First Drive: Redesigned 2024 Ford Ranger Fails to Stand Out

Ford’s midsized truck has a cultured powertrain and more available active safety and assistance features, but the ride and handling are stuck in the past

By Mike Monticello
Manager, Road Test & Reviews

Updated September 13, 2024

The redesigned 2024 Ford Ranger is slightly larger than before with a wider bed, and it has a more modern-looking interior with a tall, vertically oriented infotainment screen. It also benefits from the availability of more active safety and driver assistance features—including reverse automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control—along with a new midlevel turbo V6 and a mighty Raptor off-road version.

But after spending a few weeks with an XLT 4WD model that we purchased, with the standard 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, we’re feeling a bit disappointed—and this, long before the “new” has worn off. Beyond its fairly refined powertrain, little else about the new Ranger stands out. That doesn’t bode well for Ford, especially because the midsized pickup-truck segment has seen a host of redesigned models recently that made big gains, including the Nissan Frontier in 2022, the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon twins for 2023, and the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma.

In this article

2024 Ford Ranger: CR’s Take What We Like What We Don’t Like What We’ll Keep an Eye On Safety and Driver Assistance Systems

The 2024 Ranger comes in three trims but just one body style: a four-door crew cab (or “SuperCrew” as Ford refers to it) with a short bed, available with standard rear- or optional four-wheel drive. The base 270-hp, 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine carries over from the 2023 model. However, there is now a step-up engine available, a 2.7-liter turbocharged V6 with 315 hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque. This larger engine is shared with the Bronco SUV and the F-150 full-sized pickup, and it should prove quite lively in this smaller truck. Both engines are paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Raptor version is endowed with a 405-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6.

Pricing starts at $32,720 for the rear-wheel-drive XL with the turbo-four. The second-tier XLT trim begins at $36,160 for 4x2 models, and the Lariat 4WD tops out the range at $47,165. Ford charges a $1,595 destination fee on all Rangers. Pricing for the Ranger Raptor, which comes standard with 4WD, begins at $55,620.

If you’re a Consumer Reports member, our initial expert assessment of the 2024 Ford Ranger—which we purchased anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we send through our test program—is available to you below. After we log 2,000 break-in miles, we’ll put the Ranger through more than 50 tests at the CR Auto Test Center, including those that evaluate acceleration, braking, handling, car-seat fit, and controls. CR members will have access to the full road-test results as soon as they’re available.

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What we bought: 2024 Ford Ranger XLT 4WD
Powertrain: 270-hp, 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine; 10-speed automatic transmission; four-wheel drive
MSRP: $39,595
Options: XLT High Equipment Group (Heated 10-way power driver’s seat and 8-way power front passenger seat with adjustable lumbar support, dual-zone climate control, 12-inch infotainment screen, power sliding rear window), $945; Advanced Towing package (Pro Trailer Backup Assist and Trailer Brake Controller), $825.
Destination fee: $1,595
Total cost: $42,960

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Mike Monticello

Mike Monticello is the manager of road tests and reviews for the autos team at Consumer Reports. He has been with CR since 2016. Mike has been evaluating and writing about cars for nearly 25 years, having previously worked at Road & Track magazine and Edmunds.com. On the weekends, he usually switches from four wheels to two, riding one of his mountain bikes or motorcycles. Follow him on X: @MikeMonticello.