Before it left for the Rocky Mountain region, we managed to throw on a few aftermarket additions to help our bright red Ranger stand out in the heavily truck-oriented town of Denver. Performance Products of Van Nuys, Calif., supplied the Rugged Liner bedliner ($239), the Manik side-step bars ($259) and the embroidered Statesman floor mats ($91.90). All three of these upgrades took less than four hours to install and have made our already attractive Ford look that much better. We'll see how they hold up after a few months of Colorado snow.

A recurring theme was evident throughout our various staffers' comments regarding the Ranger: "It drives like a truck." Well, DUH!! What's it supposed to drive like, a New Beetle? It's no accident that the Ranger is the best-selling compact truck on the market. It drives, hauls, and looks like a truck, which is exactly what most truck people want. We have too many cream puffs working here.

Additional remarks related to the well-designed interior. Everyone agrees that the Ranger has great ergonomics with easy to reach radio controls and a comfortable front seat (though one driver noted that the rear seats look useless for anything longer than a two minute ride).

For hauling duty, the Ranger proved its worth by transporting our feature editor's belongings to her new house. Boxes, ladders, small furniture, and even a wheelbarrow all fit in the bed. The Ranger also pulled double-duty during a recent track day at Willow Springs Raceway. Besides carrying food and drink up from our Beverly Hills office, it also served as official photo vehicle while we snapped on-track action shots of various sports cars and sedans.

Only a few complaints about our compact Ford pickup have surfaced after two months in the Edmund's Long Term Fleet. In addition to the "it rides like a truck" whiners, a couple of our less law-abiding drivers (and we won't mention any names ... Sommer and Michelle) are upset that the truck's speed-limiter kicks in at "only 90 mph." Finally, some employees wish it had a bigger cargo area. For serious hauling, the flareside design gives up too much utility for the sake of good looks (which just about everyone agrees the Ranger has).

We still haven't put the four-wheel drive to the test, but with a Colorado winter coming, that shouldn't be a problem. Until then, we'll just keep enjoying the reaction this bright red, chrome wheeled, side-step wearing Ford Ranger generates.

Best Fuel Economy: 20.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.3 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: None.