What are you looking for in your next pick-up truck? Is it power? Hauling? Well, between the 2023 Ford Ranger and the Toyota Tacoma, one of them is going to have your back a little bit more than the other. Both phenomenal trucks with just a few key differences; we’ll help you make the right decision when it comes time to drive off the lot.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Both offer a variety of trims with standard safety features across the selection. Specific features will depend on what’s most important to you.
- The Tacoma has more of a powertrain selection but doesn’t quite match the power of the Ford Ranger.
- Off-roading capabilities are a strong suit for either car.
- Hauling and towing goes to the Ranger because of its torque and engine.
WHICH TRUCK IS BIGGER?
The size of your truck, whether you need it larger or smaller, will depend on what you need from your truck. If you’re making a lot of tight turns and working in more confined areas, then the Tacoma is the skinnier truck that has a smaller turn radius. This makes it better for handling in tougher to navigate spaces. If you’re driving in open spaces or have more know-how on managing a wider truck with a wider turn radius, you’re better off going with the Ranger.
There are some added benefits of knowing how to drive the bigger truck, which includes more head and leg room for all passengers, and more cargo space. The bed of the Ranger is anywhere between 43.4-51.1 cubic feet, which is going to offer not only more space for hauling but an overall larger payload capacity than the Tacoma. Each car has their fair share of body colors as well, but the Ranger offers a few more than the Tacoma, totaling eight.
POWER & PERFORMANCE: THE RANGER SPEEDS AHEAD
Ford is known for offering its buyers a solid selection of engines to choose from when picking their next truck. The Ranger only comes with one, the Tacoma comes with two powertrain choices. If you’re asking why this is the case with the Ranger, the short answer is; it only needs one to get the job done. The standard powertrain for the Ranger is a turbocharged 2.3-liter Ecoboost V4. This maxes out at 270 horsepower. which gives drivers 270 horsepower.
Here’s the engine choices for the Tacoma for comparison:
- 159-hp, 2.7-liter, 4 Cylinder Engine
- 278-hp, 3.5-liter, V6 Cylinder Engine
The option second-tier engine is only a slight difference over the Ecoboost standard on the Ranger, and there is still a noticeable difference regarding towing power. The Ranger can promise you 7,500 pounds towing capability while the maximum the Tacoma can get up to is 6,800. On top of that, the Ranger still gets slightly better gas mileage than the Tacoma, with 21 in the city and 26 on the highway while the Tacoma gets 20 in the city and 23 on the highway.
SAFETY & OFF-ROADING
Which of these trucks are going to give you the most for your money with the features we can expect out of a 2023 vehicle? A lot of this is going to come down to personal choice. All of the Ranger’s trims come pre-equipped with Ford Co-Pilot 360. These are standard safety features, such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection. There’s plenty more where that came from as well, and some of those features you won’t see till higher trims on the Tacoma. For off-roading, both offer solid ground traction, and a powerful four-wheel drive system. The Tacoma does get an inch more of ground clearance than the Ranger, which may prove useful in certain rocky or wet environments.
WHICH TRUCK WILL WORK FOR YOU?
You’re not going to go wrong with either one of these vehicles, but we can’t deny the superior engine power of the Ranger. The safety features, entertainment and off-roading would nearly make this match-up a tie if we were judging on that alone. But it’s the power of the Ford that drives this truck ahead into first place. Not to mention, it’s the cheaper of the two vehicles with an average starting price of around $27,000. Stop by our dealership today and take the 2023 Ford Ranger out for a test drive.