2019 Ranger vs. Explorer for suburbanite tow-pig use?

I’ve given up trying to find a cool SUV (see my International Harvester thread). I’ll just do the “normal” thing and lease something reasonable for the next 2-3 years  

I need a 4-door with good tow rating that won’t suck to drive everyday in routine suburban use ... like taking a 4-year-old to preschool. 

I was leaning towards the Explorer, but (besides costing more than I had expected) I’m surprised the tow rating is just 5k lbs. My racecar is about 2700 lbs and rental trailers from uhaul weigh even more than that. So that’s out. 

The upcoming Ranger is rated to tow 7500 lbs. Costs quite a bit less than the Explorer. I wonder if a 4-door pickup with short bed (and some sort of tonneau cover) would actually make sense for real-world use. Would I curse the lack of a truly weatherproof cargo area and end up hating it?

This may sound like a dumb question, but I’m a life-long sportscar guy. Never owned a truck/SUV. My idea of a huge car is a 5-series BMW. 

What say you all?

Trucks are great! Get a half ton though, they're almost the same price as a smaller truck and much more spacious inside and in the bed.

Drive them both and see. I find the Mid size as much better at day to day activities. I just rented a colorado this week and like it much better living in the city vs the F150 I had the last time. 

Ranger is thin on the ground and at least it's a global platform and More bugs will be worked out but I still don't trust 1st year models that much. 

I picked up a GX460 for the same task.  6500lb tow capacity, turns very sharp with tight turning circle.  I live in Phoenix valley and find a truck difficult to live with day to day.  They have lower resale than trucks and 4Runners, but have niceties as rear air, cooled seats.

Would prefer truck to put dirt bikes in back, but I don't mind the trailer and it is easier to load.  Other consideration on my end is oldest daughter wants to bring friends along on trips and the 3rd row is nice to have.  Tahoes are nice also and can be had at a deal with good reliability and towing ability also. 

I was also worried about buying a 1st-year/new-platform truck. But from what I’ve been reading, the “new” Ranger has actually been available in other markets for maybe 5-6 years already.

I can definitely see the appeal of a “real” truck now that I’m living outside the city. Seems practical for going to the dump, picking up parts/furniture, and that kind of thing. Plus towing, obviously. I just wonder if I’ll miss having a closed cargo area. 

Given your towing needs and the two options, I'd get a crew-cab Ranger. I "daily" a crew cab, short bed 2018 F150 and it's very large for true DDing (most days I walk/bike/Metro so it sits).

Ranger sounds like a fit for your needs. If you need more space than a tonneau covers allows, you can also get a fiberglass cap or a Softopper on the bed.

If worrying about the 1st model year being an issue for the Ranger, why not one of the other mid-size pickup options that can tow 6k+lbs? Colorado, Frontier, Tacoma are all options with the crew cab short bed option.

Ranger. The new explorers are comfy people movers but they're basically a Taurus chassis. It may be ABLE to tow 5k but it wont be nearly as stable or worry free as the Ranger.

agreed that Ranger vs. current Explorer is a poor comparison.  Explorer is a Taurus chassis.  Ranger is a proper body on frame truck and will tow much better.  

There are other SUV's with better tow ratings unless you're stuck on Ford only if you don't actually want a truck bed.  

What's yer budget? 

I just figured Ford would have better lease deals at the end of the year. And there’s a huge dealership nearby. Other than that, there’s no reason to favor the Ranger. I’m also looking at the Tacoma. 

Anything larger than that is going to be too big for me. The F150 is huge. 

For occasional towing use? Exploder is fine.

I hauled my Civic Rally car about 4 hours one way in 2016. No issues and I averaged 18 mpg (Imperial Gallons) or about 15 mpg (USG). Pulled it easy. Slight squat in rear, if I had kept the Exploder, I would have added a set of rear air bags.

LanEvo...

We towed the E30M3 on an open trailer with a 2006 Tacoma that had over 300k Klms when it was traded last year.  It easily handled things including making the run thru the hills between Ottawa and Mont Tremblant.

Gordon

LanEvo said:

I just figured Ford would have better lease deals at the end of the year. And there’s a huge dealership nearby. Other than that, there’s no reason to favor the Ranger. I’m also looking at the Tacoma. 

Anything larger than that is going to be too big for me. The F150 is huge. 

Ford's generally don't lease well. Neither do Toyotas. GMs can have good lease deals, depending on the month, particularly if you do a one pay lease.