Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: dishdude
I have a 2000 Ranger 4 cyl/5 speed. It's the old 2.5L and with 143k on it....
...That said, it is slow, the ride is lousy and the handling sucks. But it is the cheap, stripped down, work truck version - and for that it is perfect. Oh and it gets 25 MPG in mixed driving.
Yep, that's about what we experienced. My dad had a 1998 2.5L, 5spd, 2wd shortie. Purchased it used around 2003-04 for $3K. No air, no nothin'. A farm tractor tough, reliable little truck. So unbelievably doggy, the first time I drove it, I kept checking to see if the P-brake was released. Once you get up to speed it's what you'd expect. I couldn't imagine using it for a long hywy run, or loaded up in the bed, but for the use my dad in his 70's put it through, it barely scratched maybe the low 20mpg range. It road like a lawn tractor as well. It's all subjective, but it's the last vehicle I'd buy if your main goal is economy.
Joel
I had a 2001 2.5 manual. It had more HP than older 2.5s, but not by much (119 HP). I never had a problem with power. On the highway it would get around 28 MPG if I kept the speed around 70-75 MPH. I took it on several trips from NC to AL and back, and many more trips between Charlotte and Chapel Hill, NC. I had this truck through my teenage years, so it hit the 97 MPH limiter frequently (still had some go left too) and it was never shifted below 3K RPM. The worst MPG I ever got was 17, all city and off road driving. The best MPG I got was just over 29.
The 2.3 Duratec was a big step up, but the 2.5 was really no worse than any other small truck I4 at the time. They were not meant for speed, just economy and reliability. If you try to shift at 2500 RPM, it will seem doggy. The 2.5 doesn't redline until about 6250-6500 RPM, so you won't do any harm by shifting above 3K RPM.