The popularity of pickups remains unquestioned, and after a week in the 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat with the FX4 off-road package, it quickly becomes apparent why — they’re do-it-all vehicles.
After a week in the 2024 Ford Ranger Lariat, it quickly becomes apparent why the midsize pickups are so popular — they’re do-it-all vehicles.
Pickups used to be pretty utilitarian vehicles, but during the last two decades they’ve morphed into uber-flexible vehicles that will do everything from towing a camper to taking the kids to practice to acting as 4WD limo for a high-end charity event.
The Ranger’s exterior styling is simple and clean, helping it look ready for any task. That said, it looks like a truck, because, well, it is a truck.
Our tester came in the popular Azure Gray Metallic tri-coat. It’s a great color, a matte-looking mix of blue and gray that seems to be available from every brand now. It was an extra $1,000.
Powering down
Like most owners, I didn’t use the Ranger to tow, haul or carry anything more than a few garden implements during my week in the truck.
That said, if I wanted to, it was ready to tow up to 7,500 pounds with the Advanced Towing package, locking differential, and ProTrailer backup capability. Plus our model featured a spray-in bedliner, which looked like it can fend off anything short of a grenade.
The Ranger is ready to tow up to 7,500 pounds with the Advanced Towing package, locking differential, and ProTrailer backup capability.
Our Ranger was powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline 4 cylinder, putting out 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. You can step up to a 2.7-liter 6-cylinder that puts out 315 hp, but I was very pleased from the performance of the smaller motor in terms of the acceleration and fuel economy, which is EPA rated at 22 miles per gallon combined.
I tracked slightly better than that despite my heavy foot due to a weekend trip to Petoskey, Michigan, where I spent a lot of the time on the interstate with the cruise control set slightly above the speed limit.
Car-like ride
It was during this trip where I fully appreciated the do-it-all nature of the Ranger. The ride and handling was very comfortable — actually, “car-like” is how my traveling companion described it.
Our Ranger was powered by a 2.3-liter turbocharged inline 4 cylinder, putting out 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque.
This level of comfort is impressive given the Ranger was equipped with Ford’s FX4 Off-Road Package. Off-Road Tuned Shocks, Exposed Steel Bash Plate and an Electronic-Locking Rear Differential are just part of the package.
The Package-Specific Selectable Drive Modes (Mud/Ruts, Sand) and Ford Trail Control pair with an Off-Road Screen in the Center Stack that displays pitch, roll and steering angle data at a glance.
The Lariat also sits on 18-inch machined aluminum wheels, which is to say, this is not a low-rider. I didn’t have to bend down (or hop up) to get into the truck. Usually anything sitting up that high is a bit bouncy, but the Ranger did a nice job of acting according to conditions.
Comfortable cabin
The cabin is spacious. The sandstone-colored and leather-trimmed seats are extremely comfortable, especially on long trips. The layout of the dash, including the massive 12-inch touchscreen, is intuitive and easy to reach.
The layout of the dash, including the massive 12-inch touchscreen, is intuitive and easy to reach.
Not only that, it offers plenty of in-cabin storage that is so important these days. The center console is almost cavernous, and supplemented by door panel storage as well as second-row storage in under-seat cargo bins. The second row also folds flat to allow owners to load larger carbo inside the truck.
Our tester came with a wireless charger that worked flawlessly. In the past, Ford wireless chargers were finicky, deciding not to do their job if the phone was not lined up on the charging pad exactly right.
The truck’s driver assistance technology was equally impressive. While the truck didn’t offer BlueCruise, the Adaptive Cruise Control made the drive a little less wearisome. The rest of the safety technology, fortunately, didn’t come into play.
Helpful tech
Functionality certainly is an overriding part of the Ranger’s design. In addition to the safety technology and convenience features inside, the truck aims to be useful on the job site, camp site or tailgate.
If you need to use power tools, appliances or even charge a phone those tasks are made easier with the in-bed 120-volt/400-watt outlets in the bed.
Getting access to the deeper parts of the bed is made easier with an integrated boxside step. Additionally, the need to power tools, appliances or even charge a phone is made easier with the in-bed power station. A 120V/400W outlet is standard on XLT and Lariat trim levels.
I’ve used it to power a variety of power tool and not only did they perform as expected, the tailgate is an excellent work bench.
Wrap Up
I don’t really have any negatives to offer about the pickup. I didn’t take it off-road and didn’t test its towing capabilities so that could be a potential shortcoming. That said, every Ford pickup I’ve driven in those circumstances has lived up to its billing.
However, there is one area that makes me cranky: it’s the price.
I know every new vehicle is expensive these days, our test model stickered at more than $53,000. The base Ranger starts at $32,720, and the base F-150 begins at $36,965. I guess I’ll wait a few years and see what the used market holds.
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