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For superior ride and handling, the Tacoma has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Ford Ranger has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.
The Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro/TRD Off-Road/TRD Sport/SR5 Double Cab has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro/TRD Off-Road/TRD Sport/SR5 Double Cab flat and controlled during cornering. The Ranger’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.
The Tacoma offers an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Ranger doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.
The front and rear suspension of the optional Tacoma uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the Ranger, which uses leaf springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.
The Tacoma offers an available. The Ranger’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.
For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tacoma 5-ft. bed Double Cab’s wheelbase is 3.2 inches longer than on the Ranger (131.9 inches vs. 128.7 inches). The Tacoma 6-ft. bed Double Cab’s wheelbase is 16.4 inches longer than on the Ranger (145.1 inches vs. 128.7 inches).
For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tacoma is 3 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Ranger.
The Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Off-Road Double Cab handles at .77 G’s, while the Ranger XLT 4x4 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.
The Tacoma 6-ft. bed TRD Sport Double Cab executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Ranger XLT 4x4 (27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).
For greater off-road capability the Tacoma XtraCab has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Ranger (10.7 vs. 9.3 inches), allowing the Tacoma to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Pro Double Cab’s minimum ground clearance is 2.2 inches higher than on the Ranger (11.5 vs. 9.3 inches).