2024 Ford Ranger First Drive Review
Ford's redesigned 2024 Ranger edges closer to the F-150 in capability, features, and design.
Ron Sessions
QuickTakes:
Ford is a company known for its pickup trucks, from the small but plucky Maverick to the enormous and hyper-capable F-250 Super Duty. They're successful, too: The F-Series full-size models are the bestselling vehicles in the U.S.
This year, the new 2024 midsize Ranger gets a refreshed design, an enhanced frame, a wider stance, a roomier cabin with improved materials and features, upgraded infotainment, expanded advanced driver-assistance systems, and an available V6 engine.
The Ranger comes in a four-door, five-passenger crew-cab style with a 5-foot-long cargo bed and two-wheel drive (2WD) or four-wheel drive (4WD). Trim levels start with the base XL before moving up to the mid-level XLT and range-topping Lariat. A new off-road performance model called the Ranger Raptor is also available.
Ranger prices range from the mid-$30,000s to the mid-$40,000s (with the Ranger Raptor reaching the mid-$50,000s), including the destination charge to ship the truck from the factory in Michigan to your local dealership. Considering the improvements Ford has made to this truck, I believe it deserves a slot on your shopping list.
Ron Sessions
The 2024 Ranger Adds Capability and Convenience
When compared with earlier models, the new 2024 Ford Ranger now has a fully boxed frame, a rear suspension with relocated outboard shock absorber mounts, a longer wheelbase, a wider stance, and larger standard wheels.
Exterior design cues include a new grille, C-shaped headlights, muscular shoulders, and a twin-dome hood design. Inside, a taller, wider cabin provides increased passenger space. Improved cabin materials feature more soft-touch and wrapped surfaces and what I felt was an overall sense of higher quality.
Ford enhances interior storage with a revised center console and a dashboard shelf for small items. Lariat-trim models get a second, smaller glovebox located higher up on the dash. In the back of the cab, a fold-flat rear seat lets you carry large items out of the weather and under the security of lock and key, while a pair of bins under the rear seat cushion provide concealed storage. A lockable safe for the center console or under the rear seat is optional.
The new Ranger's cargo bed makes good use of the wider stance, which also reduces rear wheel-well intrusion. With the 2024 Ranger, you can carry items such as 4-foot-wide sheets of drywall or plywood flat on the cargo-bed floor.
Ron Sessions
Other available cargo-box improvements include LED bed lighting and 12-volt and 120-volt electrical outlets with up to 400 watts for powering items such as worksite tools. The Ranger also gets a remote-lockable tailgate with a damped, drop-down feature.
As of publication, the new Ranger's sole engine is an EcoBoost turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder. Ford carries it over from the previous-generation model, and it supplies 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. In the summer of 2024, an optional EcoBoost twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 is set to arrive, with 315 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. The maximum tow rating for the Ranger is 7,500 pounds.
Every Ranger employs a 10-speed automatic transmission. Instead of the plasticky rotary knob of earlier Rangers, the 2024 model gets a more robust-feeling shift lever on the console. In Lariat 4WD models, however, a smaller electronic shifter replaces it, enabling the available Active Park Assist 2.0 automated parking-assist system.
Ron Sessions
F-150 Dynamics in a More Maneuverable and Easier to Park Size
For this review, I drove the 2024 Ford Ranger in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area. The test truck had Lariat trim, 2WD, extra-cost paint, and upgrades to improve its towing and hauling capabilities, such as a locking rear differential, an Advanced Towing package, and a spray-in bedliner. The manufacturer's suggested retail price was $48,665, including the destination charge.
The turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine supplied good low- and mid-range torque and an ample power reserve for freeway merging and passing. By my estimate, the test truck hustled from zero to 60 mph in a quick 6.6 seconds.
I found the Ranger's steering to be nicely weighted, responsive when turning into a curve or a corner and stable on long highway stretches, requiring minimal effort to maintain a desired lane position. The cabin's noise level was pleasantly low, with little road sizzle, air rush, or engine sounds intruding upon occupants.
Ron Sessions
The truck's suspension delivered a well-damped ride, and the new Ranger was composed on residential streets and freeways. The Lariat level's standard all-terrain tires gripped the tarmac reassuringly, even on wet roads.
My Ranger Lariat 2WD test truck had the optional electronic locking rear differential. That was useful when encountering an uphill surface with snow and underlying ice. I activated the rear locker via the center touchscreen, as I did not see a physical button for it on the console or dash, and — after some initial tire spin — the rear wheels gained traction.
If there is room for improvement in the Ranger's on-pavement driving dynamics, it relates to the top-of-pedal brake response, as there is some free travel before reaching a firm pedal.
Ron Sessions
The Ranger Gets Upgraded on Tech and Towing
For 2024, Ford equips the Ranger with new and improved safety features. An upgrade from the base Ranger XL work truck to the Ranger XLT or Ranger Lariat is necessary, however, to obtain the Ford Co-Pilot360 collection of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).
Beyond the Ford Co-Pilot360 package, adaptive cruise control and a surround-view camera are standard with the Lariat and available for the XLT. These versions of the Ranger also offer front and rear parking sensors.
During a brief run down the interstate outside Salt Lake City, I found the Ranger's adaptive cruise control did a credible job of maintaining the set speed with safe spacing to the vehicle ahead. The haptic steering wheel buzzed as intended whenever I wandered out of a lane without signaling.
The most valuable ADAS features to me were the surround-view camera, blind-spot monitor, and rear cross-traffic systems that I used on my test vehicle, especially when maneuvering the truck through traffic or in tight quarters. For the same reason, I also appreciated the front and rear parking sensors my test vehicle was equipped with.
Ron Sessions
Tech improvements are evident inside the new Ranger, too. This year, the digital driver display is reconfigurable and larger, measuring 8.0 inches in the XL and XLT and 12.4 inches in the Lariat. The 2024 Ranger also gets updated infotainment systems with larger 10.1-inch or 12.0-inch touchscreens mounted to the dashboard in portrait orientation. Wireless smartphone charging is standard in the two top trims.
Ford's Sync 4A software powers the infotainment, and standard FordPass Connect provides access to a 4G LTE in-vehicle hot spot. During the test, I paired my Samsung phone quickly and successfully used the native voice recognition system to play my favorite SiriusXM channel over the rich-sounding Bang & Olufsen premium audio system and plot directions to Salt Lake City International Airport.
I found the infotainment screen to be well organized and easy to navigate, and it included a Home button at the upper left corner to return to the main screen.
Ron Sessions
Ford brings its Pro Trailer Backup Assist technology to the 2024 Ranger as part of an Advanced Towing Package available for the XLT and Lariat. I tried out my test truck's steering-assist system, which displays camera angles and provides real-time coaching on the center screen as the driver twists a knob on the console to input the desired direction of the trailer. In response to those driver inputs, Pro Trailer Backup Assist helps handle the steering tasks. I successfully used it to reverse a trailer through a serpentine series of cones.
Ron Sessions
The Ranger Gets Back in the Thick of the Midsize Pickup Segment
With its new exterior design, increased interior space, more upscale cabin, expanded powertrain portfolio, and updated tech features, the 2024 Ford Ranger is back in the thick of the midsize pickup segment. However, it faces significant competition from its rivals, which include the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Honda Ridgeline, Jeep Gladiator, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.
Ford provided the vehicle for this 2024 Ranger review and paid for airfare, lodging, and meals during the evaluation period.
