Bill Pierre Ford

Although this is an all-new model this year, Ford basically revamped the Freestyle from a mechanical perspective and then created an exterior that takes its cues from the (Ford Edge). And voila, the midsize crossover Taurus X is born.

But by addressing many of the performance issues that held back the Freestyle, we believe the Ford Taurus X has become a safe, solid crossover, if you’re looking for a vehicle that can fit you and your six closest traveling companions. With a new V6 that has 263 horses, highway passing is no longer an issue. There is suitable power and an independent suspension to help the Taurus X provide a maneuverable, wagon-like ride. The engine is still a tad noisy, but the SYNC system is available to help drown out the noise. And there are 14 cupholders in case each passenger needs 2 drinks a piece. Also, safety scores are perfect in both government and IIHS testing. The third row can fit adults fine, but some complain about overall seat comfort as lumbar support is lacking and materials are average.

The Ford Ranger has an impressive past. It was a best-seller for 18 years. And while its solid workhorse sensibilities remain, it hasn’t had a full update in over a decade. The Ford Ranger has a low price which keeps it in the compact truck game, but it is easily outclassed by more modern competitors on most other fronts.

Unfortunately, many of the Ranger’s qualities are quite simply out of date. In an age where most trucks come with a ton of safety features, like stability control, hill and parking assist-the Ranger’s boasting of standard ABS hints at its serious deficiency in this department. Off-road capabilities are still note-worthy with the FX4 package. But overall ride quality suffers from the aging suspension which makes for a bumpier ride than most. The interior doesn’t have many modern frills, but it’s clean and straight-forward. If you need a truck for old-school (and we mean old) utility, these grievances may not matter. And admittedly, the price is hard to beat.

A couple of more modernized competitors worth looking into are the Toyota Tacoma and the steeper-priced Dodge Dakota which has more features and better performance.