MT: Ranger vs. Colorado vs. Tacoma vs. Ridgeline Test

Joined
Dec 16, 2007
Messages
2,168
Location
USA
Ranger vs. Colorado vs. Tacoma vs. Ridgeline Comparison Test


https://www.motortrend.com/cars/che...onda-ridgeline-toyota-tacoma-comparison/

Originally Posted by Motor Trend Magazine
In last place is the supremely disappointing Toyota Tacoma. The Tacoma is all hat and no cattle; it looks fantastic, but whether you haul air or hay, it's let down by a cramped cabin, narrow bed, grabby brakes, and an engine and transmission that work in tandem about as well as a pack of cats and dogs.

In third place, in a surprise to us, is the Ford Ranger. As we saw on the farm, the Ranger is capable. Its stellar powertrain has more than enough power to tow and haul, its platform handles weight well, and its extra-wide bed proved to be incredibly useful. But on the road, the Ranger doesn't measure up to our top two finishers. Its suspension tuning is (at best) compromised toward a duty cycle this truck will rarely see in America, and its cabin is cramped and dated. "The Ranger, being the newest truck here, somehow manages to feel the oldest and least refined," Walton said.

The second-place Honda Ridgeline is slavishly designed around the idea of the lifestyle truck, where it excels. But it's relatively (and surprisingly) capable, too. Its pickup box is exceptionally large for its size, and the dual-use tailgate is a much more elegant solution to the problem of unloading a pickup bed than the overly complicated multiposition tailgates on some full-size pickups. There's still room for improvement, though; we'd like to see a dedicated tow-haul mode and something done to improve ride quality when hauling.

Our unanimous winner for best midsize pickup truck is the Chevrolet Colorado. The Colorado so effortlessly walks the fine line between being a lifestyle pickup and a work truck. It has plenty of power for work or play, a buttoned-down ride that doesn't beat you up on your daily commute, a good back-seat package, and an incredibly functional bed. It's the uncompromised pickup—the one that drives like a compact but hauls like a heavy-duty. "It's like these guys are truck-building experts or something," Evans deadpanned. "Not hard to remember why this is a two-time Truck of the Year." No, it's not. As for how it measures up to the (Jeep) Gladiator in the arena? We're as eager as you are to find out.
 
Wow, it's rare when the new entry doesn't finish in the top half. I had no idea the older GM pickups were so well rounded.

And a 2nd major miss for Ford, first with the widely panned EcoSport.
 
Last edited:
The new ridgeline has lots of negative in my books, first is rear entry is narrower, unless you have little kids only, it sucks big time to get in and out.
 
I haven't read MT in a lot of years, but when a unibody "lifestyle truck", limited to mall runs and questionable duty cycle achieves second place, the results should all be questioned.
 
Originally Posted by anndel
Motor Trend probably has the most GM ads in their magazine.


I know what you're implying, but how do you explain Motor Trend's reviews of the new Silverado? They don't like it at all and think the Ram and F-150 are far better choices?

Motor Trend also probably has the most critical review of the new Blazer, whereas most other outlets seem to be far more positive.
 
Originally Posted by kam327
Wow, it's rare when the new entry doesn't finish in the top half. I had no idea the older GM pickups were so well rounded.

And a 2nd major miss for Ford, first with the widely panned EcoSport.


Seems like MT is one of the few that didn't like it. Should be interesting to see it sells and others rate it now that reviews are coming out.

Then again I've found MT's "reviews" to be very biased and honestly not that good.
 
I had a Colorado as a rental, totally stripped only option was the V6. I thought it was a great truck. It has all the options anyone would need - standard. Rode great, lots of space, it was comfortable and I think it got decent mileage judging by how much I drove it and what it took to refill (no scientific calculation there!)

My only complaint was how big it was. I miss the S-10 sized trucks. But, those little trucks were nowhere near as comfortable or refined as the new Colorado.
 
I ran my 1st generation Canyon like a Baja racer and it had zero issues in the 8 years I owned it …
I did look at the new GM midsized briefly … but with a limited supply they were so close to the cost of full sized that I could not do it. However, I did not need a 4 door dinosaur and got a SWB/short box Z71 …
 
I find their description of the Tacoma just about spot on. Driving one is horrible. Maybe the manual version is better, but the 3.5L with the auto just doesn't seem to work right. I wanted to love that truck, even bought one for a very, very short time.

I think the Ranger has a bit of "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary" pieces. Mainly its 10-speed transmission with the 2.3L. If Ford gave the people the same truck with the 2.7L it would be far more appealing. But as it sits right now, it just doesn't have much going for it to set it apart from the pack.
 
Someone I know who reviews cars for a living has commented on how much Toyota missed the mark with the latest Tacoma. Similar critique about the disjointed powertrain and also not the best ride.

I'm a little surprised the Ranger was third but I guess we need to remember it's not the newest design here even though it's new to us in America.
 
Ha, I saw "MT" and thought "Manual Transmission". I don't have a dog in this fight, except riding an Uber in a Colorado last week.
 
The new and supposedly heavily revised 2020 Tacoma will be unveiled this week.

It will be interesting to see what has changed, from the version that MT reviewed for this article.
 
Last edited:
My cousin wifes on my moms side has a Chevy Colarado. My cousin is a tow-truck driver and has a Silverado HD.
I would say her truck is quite nice and rides well but I wouldn't say it rides any better than the Ridgeline or the Tacoma.

I do like its styling and the size is perfect for most folks making the runs to Home Depot or minor weekend hauling.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Pelican
I would classify the Ridgeline as a truck-wannabe! I'm surprised it even made it into this comparo.


They should call it a fruck since it comes standard with front wheel drive. AWD being an option.
 
Originally Posted by tcp71
I haven't read MT in a lot of years, but when a unibody "lifestyle truck", limited to mall runs and questionable duty cycle achieves second place, the results should all be questioned.


It's not a true unibody though. And honestly, 98% of the pickups in my area are used to go to and from the mall or supermarket. None ever see any hard work that a Ridgeline wouldn't be able to do.
 
Back
Top