Thinking about a new Ranger, thoughts

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

for the record “awards” are typically “bought” through “independent” and overpriced services rendered to the winner.

I know this for fact as I have done analytical work for clients so they can decide where they get the best bang for the buck.

That may be true - but stepping into a premium Ram vs. the competition... there is no doubt the awards are justified... whether fake or not.

 

[B0at1n]

Check the gearing in that thing. Anything lower than the 3.42's are gonna be slow to accelerate. My '04 Yukon had the 3.73 gears and it did GREAT with my Rinker 182 behind it. My current 5.3 Sierra does great with my AR190 behind it as well. It has the 6spd and 3.42 gears.

I've been considering downgrading my truck lately. I need to save some money on my commute and the mileage of a diesel is very appealing while still maintaining a decent tow rating. Sadly I can't stand the tiny interiors on these smaller trucks. They're 75% of the size of 1/2 ton truck, but the interior feels about 40-50% smaller. Where did all that space go?

I started looking into that last night, I do have the 3.42 gears, honestly the truck really does okay, I just want one able to accelerate from 75-85 quicker when I want to pass someone.

I think this was my first trip over an hour hauling anything, usually I make the trip in my Altima every month which is much more nimble, so that’s my comparison, not really a fair one. lol.


Do you think the 3.73 would be worth the hassle?

I have an 03 suburban that’s my usual tow vehicle but for longer distance the Avalanche is more “comfortable” for the wife.

I’m also considering future plans of upgrading to the 21 or 24 footer.


Edit———
My suburban has 3.73, guess I’ll just do some test runs with it to see the difference, and just convince my wife to take the Burb instead of the avalanche on our next trip...it does have 315k miles on it though.

 

[JWExperience]

A truck that’s heavily discounted on the front end is worth less on the back end. Toyota doesn’t give much for discounts but they have better resale. Pay now or pay later. As for towing, I think when you start getting over 3500-4000 pounds you’ll want a longer wheel base, heavier tow rig and better brakes. That being said, I would want a 1500 with four wheel discs so I don’t get tossed around by the trailer. This is assuming everything has a tow pack with coolers and proper hitch etc. dies the ranger have four wheel discs? My ‘06 didn’t but the 4.10 gears with a 5spd manual was a stump puller and got 20mpg still.
I have a ram big horn, nice truck with nice features but there’s better quality trucks out there, that’s why they’re priced lower. I think rams look the best hands down. Wouldn’t sell enough if they cost the same as others though.
Don’t pay attention to awards, go on some forums and see the complaints. Ram forum has been a bit more neg on the truck compared to when I owned a tundra and watched that forum.

 

[WestMIJet]

I have towed my 242 with my Colorado for a year now and it does just fine. I get 10 mpg or so at 65-70. No issues. I’ve towed it up to 4 hrs. And both engine and trans stay cool. I have a small garage so that was my limiting factor. Overall quite happy with the truck and the towing setup.

 

[mwalker4]

I started looking into that last night, I do have the 3.42 gears, honestly the truck really does okay, I just want one able to accelerate from 75-85 quicker when I want to pass someone.

I think this was my first trip over an hour hauling anything, usually I make the trip in my Altima every month which is much more nimble, so that’s my comparison, not really a fair one. lol.


Do you think the 3.73 would be worth the hassle?

I have an 03 suburban that’s my usual tow vehicle but for longer distance the Avalanche is more “comfortable” for the wife.

I’m also considering future plans of upgrading to the 21 or 24 footer.


Edit———
My suburban has 3.73, guess I’ll just do some test runs with it to see the difference, and just convince my wife to take the Burb instead of the avalanche on our next trip...it does have 315k miles on it though.

Rear end gearing is just one part of the equation. First you have tire diameter. Then the new 8 speed transmissions have a very wide set of gearing ratios which more that make up for any lower rear end gearing. If you want to get detailed, you look up the transmission for each gears ratio, the tire diameter, and combine it with the rear end ratio. Additionally, you have to look at the engine torque curve. If you have a flat torque curve beginning at low RPMs the transmission and engine will not need to work as hard.

 

[Ratket]

What do you mean you can get 10,000 off MSRP? Is that some specific promotion?

Nope that’s just how it is at most dealers. If a dealer tries to hold true to MSRP, they are out of luck because a lot of dealers will go 10k back all day long. Here look at this dealer, you will notice there is a guaranteed price .. that price is what everyone gets period, it is typically 7-10k lower than MSRP.

If you buy one. Holiday, July 4th/ memorial/presidents/ the really want to get rid of them come end of December... but Holidays typically bring in a few more savings.

 

[2kwik4u]

I have towed my 242 with my Colorado for a year now and it does just fine. I get 10 mpg or so at 65-70. No issues. I’ve towed it up to 4 hrs. And both engine and trans stay cool. I have a small garage so that was my limiting factor. Overall quite happy with the truck and the towing setup.

Is this with the V6 or the baby Duramax?

 

[2kwik4u]

Rear end gearing is just one part of the equation. First you have tire diameter. Then the new 8 speed transmissions have a very wide set of gearing ratios which more that make up for any lower rear end gearing. If you want to get detailed, you look up the transmission for each gears ratio, the tire diameter, and combine it with the rear end ratio. Additionally, you have to look at the engine torque curve. If you have a flat torque curve beginning at low RPMs the transmission and engine will not need to work as hard.

Agreed.

@mwalker4 any idea if that truck has the 4L60E or the 6L80E transmission. The 6spd has a lower first and a higher 6th than the 4spd it replaced. The 6L80E also has a higher static torque rating so it will handle a bit more abuse. The 4L60E is based on the old 700R4 (but with electronic controls), which honestly isn't a terrible transmission, but is showing it's age at this point.

Overall, I would just accept that the 5.3 is a bit of a screamer. It's relatively small by US V8 standards, and with the heads/cam package that GM puts in it, well, it likes the revs. Don't be afraid to let it get up there in the rpm range. "Screaming" at 4k isn't going to hurt that motor a bit.

Looks like you're running the stock sized tires/wheels, so no real issues there. The Avalanche is based on the suburban chassis, and is a bit heavier than the pickup. Honestly, it's a fine tow vehicle and should handle that boat no problem. Just take your time and slow down.....Towing above 75mph is gonna be hell on your trailer bearings and tires anyway, so budget a bit of extra time and enjoy the ride eh?

 

[suke]

Nope that’s just how it is at most dealers. If a dealer tries to hold true to MSRP, they are out of luck because a lot of dealers will go 10k back all day long. Here look at this dealer, you will notice there is a guaranteed price .. that price is what everyone gets period, it is typically 7-10k lower than MSRP.

If you buy one. Holiday, July 4th/ memorial/presidents/ the really want to get rid of them come end of December... but Holidays typically bring in a few more savings.

You can get 12-14k off MSRP without even trying.

 

[mwalker4]

Agreed.

@mwalker4 any idea if that truck has the 4L60E or the 6L80E transmission. The 6spd has a lower first and a higher 6th than the 4spd it replaced. The 6L80E also has a higher static torque rating so it will handle a bit more abuse. The 4L60E is based on the old 700R4 (but with electronic controls), which honestly isn't a terrible transmission, but is showing it's age at this point.

Overall, I would just accept that the 5.3 is a bit of a screamer. It's relatively small by US V8 standards, and with the heads/cam package that GM puts in it, well, it likes the revs. Don't be afraid to let it get up there in the rpm range. "Screaming" at 4k isn't going to hurt that motor a bit.

Looks like you're running the stock sized tires/wheels, so no real issues there. The Avalanche is based on the suburban chassis, and is a bit heavier than the pickup. Honestly, it's a fine tow vehicle and should handle that boat no problem. Just take your time and slow down.....Towing above 75mph is gonna be hell on your trailer bearings and tires anyway, so budget a bit of extra time and enjoy the ride eh?

Not sure of the exact designation but it looks like it's a 10 speed. Power train appears similar to mustangs.

 

[WestMIJet]

Is this with the V6 or the baby Duramax?

V6

 

[2kwik4u]

Not sure of the exact designation but it looks like it's a 10 speed. Power train appears similar to mustangs.

Pretty certain GM never put a 10spd in the avalanche. Not sure if they even have one. I'll do some digging when I get back to a PC.

 

[B0at1n]

Pretty certain GM never put a 10spd in the avalanche. Not sure if they even have one. I'll do some digging when I get back to a PC.

Avalanche has the 6 speed
I think he was talking about the new ranger.

The 03 suburban came with the 4 speed.

 

[mwalker4]

Pretty certain GM never put a 10spd in the avalanche. Not sure if they even have one. I'll do some digging when I get back to a PC.

Sorry, I got the thread mixed up.

 

["IN A MEETING"]

Don't do it....

 

[afsigma21]

Went to look at local dealer.

F150 with all the options inwant plus some, XLT $40k listed on website.

Ranger, Similar options, maybe some minor differences where ranger is lesser. $37k listed on website.

Unless they really haggle down a lot on the ranger, the f150 gives me so much more $ for $. I'm disappointed.

But for only a couple grand difference I would go with an F150

 

[TimW451]

I've been researching Ford options for sometime (I don't like the other dealers around me). I'd like to want the Ranger, but I find it too small in the cab, front and rear. There is a good sized price difference, but not enough to make me want an equally priced Ranger over an F150.

My current dilemma is XLT vs Lariat. Equally optioned, there is a ~$10k difference. Every time I convince myself the XLT is good enough, I find another feature difference that makes me doubt myself again. First is was leather vs cloth, then 4WD vs AWD, now proximity key and push button start. It will be difficult to go from those creature comforts in my Odyssey to "just get towing".

 

[Dixie Highway]

Honestly I wouldn't expect a ton of wiggle room on a brand new model in our market. The Ranger has been out in Europe/Asia for a couple years at least, but given it's new for 2019 status here they aren't exactly pressured to move them. F-150's have huge discounts right now, since the 2020's are due sooner rather than later. My guess is that $40k F-150 stickers around $52k, if it's 4x4. I find the Ram discussion somewhat comical, if you notice Ram's have been discounted almost 30% of MSRP since about 2 months after the launch of a completely new design. The FCA folks always seem to be just a few steps behind, even when they were Daimler Chrysler and just plain old Chrysler.

 

[Dixie Highway]

Pretty certain GM never put a 10spd in the avalanche. Not sure if they even have one. I'll do some digging when I get back to a PC.

FYI the 10 speed in the Ford trucks is a joint venture between GM and Ford. GM got it for the Camaro, Ford got the truck version. If I'm not mistaken though the new Silverado/Sierra got the 10 speed, no?

 

[afsigma21]

I think next month you could get a F150 cheap, 2020s will be on the lots soon. I was not ready to pull trigger yet but if I got a loaded F150 new for 38 I think I would