Ranger owes its smooth ride (the ride is even smooth in 4WD models, no mean feat) to a rigid frame that cuts down on vibration. Four-wheel drive Rangers (and 2WD models with the Trailhead Group package) have front torsion-bar suspensions with rear single-stage leaf springs. Two-wheel-drive models have coil springs in the front and two-stage leaf springs in the rear. The torsion-bar suspension is smooth, and the coil-spring suspensions are smoother still. The rack-and-pinion steering found on all Rangers is responsive and precise.Two-wheel-drive Rangers come standard with a 2.5-liter, inline-4 engine that puts out 119 horsepower at 5000 rpm and 146 foot-pounds of torque at 3000 rpm. While the engine is economical, it might be a bit light for a truck that tips the scales at a minimum of 3068 pounds. A 3.0-liter V6 that turns out 150 horsepower at 4750 rpm and 190 foot-pounds of torque at 3650 rpm is standard on four-wheel-drive Rangers. Not only is it powerful, but it's a flexible fuel engine that can run on either regular unleaded gasoline or E85 (a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline). But if it's power you want-power to pass anything on the road or climb any hill with ease-try the optional 4.0-liter V6. Available on all models, it cranks out 160 horsepower at 4200 rpm and 225 foot-pounds of torque at 2750 rpm. It compares well against Toyota Tacoma's high-revving 3.4-liter V6 (190 horsepower at 4800 rpm and 220 foot-pounds of torque at 3600 rpm). If you opt for the Ford 4.0-liter you'll find your pockets lighter by a paltry $695-but it adds a lot of zip. As for transmissions, you can choose to mate a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic to any of the three engines. Or, if you get the 4.0-liter V6, you can opt for a 5-speed automatic ($1,145). That's the combo we had on our test truck and we loved it. It zipped down the highway, always smoothly shifting into just the right ratio for the given situation. Our 4.0-liter Ranger certainly had more zing going up Cajon Pass on Interstate 15 east of Los Angeles than a 3.0-liter model we recently drove up that same pass. With the 3.0 engine, a 4X4 gets 16/20 mpg, with the 4.0-liter a 4X4 gets 15/19. You'll see a 1 mpg improvement around town with a 4x2. Ford's pulse-vacuum hub-lock system introduced last year allows nearly instantaneous shift-on-the-fly four-wheel drive at any speed. When the system is disengaged, the front drive train is disconnected at the wheels. The truck gets better fuel economy with less vibration and noise.
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