Ranger SuperCrew offers big things in a small package

The 2020 Ford Ranger XLT SuperCrew 4x4: Good things in small packages? Says Car and Driver of the 2021: “Beefy turbocharged engine, extensive standard driver-assistance technology,” despite “dated and boring interior, only moderate off-road abilities, we’re still waiting for the Ranger Raptor.”

After being on hiatus since 2011, the Ford Ranger midsize pickup rejoined the lineup in 2019. I’d been lobbying to get a test vehicle since they first came out, and Ford finally found one for me.

I’ll say right upfront that Fords tend not to be my favorite vehicles, but that’s not always the worst place to start. Sometimes higher expectations mean a bigger disappointment when review time comes.

And I was lucky enough to put it up against the old standby Toyota Tacoma.

Once upon a time, pickups were utilitarian, spartan boxes, with nary an option available, and seats that sprang more than they cradled.

Somewhere along the way, automakers saw a cash cow in these vehicles, and they became more amenable to the buying public.

The cloth seats in the Ranger I tested offered great comfort and support — even my wife remarked again and again on how much she liked riding in the Ranger. We even had a chance to take it up north, and after a day of riding and hauling furniture and boxes, the seats offered the perfect respite, even without fancy massage features and whatnot.

“It’s better than the Tacoma.” That was the answer I got when Sturgis Kid 4.0 was asked about the rear seat. But that’s the low standard that he sets for all midsize pickups; he loathes the Tacoma Double Cab’s rear seat — understandably — while I found the truck a reasonably pleasant driving experience.

The Ranger rear seat offers decent

Ford will offer a Tremor Off-Road Package for the 2021 Ranger, calling it its most off-road ready factory-built Ranger ever offered.