Downsize To Ford Ranger

[simo]

Originally Posted by Hot Runr Guy

Take some time to research legroom between the SCab F-150 and the SCrew Ranger, there's next to no difference.

HRG

Leg room is less of a issue for us. The pain is the "rear hinged" doors on the F150 SCab that open backwards. Trying to get groceries or a car seat in the back seat when a car is parked next you or your in the garage is next to impossible since both doors have to be opened at the same time to access the back.


Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it!

[Bobby Winds]

Originally Posted by simo

Leg room is less of a issue for us. The pain is the "rear hinged" doors on the F150 SCab that open backwards. Trying to get groceries or a car seat in the back seat when a car is parked next you or your in the garage is next to impossible since both doors have to be opened at the same time to access the back.


Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it!

I don’t have that problem with my Toyota Tundra.

[Custom Eyes]

Originally Posted by simo

Leg room is less of a issue for us. The pain is the "rear hinged" doors on the F150 SCab that open backwards. Trying to get groceries or a car seat in the back seat when a car is parked next you or your in the garage is next to impossible since both doors have to be opened at the same time to access the back.


Thanks for all the input, I appreciate it!

I would go with an F-150 Super Crew. Lots of 2nd row room! Far more interior room than my SUV. The Ranger would probably work the same as your current truck with no issues, but if you upgrade to that larger boat, you're going to want the bigger and heavier truck. I just upgraded from an Expedition to F-150 Super Crew, towing a 21' aluminum, and the handling while towing difference is very noticeable. The boat would push the Expedition around fairly often on rolling country roads or when stopping hard. It doesn't push the F-150 at all, being heavier and having a larger wheel base. The extra 800# and extra 2' of wheel base makes a world of difference.

[REW]

Simo,
Try one and give your rig a 1,000 mile tow through all sorts of terrain.

Stop down to a vehicle rental agency and rent a new Ranger for a few days and see how it goes for you. Your behind the wheel driving, turning, backing etc. will tell you the story.

A few hundred dollars rental is easy money to spend to avoid making a costly mistake.

Take care

p.s.
A lot of folks who travel for business and are considering the purchase of a new vehicle rent that vehicle for their business trip to feel out the potential of the possible new to purchase vehicle.

[Snowking]

You might have more trouble backing up or changing lanes with the Ranger. I did not compare but Would guess the width of the Ranger is a decent amount less then the 150. You might need towing mirrors with the ranger. I use towing mirrors on my Durango. Kind of a pain. Also somewhat harder to back up to dock.

[CI_Guy]

I down sized from a '06 Tundra extended cab to Nissan Frontier crew cab a year ago. The Tundra was the old body style and a lot smaller than the newer Tundras. I can feel the trailer brakes engage a little more with the Nissan but haven't had any issues stopping my 18' Stratos and haven't noticed any sway changing lanes at speed. Not Fords but I've been pleased with the larger back seat of the crew cab and overall performance of a midsize truck.

[wh500special]

I tow a similar sized boat and switched from a full sized truck to a mid size. I am completely happy and would unquestionably buy the same truck today.

Stability is great. I never have felt overmatched. I do know the boat is back there though. My trailer has brakes, so should yours especially if you go Mid-Size.

Dad has an F-150 supercrew with the 3.5 eco boost and the tiny 5.5’ bed. It’s pretty nice. I’d think overall it would be the same length as your SuperCab with 6.5’ bed.

I’ve had the occasion to tow my boat with it a number of times. It’s effortless since the engine is so powerful, but it doesn’t really feel any more stable or secure than my marginally smaller truck. Braking isn’t qualitatively any better, probably because the truck is heavier and carries more momentum that needs to be scrubbed.

I understand the physics of having a heavier vehicle when trailering, but today’s Mid-Sizers aren’t much smaller than full size trucks of a few years ago. Narrower, yes, but still long and heavy. And, boats tow easy due to the long tongue and relatively streamlined shape.

I Noticed that you mention child car seats...the ranger is narrow and has negligible storage in the back seat, just a couple tiny bins under the back seat. The rear seat and storage in the F-150 Screw is huge. For that reason alone I would seriously consider the F-150 over the Ranger. Kids travel with a lot of gear. And when you’re by yourself with the boat you’ll have more usable room in the cab for your stuff.

I think most of us can get by with smaller vehicles, but when the kids are still in car seats they suck up a lot of room. I’m sure the ranger will be good, but the F-150 would be my choice if I was choosing between those two.

Steve

[REW]

F-150 dimensions:

https://media.ford.com/content/dam/f...2019-F-150.pdf

Ranger dimensions:
https://media.ford.com/content/dam/f...Tech_Specs.pdf

[RMBin303]

Only an 18 gallon fuel tank? The range while towing would be tough.

[dragonsm]

Simo-

Others focused on the towing standpoint, I'll take a stab at the "family aspect" side of the decision.

I can see what you are saying. Back in the day when my wife and I first started our family, I had a supercab F-150.

The countless times having to swing open both doors, stand between them and then close the front door just to get room to move back and forth for grocery's or get kids in was a huge PITA.

Family upgraded to two kids and I ultimately ended up trading it off on a Supercrew F-150. My oldest thought she had just moved to the "penthouse suite" with the amount of room in the back.

Last year when my wife hit a deer with her car, the rental insurance picked up for us was a crew cab GMC Canyon....not a Ranger but the same class/size in a crew cab. My kids were 10 and 5 at the time. Getting my son in and out of his highback car-seat he had to squeeze in and out. My daughter is tall for her age, but she felt "cramped"....but then again, she was having to "live on the ground floor" again. A couple of times we had two kids and an adult in the back and it was tight. If it was only my wife and I, I might look at it a little more seriously.

From a towing standpoint, I can't answer that as I haven't towed with that size vehicle, but hearing other ecoboost stories about pushing max towing limit, the mileage drops way down.....as another poster pointed out, with only a 17 or so gallon tank, any longer distance hauling I would think you wouldn't want to pass up to many gas stations.

Not sure how it is up there, but there are a LOT of incentives on F-150's here in South Dakota on the 19's. If the 2.7 was everything you needed with a little in reserve, I'd focus my effort on that. Tons of the 2.7 crew cabs around here for sale. My two cents taking a "growing" family into consideration, I'd look at the crew cab F-150 with a 5.5 ft bed. You'll be able to travel 5 comfortably.

Good luck

Steve