Need help choosing between a new Roush ford ranger, Colorado zr2 (gas) or a Toyota Tacoma.

[rruff]

Consumer Reports reliability measure is only “expected” reliability this can be based off of previous generations and I think what hurts the Tacoma more in this instance is that this generation has been around longer since 2015 and the more data that comes in the more that “expected” reliability is well a more reliable indicator.

From 2016-2021 the Tacoma had 5, 4, 4, 1, 4, 5 (3.83 avg). Transmission and fuel system were the culprits in 2019. No idea how that happened since I don't think anything was new that year. 2011-2015 were all 5s. So an "expected reliability" score of 3 makes no sense unless they are only going by the prior 3 years.

Long term is a big unknown on any vehicle until the design has been around a long time. But the manufacturer track record would be the best place to look IMO. Tacomas were built (assembled) in Fremont CA 1995-2009, Baja since 2002, and Texas since 2010. I've seen anecdotal reports that Baja has the best QC. But I think you'd have a hard time pinning anything on location of assembly, or showing that reliability is "slipping" (even relatively) except for that one year (2019).

 

[calicamper]

The 3rd Gen Tacoma has more reported problems e.g. crank, transmission, blower motor, differential leaks check the Tacoma forums and other sites, there are just more problems reported for this generation. Consumer Reports knocks the Tacoma pretty hard on overall score cause we’ll it rides the most truckish of the bunch and after test driving all I can confirm but that doesn’t matter when we are talking about reliability. Consumer Reports reliability measure is only “expected” reliability this can be based off of previous generations and I think what hurts the Tacoma more in this instance is that this generation has been around longer since 2015 and the more data that comes in the more that “expected” reliability is well a more reliable indicator. If the Ranger for instance gets a major recall or a number of people start rep petting the same problem I’d suspect it’s rating to go down.

What’s changed? well long ago they were manufactured/assembled in Japan much like the bullet proof current 4Runner is now. Then around 2007 more shifted to the U.S. Now they are manufactured in Mexico as well and Toyota is shifting even more to the point majority will be made there.


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Not to mention that Toyota put a trash manual in the taco likely to help kill the interest in future manuals so they could just run the same running gear put in all the Camry based vehicles, Sienna, Highlander, Lexus mid sized suv things. Lol

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Hey all,

I ended up going with a 2020 lariat fx4 ford ranger with 9000km on it. I have to say i am in absolute love with it. Currently after a trip in the mountains and daily commuting I'm averaging 8.4L/100km or 27.6mpg.

Compared to my previous Silverado 1500 this rides like a dream. It has everything I need in a truck including a rear locker and I'm excited to put it through its paces this winter when I'm snowboarding/camping.

It came down to what was I willing to pay and what was available and the Toyota dealers were not budging on price and had zero inventory anywhere near me. The Colorado was a fantastic purchase but they wanted over sticker and the mpg on the non diesel was crap. The frontier I couldn't get my head wrapped around how old the platform was.

In the end, once I drove the ranger I knew it was the one.
View attachment 745078
Thanks for all the help everyone.

Fantastic choice - hard to make a bad one with all the good options available! - but I’m sure you will continue to love your Ranger for a long time. They are great adventure rigs. Enjoy!

 

[Todd n Natalie]

The problem with looking at only the last 5 years or less, is that you are only seeing initial issues. Scores are based on comparisons with other vehicles of the same age, and manufacturers have a strong incentive to make major systems last at least 5 years, since that's how long the warranties last (typically). That says nothing about long term durability and longevity, which is what I care about, and it is the reason why Toyotas have better resale value.

The problem with going longer is that you aren't comparing the same vehicles. Let's get an even longer product sample then and go back to the 1950's? My point being a 1990 Toyota truck has no relevance to a 2019. Same as an 1980's S-10 does to a 2021 Colorado.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Hey all,

I ended up going with a 2020 lariat fx4 ford ranger with 9000km on it. I have to say i am in absolute love with it. Currently after a trip in the mountains and daily commuting I'm averaging 8.4L/100km or 27.6mpg.

Compared to my previous Silverado 1500 this rides like a dream. It has everything I need in a truck including a rear locker and I'm excited to put it through its paces this winter when I'm snowboarding/camping.

It came down to what was I willing to pay and what was available and the Toyota dealers were not budging on price and had zero inventory anywhere near me. The Colorado was a fantastic purchase but they wanted over sticker and the mpg on the non diesel was crap. The frontier I couldn't get my head wrapped around how old the platform was.

In the end, once I drove the ranger I knew it was the one.
View attachment 745078
Thanks for all the help everyone.

Congrats on the new truck! That's great fuel mileage too!