Our Ranger is now seeing official winter use on the snowy roads of Colorado. The consensus from our Denver-area staffers is that the truck is capable and confident in winter weather with the four-wheel drive providing excellent control on slick surfaces. Unfortunately, we just recently noticed that it is refusing to go into 4WD low, so a trip back to the dealer is planned.

Reactions are less complimentary from our resident off-road expert who says the Ranger "rattles like a diamondback off road." The noise comes from where the front and rear doors meet as well as from the dash area, which has been squeaking more and more as the miles accumulate and the temperature drops.

The cold weather has all but dismantled the truck's bedliner. Every major panel now has a wave in it and the liner has separated from the bed, leaving gaps for water and snow to get trapped beneath it. This could eventually lead to rust and has us ready to test out the "lifetime warranty" that Rugged Liner is supposed to offer on all its products.

The 5,000-mile service was performed at Phil Long Ford in Colorado Springs and cost us $38.50. Phil Long didn't have an opportunity to check out the insubordinate electric passenger window, but a few days later we took the truck to Burt Ford in Littleton, Colo. The service department lubricated the window for free, stating that it was covered by the warranty. It now works without so much as a hiccup, but we'll keep a close watch to see if the shutter comes back.

Of course, hauling duty is what trucks are primarily designed for and the Ranger has proven useful in this category on numerous occasions. Whether moving an editor to his new house or picking up items like a card table and ironing board, the Ranger reminds us that if you don't own a truck, you better make friends with someone who does. The extended cab design sacrifices a certain amount of cargo capacity, but makes up for it with people-moving ability. Tall adults will not find the rear seats comfortable, but they certainly work in a pinch, at least for short trips.

Other likes and dislikes recorded in the logbook:

"The wipers have an awesome range of speed."

"The stereo sounds great, but I hate the controls."

"There were numerous occasions when I thought I put the gear shift indicator in 'park' but it was actually in 'reverse'"

"The cruise control was easy to use and held a consistent speed."

"It seemed extremely whimpy climbing up I-70 towards the Eisenhower tunnel."

This final comment was made by the same person who was frustrated with the Ranger's 90-mph speed limiter in a previous update, and should be viewed accordingly.

One final word of caution regarding the remote keyless entry: don't expect it to work if the engine is running. Our features editor decided to warm up the truck on a cold morning to help melt the five inches of snow that had fallen the previous night. Rather than leave the truck unlocked with the engine running, she removed the key fob and locked the doors, expecting to unlock them a few minutes later. Apparently, Ford doesn't want people opening the doors with keyless entry while the truck is running, so a relay kept the locks from responding to the key fob's signals. After two hours, several locksmith calls and $50, the toasty-warm truck was once again accessible to the outside world. Don't you just love all these modern safety features?

Best Fuel Economy: 23.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.1 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $$38.50
Problems: No 4-low gear, creaks and rattles during off-road driving, fully warped bedliner (aftermarket product), annoying safety feature that makes locking the keys in the cab very easy.