Best Midsize Towing Truck? Ford Ranger vs Toyota Tacoma vs World's Toughest Towing Test

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[timcook]

If it's any consolation fellas, my Volvo 13-litre only gets 1.1 MPG pulling Ike with 49, 000 lbs of drywall on the deck :-))

[CSLFiero]

I am NOT a truck guy, but the competition in the midsize segment is very exciting for anyone into automobiles.

[jonsmith]

Russian guy needs to wear a track suit from adidas or I’m not watching anymore

[SuperBigBanny]

While this was from two years ago I find people still don’t use the Ranger 10 options as well as they could. You can set the number of gears available on the stick. So if your worries about it jumping between 5th and 6th you can max it out at using only 5 speeds so it won’t ever try 6th while climbing etc. I do lots of climbing and tight bends and setting it to use 4 automatic gears max means I can just forget it until I’m at the top. Always sports mode ti use any selected gear too.

[CarsAndZebras]

Both trucks will be fine with mild towing on occasion (like all other midsize trucks). If you're going to do any regular towing with moderate or heavier weight, you should probably get a different truck. It's not like the midsize trucks are much cheaper than a half-ton anyway.

[HondaCL]

You guys have misidentified the “ECT PWR” several times now. It doesn’t add power or change the engine at all, it holds the gearing in lower gears for longer and helps prevent early shifting (at the cost of gas-mileage) to make towing and mountain-climbing easier.

[mathiasm]

For me putting the Ranger into cruise control (set to 50mph) was the way to go. Then it uses all the engine breaking it can get to try to hold set speed.

[freighter]

I think at the end of the day it all comes down to who will make more trips up/down the hill. The Ranger and the Tacoma are both noted as extremely dependable trucks. The Tacoma has not had a break in sales/service (in the US) so the Ranger will have to once again prove itself as a dependable pickup. Time will name the true ruler of the roost. It was a great video and as always as fair as they can be. Thanks guys.

[lanemorrow]

If you adjust the gauge cluster, you can see the tach

[PsalmFourteenOne]

When doing work like towing up a hill, it's no surprise that the mpg is more even.
The EcoBoost mpg advantage comes into play when CRUISING where you don't need the max power capacity.
Then that less reciprocating weight will provide more mpg.

When you need the power to tow up the hill then similar amounts of fuel will be used. It's not like the EcoBoost makes free energy. It's just a smaller engine that can still match the power of the larger engines when in boost (replacement for displacement) . And it's in that later mode when climbing a hill.

[rickmcnelly]

From the video, the Ranger appears to have an elastomeric jounce bumper (not a bump stop) which is designed to be a supplemental spring. It works to make the suspension progressive, providing an increasing spring rate transition into full compression. It is intended to be an active part of the suspension. As such, it should have been touching the leaf spring during your test.

[steverowe]

Mr Truck going to tea parties in his new Ford Ranger - ROFL.

[jamesmcintire]

I’ve had two of the previous Rangers; both were really good little trucks! I’ve been looking forward to seeing the various test results of the new Ranger and I’m pleased to see that it’s performing as admirably as it is. Once again Ford really did their homework with this one! I’m looking forward to probably parking one in my own driveway in a couple years after I pay off my present vehicle.

[emericaman]

Man you guys have been pumping out the content!

[ratrocket]

Cute ...Still driving a 95 ranger, mileage unkown as dealer spun the odometer back ....tires, brakes, 2 ujoints and an egr sensor and still the most confidence inspiring truck I have ever drivin' in fourty four

[aluebkeman]

If Andre would just fill that tote with Vodka it wouldn't freeze.

[CrownAndMainspring]

Don't buy the Tacoma. Ive had Tacoma on and off since 1997. 3 in Total now. They never break down and always work when you turn the key. No drama, no surprises! I did have a Ranger briefly in 2000, it always over heated, leaked oil and had transmission issues. The motor ended up exploding! Very exciting! Never knew what to expect on the road! I miss it.

[jeffjones]

I love the Tacoma but they need to design the cabin space around someone who is around 6ft tall which would compensate taller and shorter people

[ReezyChiloane]

No time to rest I see. Keep up the great work

[chrisdreier]

Thanks for freezing your butts off to provide us with real world tow tests. I owned a Tacoma with the 4.0 and sold it for a 2018 with the 3.5. I was shocked how much the towing quality dropped with the newer engine. I know it looks as good on paper as the older 4.0, but my engine constantly shifts and groans towing the same trailer. Add larger tires and you cannot tow in higher elevations or inclines worth a squat. IMHO, it’s better to go with the Ranger since the turbo helps compensate for altitude and incline challenges when it comes to torque and that 10-speed stops the extreme gear switches.