It looks like it would be an all-Ford show in the KBB awards list. But, Toyota’s Tacoma spoiled it
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The other day, Torque News looked at the Best Buy Awards from Kelley Blue Book, and for Ford, the news was great as four of five truck models took Best Buy awards from one of the industry standards.
Where was the midsized Ranger?
Do you notice something? One of Ford’s popular truck models is missing from the great news for the automaker. The Ranger, one of the automaker’s popular models, didn’t make a list. Would you like to know why?
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After reading all the available stories on the Ford Ranger, it comes down to a simple issue: availability. The 2024 Ranger is just beginning to ramp up toward more availability, while the winner, the Toyota Tacoma, is out there now.
To recap the awards, the KBB (Kelley Blue Book) honored the 2024 Ford Maverick as the Best Compact Truck, the 2024 Ford F-150 was named the Best Full-Sized Truck, and the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning was named the Best Electric Truck. You can see the issue here for Ford, almost a sweep, but not quite.
Ranger was in awkward position
Both the MotorBiscuit and MSN Autos had similar comments about this. The MotorBiscuit said this was particularly “awkward for the Ranger, “which is struggling to “find its place in the [mid-sized pickup] segment.” The Ranger debuted months before the Tacoma; however, the Ranger is “already getting left behind.”
The MotorBiscuit reasonably fairly asked why Tacoma can dominate a segment when there are precious few copies of the midsized import available for road testing by independent journalists.
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It’s not that some auto journalists haven’t been given access to the Tacoma or, for that matter, to the Ranger. They have, but the amount of time behind the wheel is limited. It worked out to about a day in each truck. Was that enough time to truly judge them?”
How KBB tests the vehicles
To find the winners of each category, KBB’s staff evaluated, drove, and reviewed each vehicle extensively. Then, they made their choices. Each vehicle is judged for “resale, cost-to-own data, comfort, cargo space, infotainment systems, cost, amenities, build quality, reliability, and warranties.”
The tests are run over “traffic loops in Irvine, California to test the vehicles in everyday situations.” The result is that the Tacoma came out a better “package than the Ranger.” It was as simple as that.
As they put the Tacoma and the Ranger through their paces, the testers found that the Tacoma has a “refined ride quality.” It also had more power. And, finally, there is also a hybrid model available (hybrids are selling especially well, even as other electrics aren’t, Torque News has found).
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The KBB testers also found that the Tacoma is “more spacious and fun to operate confidently.”
Owner confidence is very important to Tacoma owners
Indeed, the last piece, if you look at it closely, is essential because owners want to be confident in their vehicles. They found that the 2024 Tacoma offers such features as a 14-inch touchscreen. It has good storage. It also offers a wireless trailer camera and other new safety features. It also offers the “classic Tacoma personality.”
It has a 14-inch touchscreen, storage solutions, a wireless trailer camera, new safety features, and its classic Tacoma personality.
So, it all comes down to availability. The 2024 Tacoma was available for testing, but the 2024 Ranger was not.
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Still, there is that nagging doubt. Was the Ranger given its fair chance? Of course, the KBB staff will say yes, but there still is a bit of a niggle there. Indeed, the MotorBiscuit seemed to confirm things may change when it concluded that as “the Ranger ramps up production and more people get a chance to test it out, it could make a dramatic comeback.”
Ranger Raptor planned through 2028
One last note about the Ranger and its trims. The Blue Oval has confirmed that the Ranger Raptor R will be in production through at least 2028. So, if you are worried you won’t be able to get yours, you certainly should.
Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.
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