Road Tests: Long-Term Test

The Edmunds.com staffers who drove our little red truck this month suffered from the blues. Yes, the truck is attractive, nicely equipped, has a decent sound system, and a bed to haul stuff. However, our two L.A.-based drivers were not overjoyed with the Ranger.

The truck's rough ride was a nuisance -- Debra Katzir's daughter boycotted the backseat after requesting a crash helmet to protect her head from the ceiling. And speaking of backseat woes, Katzir's son (who's 5'11") found the seats terribly uncomfortable, while our other staffer, Zach Helke, said, "While flimsy, uncomfortable seats are better than none, I wish Ford would either look for another way to add seats in limited space, or that California would let passengers ride in the bed, like the rest of the civilized world." OK, so some of us have a different interpretation of the word "civilized." You get the point.

Helke had the urge to take the truck out into the high desert to test its ruggedness, but he had to settle for a trip to Hollywood Ford on Sunset Boulevard. Our Ranger's transmission, you might recall, was suffering from two problems. First, when we moved the lever through the gears it felt jerky and sounded clunky. Second, when accelerating, upshifts were sometimes hard and the transmission sounded as if it might fall out at any minute. Hollywood Ford was also going to take care of our broken-off armrest.

Helke had some negative feelings about his dealership experience. He said he felt that his warranty-covered grievances "were addressed by the staff as if it were some sort of big favor and not a responsibility on their part" as representatives of the manufacturer. Also, we heard that the waiting room had no free coffee (just a lousy instant-joe machine) and our staffer was forced to endure an hour and a half of Regis and Kathy Lee followed by slow-speed L.A. freeway chases.

Hollywood Ford lubricated the driveshaft yoke, repaired the broken armrest, and sent Helke on his way. It seems that both problems were resolved from this minor service, as Helke reported a smoother shifter and no more noise when upshifting. We'll keep you posted as other drivers get behind the wheel.

Helke still griped about the decaying plastic aftermarket add-ons and the fact that nothing about the Ranger "wowed" him. He did like the fact that the Ranger can be parked in "compact" spots, and found the truck attractive, claiming that the inside is superior to his buddy's S-10, but that he'd much rather buy a Dakota if he were shopping the compact pickup market. Helke's cousin, however, was so taken with the Ford's looks that he went out and bought a black '99 Ranger, much to our staffer's dismay. Oh well, to each his own.

Our other driver also couldn't imagine buying this vehicle in her "wildest dreams" and said her daughter felt it was uncool to show up for school in a truck. She and her family also got strange looks from neighbors who never considered them "truck people"; even the car wash attendant was shocked that the red truck was hers. Katzir added, "Well, it's nice to sit up tall over traffic, but a small SUV would certainly be my first choice. And I would save a lot of money on gas!"

All right already, enough beatin' up on our poor little guy. Maybe next month someone will appreciate him.

Current Odometer: 19,875
Best Fuel Economy: 21.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.9 mpg
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Broken center armrest repaired under warranty. Driveshaft yoke lubricated under warranty.