2024 Ford Ranger Lariat 4x4

DIYER2952

New member
I’ve been considering the Ranger & Tacoma…..waiting for inventory on both. Question…What is the difference in performance 2.4 vs 2.7, power, towing etc, is it worth the extra cost. I know Bronco shares chassis & engines…any difference?
 
I haven't driven either of them which you probably should do, but from specs/reviews alone I wouldn't get the tacoma with a straight 2.4, the hybrid should be out later on and it puts out significantly more power.

The 2.7 is a v6 isn't it? That would be my choice (the new/updated ranger) between the two options you listed.
 
All of the intital driving impressions I'm hearing on the Tacoma reviews are underpowered and disappointing. It's glossed over and quickly they move on to how great the other parts of the truck are. TFL mentioned it in their towing video with a comment that you're not passing anybody on the fwy and that it feels and drives like a 4cyl. (Which it is but you would have hoped it "felt" more like a V6)

It sounds like a miss to me but as always nobody (yet) is really taking Toyota to task for it.
 
I’ve been considering the Ranger & Tacoma…..waiting for inventory on both. Question…What is the difference in performance 2.4 vs 2.7, power, towing etc, is it worth the extra cost. I know Bronco shares chassis & engines…any difference?
That's always gonna come down to your individual wants. Are you going to be towing heavily often? Do you want it to jump off the line or just accelerate smoothly? And the best way is to wait until they hit the streets, and you can try them for yourself. Unfortunately, it's probably going to be a wait as no Rangers are out or hybrids to really compare.
 
All of the intital driving impressions I'm hearing on the Tacoma reviews are underpowered and disappointing. It's glossed over and quickly they move on to how great the other parts of the truck are. TFL mentioned it in their towing video with a comment that you're not passing anybody on the fwy and that it feels and drives like a 4cyl. (Which it is but you would have hoped it "felt" more like a V6)

It sounds like a miss to me but as always nobody (yet) is really taking Toyota to task for it.
All of the reviews and people who have purchased seemed quite happy with the new Taco engine, in fact, I haven't seen anyone say it's underpowered anywhere. Your opinion seems to leak into what you read/hear. I've watched every video and read quite a few articles too. Mid-sized trucks are not really towing vehicles so if that is important, get a full-size. I saw one comment from a new owner who said passing on the freeway could be better, but off the line and general driving is quite good.
 
That's always gonna come down to your individual wants. Are you going to be towing heavily often? Do you want it to jump off the line or just accelerate smoothly? And the best way is to wait until they hit the streets, and you can try them for yourself. Unfortunately, it's probably going to be a wait as no Rangers are out or hybrids to really compare.
Agreed, It's always best to drive them. Maybe one of them beats a hellcat in the quarter mile and if that is what you want sweet, but if it is not comfortable or has other quirks that will drive you nuts, it's good to know that before you plop down $50k. I really liked the Colorado and Canyons overall, but didn't like the driver assistance on the hwy of either of them and I use that often.

Hopefully both of these are on a lot at some point. Also contrary to my own advice, I have a deposit on a Tacoma that should arrive in a couple of weeks, but I'l be driving it before a final signature just to be sure.
 
All of the reviews and people who have purchased seemed quite happy with the new Taco engine, in fact, I haven't seen anyone say it's underpowered anywhere.

That's cause all the guys driving it came from the old v6 which makes this an upgrade :ROFLMAO:

Sorry. Had to say it. I haven't driven it so completely unfair to critize it.

But honestly, the power specs don't look good when you put it up against the Canyon with 430 lb/ft of torque. The hybrid 2.4 should give even more power than that so that's what I would wait for if I was getting the Tacoma.
 
That's cause all the guys driving it came from the old v6 which makes this an upgrade :ROFLMAO:

Sorry. Had to say it. I haven't driven it so completely unfair to critize it.

But honestly, the power specs don't look good when you put it up against the Canyon with 430 lb/ft of torque. The hybrid 2.4 should give even more power than that so that's what I would wait for if I was getting the Tacoma.

I would wait too, but I'm afraid of what the hybrid is going to cost as the truck is already pretty crazy $$$.
 
That's cause all the guys driving it came from the old v6 which makes this an upgrade :ROFLMAO:

Sorry. Had to say it. I haven't driven it so completely unfair to critize it.

But honestly, the power specs don't look good when you put it up against the Canyon with 430 lb/ft of torque. The hybrid 2.4 should give even more power than that so that's what I would wait for if I was getting the Tacoma.
That's the problem with paper specs though things can look great on paper and not be great in the real world.

I drove the previous Taco and while I liked a lot about it, I didn't like the engine and transmission. Every other truck I drove was definitely better, including the Canyon/Colorado. If all one cares about is how powerful a vehicle is, they should be looking at electric vehicles as they are definitely the most powerful and quickest off the line, but also come with trade offs. Every vehicle has trade-offs. Finding the right one for you is what is important and why I'm not brand loyal. I'll buy whatever is best for what I need at the time.

But I do agree, the V6 from the previous gen Taco didn't perform well in many areas.
 
I would wait too, but I'm afraid of what the hybrid is going to cost as the truck is already pretty crazy $$$.
Yeah that's why we decided to go with the non hybrid. Would I like more power and torque, a little better fuel economy and a 2400 watt inverter? Yes. Would my wife let me pay more than we already are? No. 😂
 
That's the problem with paper specs though things can look great on paper and not be great in the real world.

I drove the previous Taco and while I liked a lot about it, I didn't like the engine and transmission. Every other truck I drove was definitely better, including the Canyon/Colorado. If all one cares about is how powerful a vehicle is, they should be looking at electric vehicles as they are definitely the most powerful and quickest off the line, but also come with trade offs. Every vehicle has trade-offs. Finding the right one for you is what is important and why I'm not brand loyal. I'll buy whatever is best for what I need at the time.

But I do agree, the V6 from the previous gen Taco didn't perform well in many areas.

EV's are out for me, full stop. Not even a debate as I need something reliable and without all the headache around charging with a trailer behind etc. I'm not disconnecting every hour, and don't want to stress out when I'm heading on vacation. I already carry 2 to 3 jerry cans in my bed as a backup.

I'm kinda interested in the Ram Charger (or tech like it, doesn't have to be a Ram). It gives you over 620 lb/ft of torque, while giving you an onboard gas generator (same pentastar v6 which they've used for over a decade) which then recharges the batteries. That I could make work really nicely. But as you mentioned, I bet the price is a deal breaker.

So I'll rely on my "trusty" dodge and flog it till the wheels fall off. I should have another 10+ relatively headache free years out of it anyway which will put me around the 185k mile mark.
 
All of the intital driving impressions I'm hearing on the Tacoma reviews are underpowered and disappointing. It's glossed over and quickly they move on to how great the other parts of the truck are. TFL mentioned it in their towing video with a comment that you're not passing anybody on the fwy and that it feels and drives like a 4cyl. (Which it is but you would have hoped it "felt" more like a V6)

It sounds like a miss to me but as always nobody (yet) is really taking Toyota to task for it.
I test drove a 24 trd sport + and I would agree that it feels underpowered, I had a 2006 Tacoma 4x4 4.0L and it was way better in the power delivery dept.
 
I test drove a 24 trd sport + and I would agree that it feels underpowered, I had a 2006 Tacoma 4x4 4.0L and it was way better in the power delivery dept.

I think it will be a better powertrain than the third gen because well It wouldn't take hardly anything to be better than that disaster. I also don't think they did enough with the non-hybrid version, It should have been at the 300 horsepower mark and 350+ torque.

Especially at the price point they're charging. If they want to take $4,000 off the price then it's ok where it's at.

In the Ike video TFL just posted the trail Boss is a base bare bones truck. The TRD off-road is a base version of the off-road but that is a mid-range Tacoma truck as is. The Colorado had more power, more torque, it showed, and better technology for towing for significantly less $$.

I have some issues with the video itself and I thought it funny that in the end Mr Truck had to remind Andre that the trail boss performed better. I really do like TFL but I've been finding some little things here and there that are irritating the hell out of me similar to their Chicago show ZR2 versus Tremor and TRD Pro video...
 
Last edited:

Time stamp 2:10 Andre is just ignoring the Cruise Control jabs...That or Kent just assumed his 2003 had it.

Entertainment First at TFL!
 
I think it will be a better powertrain than the third gen because well It wouldn't take hardly anything to be better than that disaster. I also don't think they did enough with the non-hybrid version, It should have been at the 300 horsepower mark and 350+ torque.

Especially at the price point they're charging. If they want to take $4,000 off the price then it's ok where it's at.

In the Ike video TFL just posted the trail Boss is a base bare bones truck. The TRD off-road is a base version of the off-road but that is a mid-range Tacoma truck as is. The Colorado had more power, more torque, it showed, and better technology for towing for significantly less $$.

I have some issues with the video itself and I thought it funny that in the end Mr Truck had to remind Andre that the trail boss performed better. I really do like TFL but I've been finding some little things here and there that are irritating the hell out of me similar to their Chicago show ZR2 versus Tremor and TRD Pro video...
Given the "paper numbers" that everyone seems so concerned about I was actually pleasantly surprised by how well the Tacoma performed against the Chevy, The Chevy still had some head room to tow a bit more, but the Taco did fine. And as many have pointed out, midsized trucks are not really meant to tow heavy loads. At 6,0000 lbs I think they both did pretty well. What is great about 2024 is there are many great choices for someone looking for a midsized truck to meet their needs!

The other thing I would add, I looked at used full-sized trucks in my area this week, just for fun, and I was really surprised by how much the prices have come down in just a year! It's nuts really. Great time to buy a used truck if it meets your needs!
 
Also an SR5 just arrived at our local dealership, I'll see if I can drive it tomorrow and add my thoughts coming from a smaller engine rather than a larger one.
 
Given the "paper numbers" that everyone seems so concerned about I was actually pleasantly surprised by how well the Tacoma performed against the Chevy, The Chevy still had some head room to tow a bit more, but the Taco did fine. And as many have pointed out, midsized trucks are not really meant to tow heavy loads. At 6,0000 lbs I think they both did pretty well. What is great about 2024 is there are many great choices for someone looking for a midsized truck to meet their needs!

The other thing I would add, I looked at used full-sized trucks in my area this week, just for fun, and I was really surprised by how much the prices have come down in just a year! It's nuts really. Great time to buy a used truck if it meets your needs!

I'm not disagreeing with you for the sake of being disagreeable as a long-term Toyota fan and owner I feel like they had the chance to do more and should have done more for the price they're asking.

The pricing on their midteir models is egregious, sure every truck manufacturer in the US is inflating truck prices and in my opinion is that it's all going to come crashing down soon.

The fourth gen Tacoma looks like an extremely solid platform as all of their Tacoma's have been. But, they get a pass on obvious misses and purposely under powering the base engine to sell more hybrids irritates me as a consumer and as a Toyota fan.
 
I'm not disagreeing with you for the sake of being disagreeable as a long-term Toyota fan and owner I feel like they had the chance to do more and should have done more for the price they're asking.

The pricing on their midteir models is egregious, sure every truck manufacturer in the US is inflating truck prices and in my opinion is that it's all going to come crashing down soon.

The fourth gen Tacoma looks like an extremely solid platform as all of their Tacoma's have been. But, they get a pass on obvious misses and purposely under powering the base engine to sell more hybrids irritates me as a consumer and as a Toyota fan.
I don't disagree with you the prices are high, I read wanted the hybrid, Trailhunter, but that's not in my budget. I think Toyota has priced many people out of the hybrids. That might open opportunities for the other brands, if they can get anything on a lot! I was really interested in the Ranger, but that was supposed to be in lots in September, before the strikes, but it wasn't. Now GM is trying to catch up from the strike too. If either of those has trucks out on lots they might be making up some ground. If I could easily get a ZR2 or Raptor and could test drive one, I might not be getting a Toyota.
 
Back
Top