Hate to admit it, but the Ranger Raptor will destroy Taco/4R TRD Pro/Trailhunter sales

I finally saw a Ranger Raptor in person yesterday, I think it looks way better than the Tacoma. For 9k less you get a V6, front locker, and better tires. Pretty much a no-brainer unless you're a die hard taco fan..

 

I would think that same 99% (99% is an exaggeration, btw) who see reliability as an afterthought would also view the two lockers as an afterthought. The power, maybe that would matter to more of those people. For me, a vehicle's reliability is the first consideration by a wide margin. For instance, I've owned a 1988 4R with a 22R-E that I bought new, so you know the power doesn't matter too much to me lol.

 

Nah, people who buy Raptors want all of the off-road goodies... and overlook reliability when it comes to Raptors because of the power, fun, and cool factor. This is why used Raptors hold their value as good as good as our 5th gen 4Rs.

You're old school! That is cool though I do like the older 4Runners... but unfortunately all of the ones in my area are rust buckets.

 

My guy, after seeing the RR compared to what the 4th gen Taco and 6th gen 4R offer... I want one. Pricing is good for what it offers and been reading all of the forums and reddit subreddit... seems like the V6 ecoboost have been decently reliable even the transmissions. The one with most issues have been the I4 ecoboost seems like. And I've been watching videos, the 2.7 ecoboosts can be tuned like hell.

 

Oh, people who buy Raptors overlook reliability. Agreed there. I thought you meant buyers in general.

Yeah, that engine was a gem. It never complained about anything, and was too weak to break itself. Ideal in my book.

 

Just like our 1GR-FE, those engines as "underpowered" as they can be, they feel solid, idc what anyone says. Honestly the whole underpowered argument is overblown, feels good to me for being such a heavy truck... I'd be scared to drive a 4R with like 500 HP and torque.

 

Toyota sales to date this year are almost higher than ALL of Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac combined.
Your click bait stuff doesnt sell here.

https://www.usdebtclock.org/auto-sales.html

 

ooofff...

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/toyota-tacoma-sales-figures/
Toyota Tacoma 2023 sales year end - 234,768
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/ford-ranger-sales-figures/
Ford Ranger 2023 sales year end - 32,334

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/toyota-4runner-sales-figures/
109,951
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/ford-expedition-sales-figures/
73,396

 

Correct, people fail to realize Ford produces like (off memory) something like 37 vehicles right now
Toyota has over 70 vehicles in production today. Their world market is dominant.

 

Toyota is having hard time selling the new Tacos. Numbers don't lie. Honestly there are better trucks out there.

 

Lol

 

Looks like Toyota sold 15,859 in April alone.
Looks like Ford sold 32,334 Rangers in the entire year of 2023
I am not seeing what you are saying add up on paper.

https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/toyota-tacoma-sales-figures/

 

Not as many as old Tacos

 

Tacoma is going down

 

Now do the Explorer.

 

The number of vehicles models or even the number of units sold per model don't really matter in the big picture. Its the revenue, profit margin and total equity that really tell the story of financial health.

The truth is that both Toyota AND Ford arehealthy companies.. But Toyota is significantly bigger and healthier by every objective measure:

............................................... Toyota.............Ford
2023 Profit...............................$43.0B...........$4.7B
2023 Gross Revenue..............$307.5B.......$177.5B
2023 Market capitalization......$298.0B.........$48.3B
see data.

But these guys who hate Toyota are free to buy something else, and I wish them well.

 

Might go test drive a Ranger today

 

Numbers like profit, revenue and market cap are nice to look at but don't really paint a full picture. There really is no such thing as an obective measurement to quantify a subjective attribute like "financial health."

 

I'm not even sure why we would compare 4Runner sales to Explorer sales, as they're not really direct competitors. The Highlander is closer to the Explorer, and the 4Runner is closer to the Bronco.

As far as the Ranger versus the Tacoma, I think it will be a while before we will really know how that plays out.

 

Any particular trim? A friend of mine has one and it's pretty nice.

 

Lariate or XLT. Mainly just want to see how the leg and hip room and seat feel

 

I'm not crazy about the dimensions of the Ranger (I would need a longer bed) but any vehicle that integrates the infotainment into the dashboard rather than placing it on top and has some physical button/knobs for HVAC and radio rather than everything buried into the screen gets my tentative vote.

 

Bought my 2019 4R in October 2018 with no test drive and without ever having driven one. My first drive was after I made the purchase. That was my confidence level. Can't see myself doing that with another make.

 

When the TRD Sport was "released" in October 2021, i had already been on the prowl for a 4wd white limited with red interior and auto running boards for about a year. As soon as i saw the white TRD Sport in pictures i wanted it so bad. When they were starting to hit dealers mid december 2021 i went to my dealer and told them exactly what i wanted, white, 4wd, TRD Sport, auto running boards, technology package, premium audio. Those were the must haves, and no dealer in the south could find one. I did all sorts of things to try to find one and ended up purchasing a subscription to the Moroney page, got a vin decoder, and watched for every VIN toyota produced and when i found one that matched my criteria i would have to wait until it got allocated to find which dealer it was going to. I called them up and tried to strike deals but it took me almost 2 years to get one. I found it minutes after the allocation one morning in June 2023, found which dealer it was going to in Tuscon AZ and called them up and told them my deal
"you are getting a 4runner, here is the VIN number, these are the options it has, i want it."
They were a little taken back because they had not even seen the allocations yet and had no clue it was coming, but they did a little research and called me back and said
"yes we are getting this one"
So then i hit them with the normal jazz, here is sticker, what are you asking, and did a little haggling until i was putting a deposit on it later that same morning.
I made a few stipulations
1) nobody touches it
2) absolutely no stupid mark-up
3) no i dont want you to add pinstriping or paint protection or interior protection crap
4) i dont want you touching it so bad i am willing to drive to the port to pick it up myself
they agreed and i flew in and picked the vehicle up on October 7th 2023 with no PDR, just paper work that we mailed back and forth. I pulled the manufacturer installed protection film off myself, it didnt even have the port installed window sticker, it was bare bones just as it left Tahara with nothing done not even washed.

 

https://youtu.be/wj6lbiA9I4s?si=mta6TdwGn73cphGJ

 

That is brass balls stuff. I just couldn't do it. At least, you ended up making a good decision.

 

Well, I've bought Toyotas since 1982. And the Gen5 4Runner was in its 10th year(?). So I was pretty familiar with their stuff. Plus, folks on a forum gave tons of good reports. So to me, it really wasn't risky. It was noticeably larger than my 2001, though.

 

Toyota will never be destroyed by Ford. Toyota has a death grip on its own throat, really does not need an assist. The best trucks Toyota makes are not sold anywhere, in any market that desperately wants them and where consumers are willing to pay top dollar, pound or euro. Instead they are sold in the Third world. That would be like Romanee-Conti only being sold in Uganda. Instead of $30K a bottle, it would be $3 bucks. The French are not stupid. Point! Whoever manages Toyota must be.

So Toyota is its own worst enemy. It is tragic to see. Buy something else in the States. There are lots of excellent alternatives.

 

You can blame government regulations for that. Maybe Toyota should have put some effort into making a 70 series Landcruiser that meets US standards rather than the 6th gen 4Runner.

 

Are we talking about a 4Runner here or a Ferrari Enzo?