror, I know they have started supplying the Colorado / Canyon mirror in the US and I would think they would jump on this opportunity as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCDf7f9TGxQ

[James Gang]

Thanks Ronn

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

then there was our 2001 E150 with the 5.4L Triton, apparently to change at least 2 of the plugs, you had to drop the motor. indies claimed they could just partially drop it and reach in there, but dealer shops would drop the motor+tranny as a unit to service the engine.

all the newer big pickups, any major engine service like head gasket replacement, they remove the whole cab from the frame. apparently it can be done in 60 or 90 minutes of shop time.

😎 Back in the day it was not uncommon to need a valve job at 50k. A lot has changed since. Lead free gas, space age alloys, electronic ignition and then electronic engine control. Pulled the plugs on my 06 Ford Explorer at 60k and would have put them back in had I not already bought new ones. Traded a 10 year old Subaru that ran great with the only thing done to motor was oil (synthetic) and filters. Hope I have as good a run with my F150, time will tell.

[Bobnjudy]

This looks to be a terrific T V. A drive-ability video is coming next week.
Still certain I wouldn't tow a 5.0 TA with any 4 cyl (height/wind resistance) but this should work well with other Escapes. The diesel Canyon gets much better mileage.
I'll have to see Lariat trim and how well the single display instrument view looks.
https://youtu.be/5SId96XzrAU

[Mark James]

Agree would not tow a 5 with a Ranger.

[Brian B-P]

Ford announces Canadian pricing for 2019 Ranger

Prices start at almost $33K, but four doors and four-wheel drive are standard in Canada

CA$30,969 to CA$42,289, plus the usual "destination and delivery" scam.

Ford Canada is severely limiting the configurations available, but even in the U.S. there are no other engine, transmission, or cab choices.

[sunrisetrucker]

Originally Posted by Bobnjudy

The diesel Canyon gets much better mileage.

So does my non-diesel.