Compare the2023 Toyota TacomaVS 2023 Ford Ranger

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Tacoma are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Ranger doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Tacoma has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Ranger doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Tacoma has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Ranger doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Tacoma’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Ranger.

The Tacoma offers an optional Panoramic View/Multi-Terrain Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Ranger only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Tacoma and the Ranger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Tacoma is safer than the Ford Ranger:

	Tacoma	Ranger
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	221	344
Neck Compression	12 lbs.	110 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Tacoma, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 6.5% to 14.5% less likely to roll over than the Ranger, which received a three-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, its standard front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tacoma the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 184 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Ranger was last qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tacoma for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Ranger.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Ford is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 22nd.

Engine

The Tacoma’s optional 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 8 more horsepower (278 vs. 270) than the Ranger’s 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Tacoma V6 is faster than the Ford Ranger (automatics tested):

	Tacoma	Ranger
Zero to 60 MPH	6.8 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.6 MPH	91 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Tacoma gets better mileage than the Ranger:

			MPG
Tacoma
AWD	Auto	2.7 DOHC 4-cyl.	19 city/22 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/22 hwy
Ranger
AWD	Auto	Tremor 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/19 hwy

The Tacoma has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Ranger (21.1 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Tacoma higher (5 out of 10) than the Ford Ranger (3 to 5). This means the Tacoma produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Ranger every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Tacoma offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Ranger doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Tacoma 4x4’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Ranger:

	Tacoma 4x4	Ranger
Front Rotors	12.48 inches	12.2 inches

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The Tacoma has a standard brake assist system to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The Ranger doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

The Tacoma stops shorter than the Ranger:

	Tacoma	Ranger
70 to 0 MPH	185 feet	193 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	132 feet	140 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Tacoma has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tacoma flat and controlled during cornering. The Ranger’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tacoma’s wheelbase is longer than on the Ranger:

	Tacoma	Ranger
Extended Cab Standard Bed	127.4 inches	126.8 inches
Crew Cab Short Bed	127.4 inches	126.8 inches
Crew Cab Standard Bed	140.6 inches	n/a

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tacoma is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Ranger.

The Tacoma’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Ranger’s (57.3% to 42.7%). This gives the Tacoma more stable handling and braking.

The Tacoma Short Bed TRD Off-Road Double Cab 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Ranger Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 (28.6 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Tacoma Access Cab’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Ranger’s (40.6 feet vs. 42.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Tacoma has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Ranger SuperCrew (9.4 vs. 8.9 inches), allowing the Tacoma to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Toyota Tacoma may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 250 pounds less than the Ford Ranger.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Tacoma Short Bed Limited 4x4 is quieter than the Ranger XLT SuperCrew 4x4 (75 vs. 76 dB).

Passenger Space

The Tacoma Double Cab has 2.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Ranger SuperCrew (100.1 vs. 97.6).

The Tacoma Access Cab has 1.4 inches more front hip room, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Ranger SuperCab.

The Tacoma Double Cab has 1.4 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 2.8 inches more rear hip room and 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Ranger SuperCrew.

Cargo Capacity

The Toyota Tacoma has a standard tailgate assist feature, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. The Ford Ranger doesn’t offer a tailgate assist.

The Tacoma has bed indentations that accommodate 2x4’s for two-tiered loading to help accommodate diverse loads; the Ranger doesn’t offer two-tiered loading.

Ergonomics

The Tacoma TRD/Limited’s front power windows open fully with one touch of the switches, and the driver’s window also automatically closes, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Ranger’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

In addition to a parabolic reflector, optical-grade lenses in the Tacoma’s standard projector headlights precisely focus the beam, providing more even illumination of the road for better visibility and a sharp cut-off that prevents blinding oncoming drivers. The sharp cutoff allows the use of a stronger light. The Ranger’s standard uses a simple reflector to direct its standard headlights.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Tacoma’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Ranger’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The Tacoma has standard power remote mirrors. The Ranger only comes with remote mirrors at extra cost. Without them the driver will have to roll down the windows and reach across the car to adjust the mirrors.

The Tacoma’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Ranger Lariat.

The Tacoma’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Ranger’s optional power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

Bluetooth wireless connectivity is standard on the Tacoma, connecting the driver and passenger’s cell phones to the vehicle systems. This allows them to use the vehicle’s stereo and hand controls to place calls safely and easily. Bluetooth costs extra on the Ranger.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Tacoma TRD/Limited has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) for the front seat. The Ranger doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Tacoma is less expensive to operate than the Ranger because it costs $621 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Tacoma than the Ranger, including $20 less for front brake pads, $25 less for front struts and $156 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The TRD Off-Road was selected by Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine as their 2016 4x4 of the Year. The Ranger has never been chosen.

The Toyota Tacoma outsold the Ford Ranger by over three to one during the 2022 model year.

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