Since the reintroduction of the Ford Ranger several years ago, the midsize pickup’s current generation has been praised not only for its value and reliability as a new vehicle, but also as a lightly used, pre-owned truck. The Ranger has been recognized as being a better truck than rivals like the Chevy Colorado, and has even been placed first when it comes to comparisons against the highly popular Toyota Tacoma. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the Tacoma consistently outsells the Ranger, which begs the question: can Ford’s offering eventually claw its way past the Tacoma in terms of sales?
In recent years, the Toyota Tacoma has commanded the top spot in the midsize pickup segment, thanks in part to its exemplary reliability and the fact that it has a plant dedicated entirely to its production. The Ford Ranger, on the other hand, has yet to make its name synonymous with the quality that the Tacoma is known for. The Ranger also lacks a dedicated plant, as it shares the Michigan Assembly plant with the Ford Bronco, with priority going to the latter vehicle for now.
The Ford Ranger was also absent from the market from the 2013 through 2018 model years, creating a gap in its segment that undoubtedly benefitted the Tacoma. It’s also worth noting that prior to its five-year hiatus, the Ranger was a best-seller for quite a long time, but the Tacoma has been outselling it for almost a decade now.
| 2011 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tacoma | 110,705 | 106,198 |
| Ranger | 70,832 | 55,364 |
| Frontier | 51,700 | 40,427 |
| Colorado | 31,026 | 24,642 |
| Canyon | 9,590 | 7,992 |
| Total | 273,853 | 234,623 |
The fight began to tip in the Tacoma’s favor back in 2010 and 2011, where the Japanese pickup outsold the Ranger by quite a lot. Not long after, though, the Ranger was pulled from Ford’s lineup before being resurrected, allowing Toyota to gain a serious foothold on the segment in the interim.
| MODEL | YTD 18 / YTD 17 | YTD 18 | YTD 17 | YTD 18 SHARE | YTD 17 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA TACOMA | +23.99% | 245,659 | 198,125 | 50% | 47% |
| CHEVROLET COLORADO | +19.33% | 134,842 | 112,996 | 27% | 27% |
| NISSAN FRONTIER | +7.11% | 79,646 | 74,360 | 16% | 18% |
| GMC CANYON | +4.32% | 33,492 | 32,106 | 7% | 8% |
| TOTAL | +18.21% | 493,639 | 417,587 |
In 2018, the Tacoma’s popularity had exploded, outselling its next-closest rival, the Chevy Colorado, by over 100,000 units, before the Ranger had even made a dent in the market.
| MODEL | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 | YTD 19 SHARE | YTD 18 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA TACOMA | +1.28% | 248,801 | 245,659 | 41% | 50% |
| CHEVROLET COLORADO | -9.30% | 122,304 | 134,842 | 20% | 27% |
| FORD RANGER | * | 89,571 | 0 | 15% | 0% |
| NISSAN FRONTIER | -9.14% | 72,369 | 79,646 | 12% | 16% |
| JEEP GLADIATOR | * | 40,047 | 0 | 7% | 0% |
| GMC CANYON | -1.99% | 32,825 | 33,492 | 5% | 7% |
| TOTAL | +22.74% | 605,917 | 493,639 |
In 2019, the Ford Ranger finally reentered the market, and while 89,571 sales was certainly nothing to discount, it didn’t hold a candle to Tacoma sales, which continued to soar to almost 250,000 annually.
| MODEL | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 | YTD 20 SHARE | YTD 19 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA TACOMA | -4.02% | 238,806 | 248,801 | 41% | 41% |
| FORD RANGER | +13.30% | 101,486 | 89,571 | 18% | 15% |
| CHEVROLET COLORADO | -21.31% | 96,238 | 122,304 | 17% | 20% |
| JEEP GLADIATOR | +93.63% | 77,542 | 40,047 | 13% | 7% |
| NISSAN FRONTIER | -49.09% | 36,845 | 72,369 | 6% | 12% |
| GMC CANYON | -23.26% | 25,190 | 32,825 | 4% | 5% |
| TOTAL | -4.92% | 576,107 | 605,917 |
One year later, the Ranger surpassed the Colorado and set its sights on the Tacoma. Sales of the Tacoma dipped in 2020, indicating that the Ranger had begun to eat into its share in the throes of COVID-19 woes. However, all told, the Ranger accumulated less than half of Tacoma sales.
| MODEL | YTD 21 / YTD 20 | YTD 21 | YTD 20 | YTD 21 SHARE | YTD 20 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOYOTA TACOMA | +5.74% | 252,520 | 238,806 | 42% | 41% |
| FORD RANGER | -6.63% | 94,755 | 101,486 | 16% | 18% |
| JEEP GLADIATOR | +15.69% | 89,712 | 77,542 | 15% | 13% |
| CHEVROLET COLORADO | -24.14% | 73,008 | 96,238 | 12% | 17% |
| NISSAN FRONTIER | +64.73% | 60,693 | 36,845 | 10% | 6% |
| GMC CANYON | -4.23% | 24,125 | 25,190 | 4% | 4% |
| TOTAL | +3.25% | 594,813 | 576,107 |
The gap widened even further in 2021 as new competitors entered the market. To this day, the Ford Ranger has quite a bit of ground to make up if Ford wants to claim the top spot in the midsize pickup segment.
However, all is not lost, as a new generation of Ranger is set to hit the North American market in 2024, and its revised styling and technology could very well be the catalysts needed to tip the scales in The Blue Oval’s favor. Even so, it’s bound to be a tough fight.
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View Comments
Ranger will always be behind just a not good enough product! I have driven both a lot and Ranger is just not there!
I recall that when Ford bought some Toyota pickups for benchmarking, one went out to APG (Ford’s Arizona Proving Grounds) to go through the truck durability cycle.
The exhaust fell off the truck partway through the cycle.
Maybe Toyota’s pickups have closed the gap to Ford in the last few years durability wise but who’s to say?
So you've driven the 2023 Ranger? Most people consider the Tacoma uncomfortable and a chore to drive. But the poser crowd loves them
Yes, I have owned several Rangers, and 2 Tacoma's. My 2021 fully-loaded Ranger Lariat does not compare to the Tacoma Sport.
Power Moonroof - n/a
Power rear Window - n/a
Wireless Charging - n/a
Fold-down rear seat cargo area - n/a
Cargo Rail System - n/a
V6 Horsepower & Torque - nope.
Max Towing capacity - Tacoma 6800 v/s Ranger 3500
The ranger can tow 7000 something pounds if you get the towing package
2019 was 10 years ago? That's about the stupidest headline I've seen here in a while.
NOT at all. First, the Ranger needs a complete makeover, by designers who cares about design. Even the 2023/24 Model looks like a refresh just for today, not the future. The Ranger is not a strong competitor at all especially when it comes to design and technology. Ford is well known to play it safe. Let’s be honest here, looks are subjective but only a person who understands design would agree that all of the Rangers competitors have a much better design both inside and out. The new Canyon, Colorado and Frontier, all are leaps forward to the backwards Ranger. When I see a Ranger, it looks like a hunk of depression driving down the road. The price of a bland Ranger just does not make sense for people to bypass the aging Tacoma. Even with the aging Tacoma, it still look so much better than the Ranger.
The 2024 tacoma will have the option of a hybrid 2.4L engine. The Ranger needs a hybrid version of their 2.3 Ecoboost to compete with that. But not just compete, it needs to be BETTER!
Seriously?
Until Ford starts putting quality, durability and value back in their products they will never even touch Toyota !!!!
It breaks my heart as a Ford employee and owner forever That I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE !!!!!
I take care of a fleet of them and to say they are crap is an understatement. So sad.
🤣
No way in hell!
This is garbage, there isn’t a mfg out there worried consumers just the bottom line.
The biggest problem the Ranger has had is that it has always played second fiddle to the F-150 in this market. Add to that the fact that Ford now has another truck, the Maverick, that they are marketing to the same "lifestyle" crowd as the Ranger. As the article stated, the Ranger also shares a production facility with the Bronco. Then throw in the fact that the Ranger is designed in Australia for markets other than North America and it becomes all too clear that Ford doesn't really want or need to sell a large number of Rangers in this market. It only needs to be good enough to sell a few thousand units per month but not so good that it steals sales from it's in-house competition. That's a completely different philosophy than what Toyota and GM use. They both build their mid-size models specifically for the markets they are sold in and their sales numbers reflect that.
The basic Ranger design certainly is Australian but the North American is substantially re engineered for the American market who have safety standards and suspension/handling/comfort standards different to any other country in the world.
In Australia the Ranger consistently outsells the Hilux(Tacoma) in the 4wd sector, Toyota only hold sway due to its cheap 2wd company sales. Toyotas legendary reliability is wanting as they continue to have diesel engine and rear diff issues. The engines have been so bad they've been subject to class actions and even the local regulators have canned their so called fixes. As for the Rangers being backwards in tech, comfort and handling then every motoring writer around the world where the new model is already on sale must have no idea on what constitutes a great car because without one exception every one tested has been rated way higher than any other mid size ute.
in 2010 Ford killed off the Explorer Sport Track. A vehicle that I currently drive on a daily basis. Test drove a similar optioned new Ranger recently. After my test drive and ignoring all the offers to purchase my Sport Track from the dealer, I came to the conclusion that Ford made a mistake killing off the the Sport Track and have been trying to recreate it in the Ranger ever since. The similarities are unmistakable between the 2 vehicles.