Engine oils test results.

That is a perfect fit for the Corvette, too...

And don't ignore that the latter URL is for an Amsoil dealer.

.

After reading the review that they wrote on my truck, I seriously have doubts that they actually got into a 99 Ranger and drove it.

That sentence works, but it's very awkward. Let me try that again:

"After reading the review that they wrote on the truck I currently own, I have serious doubts that they actually got into a 1999 Ranger and drove it."

Sorry.

-phaeton

They also didn't like the Nissan Frontier pickup for ride or handling, but I like mine. OTOH motor vehicle quality is a lot more subjective than that of stereo equipment.

True, but that doesn't explain why they hated the Ranger but loved the Mazda B2000. They even admitted they were "similar", and I'm sure the editors/reviewers know they're the same truck with only cosmetic differences. Personally, I think they just hate Ford. Pure and simple.

-phaeton

The worst dishwasher and worst refrigerator I've ever owned were both top rated picks of CU.

OTOH motor vehicle quality is a lot more subjective

You gotta be kidding?!? There is hardly any type of engineered machine, electronics, or other tangible hardware that can be more subjectively judged than stereo equipment! About the only thing more subjective is the quality of the music played through said stereo equipment.

Don't get me started.

-phaeton

Correctly or incorrectly? For example, way back before hi-fi was common, many people thought that hi-fi records sounded were worse than

78s, but it was proved that they were wrong by testing with live musicians playing behind an adjustable barrier. When the barrier was open, test subjects heard the music at full fidelity, but when it was closed, the instruments sounded muffled. Most test subjects preferred the latter -- and were wrong. Similarly, many people now want more bass than the original music had and often don't care whether it's badly distorted or not.

Audio equipment performance can be rated almost entirely by distortion, noise, and frequency response, unless you believe quack magazines like Absolute Sound or SterOpus and sellers of tube amplifiers, but with cars there are a lot more factors that determine their quality.

I checked the April 1999 Consumer Reports annual auto issue, and they actually did like the Ranger and considered it among their recommended vehicles (full reviews in Dec. 1998 issue):

"Civilized trappings like air conditioning and powr accessories can't disguise the truckiness of the Ranger and similar Mazda B-Series.

But among compact pickups, they're the best."

They wrote almost the exact same things for the Mazda and said for both that the 4.0L V6 performed adequately and the seats were low and thinly padded.

So what do you mean? ;)

Is there a full review in Dec 98?

I can recall some stuff from the article I read, but maybe I'm just high on Xopenex lately. One of the things I remember from the writeup is "The vehicle exhibited muted kicks and minor pitches at cruise". CR uses that same phrase in each issue for at least one car they review. That is why I thought it was CR, but maybe I'm confusing another magazine altogether. I don't have it in front of me, this is a memory going on 8 years now, and my blathering idiocy seems to have recently shot apart any credibility I thought I had in this ng.

Please forgive me. If the article you have there doesn't complain about seat belt heights (even though they are adjustable), power seats (which AFAIK don't come on Rangers) and/or vague stuff like "the engine sounds harsh, and not very powerful", "the steering is very heavy" even though it's weighted just fine, "the cab is cramped compared to the F150" which is an over-exaggerated "duh" and a whole pile of other stuff.......

Then I'm obviously wrong. Thanks for looking though.

-phaeton

Thats just it. You can build a system that has ultra low harmonic distortion, ultra-low intermodulation distortion, and flat-as-a-table frequency response, but about half the people shopping for a stereo will prefer a system with tons of odd harmonic distortion because it sounds "warmer and richer" than the theoretically better system. And in fact, audiophiles will go out and pay premium prices for systems with "terrible" performance according to all the lab instrumentation that you can throw at them.

Yup.

And that's even before we get into the Mojo aspect.

-phaeton

Actually they hate all American cars. I really see a bias in CR. At one time one of the most reliable cars you could buy was one/several of the Saturns and they had rated them poorly for quality/reliability despite what other auto magazines had tested etc.

I really don't think much of CR.

MB

Here are the first page of the Dec. 1998 article and the review of the Ranger. They didn't have a separate review for the Mazda B-Series version, contrary to what they indicated in their 1999 annual auto issue, maybe because they said Ford built it for Mazda.

I didn't see anything negative about the seatbelt heights. The steering was described as "responsive and provides some road feel". They did call the engine "lethargic" but "headroom and legroom are ample".

Here are the first page of the Dec. 1998 article and the review of the Ranger. They didn't have a separate review for the Mazda B-Series version, contrary to what they indicated in their 1999 annual auto issue, maybe because they said Ford built it for Mazda.

I didn't see anything negative about the seatbelt heights. The steering was described as "responsive and provides some road feel". They did call the engine "lethargic" but "headroom and legroom are ample".

Here are the first page of the Dec. 1998 article and the review of the Ranger. They didn't have a separate review for the Mazda B-Series version, contrary to what they indicated in their 1999 annual auto issue, maybe because they said Ford built it for Mazda.

I didn't see anything negative about the seatbelt heights. The steering was described as "responsive and provides some road feel". They did call the engine "lethargic" but "headroom and legroom are ample".