I've noticed that the 3.0 Ranger seems to get picked on quite a bit when compared to the 2.3 and 4.0. I've heard it called the "3 point slow" from time to time with folks saying that it's a solid long lasting engine, but it has the power of the 2.3 and gas mileage of the 4.0. Is there any truth to that at all?

I really like the look of the 4wd regular cab models and can't imagine such a little compact truck only getting 12-14 mpg highway even being an automatic. So basically what I'm getting at is what kind of real world gas mileage could one expect out of a 3.0 auto 4wd Ranger with a regular cab?

 

Everything you heard about the 3.0 aka 3 point slow is the truth.
Avoid the 3.0 at all cost.
I have one in my truck now and as soon as I find a doner truck with a 4.0 SOHC the 3.0 will be rolled down the hill into my sink hole.
It has the power of a 2.3 or 2.5 and consumes almost as much fuel as a 4.0 OHV or SOHC.

 

well i get 21 mpg in mine and it has plenty enough power to tow a 14' trailer with 2 quads in it so....don't believe everything people say about the 3.0

 

granted mine is opened up some lol. i get 3mpg better than stock with the intake and exhaust

 

Back when I had a Taurus SHO they would sometimes call the Vulcan a SLOw,

 

meh, it has okay power and good gas mileage. Better power than a 4cylinder for sure, although at the 4cylinder guys want you to believe that.

I've had both 3.0 and 4.0 and im very very happy im 4.0 now. But otherwise, if you dont care, its all good.

 

This is the SOHC 4.0 and DOHC 2.3: The 4.0 has 55 more horses and 60 more ft lbs of Tq. than a 3.0. a 3.0 has 10 more horses and 25 more ft lbs of tq. than a 2.3. A 3.0 only get 1-2 miles per gallon more than a 4.0, A 2.3 gets about 4-5 mpg more than a 3.0.

 

285’s - 33” tires, 4.10 gears and get approx 18 mpg all around.
Hills take away some of the forward movement, can lose 5 to 10 mph on a hill; need lower gears.

OEM 245’s tires was getting around 24 hy-way and thought the 3.0 wasn’t bad overall.

 

Good to know. Thanks for the info fellas.

 

"A 3.0 only gets 1-2 miles per gallon more than a 4.0"

I think that alone should be enough to keep you away from a 3.0 ...lol

 

I like my 3.0. I can retime the engine with my eyes closed and it feels peppier than my 2.3. I get 21-22mpg usually. If I were forced to get either the 3.0 or 4.0 I would still get the 3.0. I don't like the idea of having to pull the engine to reset the timing.

 

You've either been smokin crack ... or you just don't know any better.
FYI ... You don't have to pull the 4.0 OHV to reset the timing.

 

The 4.0 I'm talking about is the SOHC one.

The 3.0 has plenty of power for how I drive the truck.

 

Yeah, at the VERY most maybe 3 mpg more, lol. In a Taurus, they get 20 city/30 hwy easy, hard to believe, huh?

 

love my 4.0 lots of power and decent mileage

 

Thank You

 

How you drive? Do you drive like you're 97 years old?
Are you 97 years old? If so ... I'm sorry

 

31 years old. I drive like an adult in my trucks. If I want to have fun, I drive my IX.

 

I drive like an adult in my truck too ... I just don't like it when a Geo Metro blows my doors off. This never happened when I had my 94 Ranger with a 4.0 OHV

 

Its true "sometimes". Old 93 reg cab 2.3/5spd, 3.55s got 22.5-23 city/hiway; 2000 3.0 4dr automatic/3.73 gets 18-19 same driving. Definitely more power, maybe partly because of 3000 stall converter. Both 2wd

 

Its true "sometimes". Old 93 reg cab 2.3/5spd, 3.55s got 22.5-23 city/hiway; 2000 3.0 4dr automatic/3.73 gets 18-19 same driving. Definitely more power, maybe partly because of 3000 stall converter. Both 2wd. Havent driven 4.0 yet cant compare the power im sure its better.

 

4.0 SOHC with 3.73s and 265/70/16 tires i was getting 19-20 combined mpgs. As much as 24mpg on the highway and never any lower than 17mpg city.

 

Well my mpg's on this tank went down lol. Open day at woodburn dragstrip :D no trees or times just straight racing :) I'm at 90 miles on a half tank today bahaha. The little 3.0 held her own today though it was a blast!

 

If nothing else, the 3.0 is better down low than my 2.3 lima, which leads me to believe that it would accelerate better over the low (and probably high) rpms. And even I can keep up with Metros, although school buses are a little tougher :)

 

I love my 3.0 has plenty of power for me and i get about 20 mpg and i drive it like a maniac