Power and Efficiency

The Ford Ranger not only delivers more of what you're looking for, inside and out, and it has more to offer under the hood. Every Ford Ranger comes powered by a nice, turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine that puts out 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The Tacoma has two engines available, but most trims are powered by a 2.7-liter four-cylinder engine with 159 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque. A more-powerful V6 is available only as an option on upper Tacoma trims.

Regardless of which Tacoma engine you choose, you'll always go further on a tank of gas with the Ford Ranger than with the Toyota truck. The Ranger gets a better estimated fuel economy from the EPA, with an average of 20 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined. The best the Tacoma can offer is 18 mpg in the city, 22 mpg on the highway, and 20 mpg combined.

Unbeatable Towing and Hauling Capability

While both trucks are useful when it comes to hauling skis and equipment to the slopes in the winter or mountain bikes to the trails in summer, the Ford Ranger can just do more than the Toyota Tacoma.

The Ranger has a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, with a maximum payload of 1,770 pounds. This is better than both engine configurations that are available for the Tacoma, which tops out at 6,700 pounds for towing and 1,420 pounds for payload.