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Ford Authority

2024 Ford Ranger Beats Tacoma And Colorado In New Comparison

The Blue Oval has enjoyed some success in a number of recent comparison tests, with the Ford F-150 Lightning beating out the Tesla Cybertruck, the Ford Escape topping the Dodge Hornet, the 2024 Ford Ranger claiming victory over the also-redesigned 2024 Toyota Tacoma, and the Ford Ranger Raptor earning nearly universal critical acclaim, to boot. Recently, MotorTrend pitted the 2024 Ford Ranger against the Tacoma yet again – plus the Chevy Colorado – and the results, well, were once again in favor of FoMoCo.

The Colorado is fresh off being named MT‘s 2024 Truck of the Year, so this was no easy task, needless to say. Coupled with that challenge and the fact that the Tacoma is fresh off a total redesign – and yet, still dominating the mid-size pickup sales charts even as an aging model – and this seems like quite the challenge for the 2024 Ford Ranger.

Regardless, the Ranger pulled off the improbable win here for a number of reasons. For starters, MT wasn’t a big fan of the ride quality presented by the new Tacoma, nor a few tidbits regarding the Colorado such as its small side mirrors and lack of low range and lane centering. The 2024 Ford Ranger proved to be the superior choice in those areas, though the margins between it and the Colorado were admittedly pretty slim.

“The winner, it seemed, would be determined not by the trucks, but rather by the criteria,” MT noted. “What’s more important, comfort or utility? This isn’t an easy answer, as a mid-size pickup must be both an easy-to-live-with daily driver and a hard worker. All judges agreed the Colorado is the truck we’d rather drive every day. It’s more luxurious, refined, and comfortable than the Ranger. But the Ranger’s bigger back seat, well-thought-out bed, comprehensive towing aids, and low-range transfer case make it the more useful tool. True, the Ranger isn’t as nice to drive as the Chevy, but it’s not that much worse – and besides, these aren’t mid-size sedans or mid-size SUVs, they are mid-size pickups. Work wins the day, and therefore the 2024 Ford Ranger wins this comparison test.”

We’ll have more on the 2024 Ford Ranger soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Ranger news and ongoing Ford news coverage.

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.

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Comments

  1. I ordered Ranger instead of the Taco – back seat leg room in the Taco is a joke and higher end models have the info screen sticking up above the dash partially blocking your view when looking to the right ……………. and the option of a lighter interior !!

    Reply
    1. Wise move. Far better truck. 💯

      Reply
  2. The Ford Ranger is my favorite truck.
    Please send me more information on it as it comes in . This truck is my absolute hearts desire.

    Reply
    1. Mine too. My ’19 Ranger XLT FX4 saved my life! Was gen2 & best in class. This new gen3 Ranger is even better. See Ford.com or call local dealership for specific information. This site won’t send anything ..its information only.

      Reply
  3. Waiting on the Ranger Plug in Hybrid, hopefully by the end of the year for ordering with delivery in Q 1 ’25.

    Reply
  4. Why would you want a hybrid? Cost more, less reliable plus a battery that starts dying on day 1. For little or no benefit.

    Reply
  5. Real pleased to hear the good news about the new 2024 ford ranger beating the competition, a whole lot of work. time and dedication has gone into this hard working Ranger Truck ! ⚖️ 🎶

    Reply
    1. Gen2 19-23 was best in class too! The gen3 ’24 Ranger is absolutely excellent. Enjoy! 💯

      Reply
  6. I want to buy the latest Ford Ranger Wild trac in 3 months time

    Reply
  7. I would hardly even call the Ford ranger a truck at this point, it only comes in one really short bed length. And the bedsides can’t support 100 lb of weight without having reinforcing plates inside the corners of the bed and underneath requiring fairly extensive modifications. Making adding any sort of truck cap or useful rack for work/play. A huge PITA. Another example of European truck design at its worst. Ford dropped the ball big time on this one, and this is coming from a Ford fan.

    I’d rather own a Maverick at this point.

    Reply
    1. Buy a new Maverick FX4 then! The Gen3 Ranger is very much a truck. Strong, well built & highly capable! Loved my gen2 ’19 Ranger XLT FX4. 👍🏻

      Reply

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