The Ranger returned to Los Angeles this month after two final adventures in the Colorado Rockies.

First, its people-moving (and dog-moving) skills where tested when it transported our director of corporate communications, two of her friends, and two black labs from Denver, Colo., to Castle Rock, Colo., for some outdoor adventures. All five adventurers hopped inside the Ranger's extended cab with the two dogs (100 pounds and 75 pounds) easily fitting in the rear-seat section. Only one problem cropped up after the day-long trip and it had to do with the black-haired dogs and the light-gray interior colors in our Ranger. As our Denver-based staffer commented, "If you are ordering a vehicle that you plan on letting your pets travel in, try to match the vehicle's interior color to your pet's hair color." Thanks for the advice, Michelle.

Shortly after its trip to Castle Rock, the Ranger and our technical editor embarked on a voyage to Los Angeles, Calif., by way of Sedona, Ariz. The truck was still suffering from a subtle, yet annoying, pull to the right. A last-ditch effort to cure the problem involved a tire rotation at a dealer-recommended tire store in Boulder, Colo. But the rotation didn't cure the problem, and actually seemed to make it worse. DOH!

While traveling through southwestern Colorado, the Ranger proved adequate at climbing steep grades and holding a consistent line on twisty mounting roads. A tire pressure increase to 35 p.s.i. reduced sidewall "squish" and made the truck a competent companion through all but the tightest of turns. It was only during passing maneuvers that the Ranger felt underpowered. Rather than slingshoting around RVs or semi-trucks, the Ranger would drop out of overdrive, gradually rev up, and rumble past these slow-moving vehicles at a rate that made passing a challenge on anything but flat or downhill terrain. The problem was less extreme at low altitudes, but for truly authoritative acceleration, the Ranger needs a V8; too bad it's not an option.

Between the supportive driver's seat and excellent sound system, large distances were covered in relative comfort. As a result of its blocky shape, wind noise was audible at anything over 50 mph, but a turn of the volume knob drowned out the hissing air. The single CD player and four-speaker system offered impressive musical imaging and separation while reception of distant AM/FM stations was better than expected. Unfortunately, the lack of a cassette player meant no books on tape to help pass the time.

Interior ergonomics get an overall passing grade with the exception of the gearshift-mounted overdrive switch. Almost without fail, the switch gets activated when simply moving the column shifter between gears. Relocating it from the end of the lever (where your fingers or palm can press it during shifting) to further down the lever (or even onto the dash) would be an improvement. Both the center console and door-mounted armrests are ideally located for arm support, and the climate controls are easy to use, rapidly heating or cooling the truck's interior. Cruise-control buttons located on the steering wheel further contributed to the Ranger's long-distance abilities.

Now that it's back in L.A., the Ranger will see smaller temperature swings and larger gas prices. Who knows, maybe even the bedliner will stop warping.

Total Odometer Reading: 9,856
Best Fuel Economy: 16.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 19.7 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $0
Body Repair Costs: $0
Problems: Aftermarket parts deteriorating, continues to pull to the right.