Watch a Ford Ranger FX4 Duel with a TRD-Pro
In 4K gloriousness, two of The Fast Lane Truck‘s finest drivers take a TRD-PRO and a Ford Ranger FX4 off-road to crown the best off-road truck.
In the Rocky Mountain ranges of CO, Tommy Mica and Andre Smirnov of The Fast Lane Truck (TFLTruck) venture to the mountains to settle a bet. The 2020 Ford Ranger FX4 and the Toyota Tacoma TRD-PRO are both over $40,000, both come with factory metal skid plates, tuned suspension, all-terrain tires, and have fancy buttons in the cab that tell the trucks to do fancy things. They both happen to weigh around 4,600 lbs and have their own form of crawl control. With that, which one of these trucks of similar stature and purpose is the better one? Mica and Smirnov put these trucks through their paces to answer that very question.
While it’s no coincidence that Ford and Toyota both designed a similar truck to be ready to hit the trails as soon as a new driver is done filling out paperwork at the dealership, it’s what they don’t have in common that changes things. For one, the TRD-Pro has higher ground clearance — a respectable 9.6 inches compared to Ford’s 8.9 inches. The Toyota also comes stock with a desert air intake, while the Ford does not. Additionally, there’s the matter of the engine and transmission configurations.
The TRD-Pro comes with a 3.5 liter V6 that makes 275 hp and 265 ft lbs of torque. Which is five horses more than the Ford, which gets 270 hp and 310 ft lbs from their legendary 2.3 liter turbo four EcoBoost engine. However, the TRD-Pro comes with a six speed automatic that allows the driver to manually select a gear, while the Ford’s electronic ten-speed does not offer the same level of control. However, this does mean that in a speed test, the Ranger had the most power where it counted.
To make matters more interesting, the TRD-Pro has a higher approach (35 deg.) and break-over (28.5 deg.) angle, but the Ford has a better departure angle (25.4 deg.). Also, the TRD-Pro has a crawl ratio of 36.2:1 while the Ford’s ratio is 47.6:1. Despite the numbers, when Mica and Smirnov conducted a crawl drag test, the Toyota reigned victorious as the slowest crawler. Though, as we all know here at YotaTech, it isn’t always speed that matters when the going gets tough.
“The only real thing you need to know about the 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Pro is that it comes in the coolest color of any new truck,” muses Mica. “In all seriousness though, there’s a lot that defines a TRD-Pro.”
Toyota pioneered the crawl control ability in their TRD models. This allows drivers to hand the thinking over to their Toyota to determine how much speed, braking, and wheel movement to get over obstacles. It’s proven many times to be a valuable asset for off-road ‘Yotas, and Ford being eager to implement such a tool into their trucks, designed “trail control.” Naturally, Mica and Smirnov wasted no time in attempting to find out which manufacturer did it best.
“This is going to be a cake walk for one of the trucks, and it’s going to be the green one, I fear.” says Mica to Smirnov as they ascended to their testing grounds. As the drivers approached the first obstacle they chose specifically to test the crawl control systems on both trucks, they were both voting for the Toyota. Mica picked a line and set off for the obstacle with the rear diff unlocked, crawl control set to the lowest setting, and let the truck do its magic. Except, he was shocked to discover the TRD-Pro had frozen in place at a critical moment of the climb. After locking the diff and giving the truck a little gas, however, it pulled through without an issue.
Then it was the American truck’s turn. Smirnov also chose to leave the rear diff unlocked and set the trail control to the lowest setting, and the Ford aggressively bowled over the rocks and up the hill. This, Mica felt, was almost too aggressive for his liking, and expressed that he wishes to see Ford forge a safer middle ground. Toyota’s crawl control and careful and poised, while the Ford was loud and frightening. A few more tests of the crawl control systems did prove that Ford’s rendition of the system is a little less picky about conditions, though the Toyota was not a truck to dismiss.
“The TRD-Pro is the sales leader, the defending champion in the mid-sized truck segment.” Says Mica fondly.
At the end of the test, both drivers were both shocked to admit that the Ranger did so well compared to the top seller in its class. However, despite the higher price tag, lesser stock tires, and slower engine with less torque, Tommy says he would pick the TRD-Pro. For him, it’s a proven truck that he knows and loves deeply, and isn’t so eager to give Ford the victory.
“I would pick the TRD-Pro all day every day because once you get it out in the rough stuff, you can tell the truck is made for it.” says Mica. Another noted bonus for Mica that comes from the TRD-Pro is the visibility. He says, “Very good visibility out of this Tacoma, and that’s something a lot of people don’t really talk about. I find it super easy to see the corners of this truck.” Which, we all know to be an important part of being successful off-road. It’s not surprising to us that Tommy would choose the Toyota over the Ford. After all, for those that are lucky enough to own one, they can attest to the TRD-Pro’s prowess.