Compare the2024 Toyota TacomaVS 2024 Ford Ranger

The Toyota Tacoma has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Ranger doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Full-time four-wheel drive is optional on the Tacoma. Full-time four-wheel drive gives added traction for safety in all conditions, not just off-road, like the only system available on the Ranger.

Both the Tacoma and Ranger offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Tacoma with Blind Spot Monitor also has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Ranger’s Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Tacoma and the Ranger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

The Toyota Tacoma achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Ranger has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tacoma for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Ranger.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Tacoma has a 776-amp battery. The Ranger only offers a standard 700-amp battery.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 92 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 23rd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 22nd.

The Tacoma’s optional 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 11 more horsepower (326 vs. 315) and 65 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 400) than the Ranger’s optional 2.7 turbo V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Tacoma SR5 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder 8-speed Auto RWD gets better fuel mileage than the Ranger 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder RWD (21 city/26 hwy vs. 21 city/25 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Tacoma uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Ranger requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Tacoma offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Ranger doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Tacoma’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Ranger:

The Tacoma stops much shorter than the Ranger:

For better traction, the Tacoma PreRunner/TRD Off-Road’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Ranger (265/70R17 vs. 255/70R17).

The Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro/TRD Off-Road/TRD Sport/SR5 Double Cab has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro/TRD Off-Road/TRD Sport/SR5 Double Cab flat and controlled during cornering. The Ranger’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Tacoma offers an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Ranger doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The optional rear suspension on the Tacoma uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Ranger, which uses leaf springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

The Tacoma Limited has electronically adjustable shock absorbers, to offer a smooth ride or to limit movement for better handling and off-road stability. The Ranger’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tacoma 5-ft. bed Double Cab’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the Ranger (131.9 inches vs. 128.7 inches). The Tacoma 6-ft. bed Double Cab’s wheelbase is 16.4 inches longer than on the Ranger (145.1 inches vs. 128.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tacoma is 3 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Ranger.

The Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Off-Road Double Cab handles at .77 G’s, while the Ranger XLT 4x4 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tacoma 6-ft. bed TRD Sport Double Cab executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Ranger XLT 4x4 (27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Tacoma XtraCab has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Ranger (10.7 vs. 9.3 inches), allowing the Tacoma to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Pro Double Cab’s minimum ground clearance is 2.2 inches higher than on the Ranger (11.5 vs. 9.3 inches).

The Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Ranger doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Tacoma and the Ranger have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Tacoma is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Ranger prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Tacoma’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Ranger’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

The Tacoma has standard Smart Key that allows you to unlock the doors from the driver’s outside door handle and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Only the Ranger Lariat offers Intelligent Access.

The Tacoma’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Ranger’s power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Tacoma’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Ranger Lariat.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Tacoma (except SR/SR5/PreRunner) keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Ranger doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Toyota Tacoma comes in extended cab and crew cab bodystyles; the Ford Ranger isn’t available as an extended cab.

The Toyota Tacoma outsold the Ford Ranger by over seven to one during 2023.