twaderobyn
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Tony
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2024
- Threads
- 10
- Messages
- 103
- Reaction score
- 85
- Location
- Joplin, Mo
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Ranger Lariat
- Occupation
- Admin
- Thread starter
- #1
A few thoughts and my take on my new XL STX after trading my ‘19 Ranger Lariat.
Took the opportunity this weekend to drive over 1500 miles round-trip, 11 hours each way to Colorado to see family.
Ride was excellent. The cloth seats versus my previous leather are unparalleled and comfortable. Refreshing and not a single complaint.
Transmission was flawless. From cruising speed across southern Kansas to driving the foothills of the Canon City area, shifting was nearly imperceptible and doesn’t even relate to my ‘19 Lariat and the adaptive learning. I had no end of issues with that machine. So this was a true test for me and really sealed the deal. Four-wheel-drive was smooth when I briefly used it
Rated at 24 MPG, over the life of the trip I averaged 24.6 so pleasantly surprised. That was with two passengers and luggage with AC on constantly. While nearly 22 hours of that time was interstate, there was a lot of in town and Rocky Mountain front range driving.
The climate control and stereo knobs are a comforting relief from my previous push buttons and touchscreen experience in the Lariat which I always found frustrating. The Lariat screen and console was hard to see while driving and I always seemed to hunt and peck for settings. Simplicity of knob control on the STX was nice, and don’t ever wanna go back. The larger center console display screen is pretty sweet too and the vertical layout I feel is better.
May sound strange, but I actually think the stereo system sounds better than my Lariat’s B&O. With the prior system I never could get the sound output I wanted, so although fairly standard, I thought the factory system was decent, although admittedly, I’m not driving around blasting stereo and bass for the world to listen either.
Drove largely with the lane assist off, which is about the only electronics on that beast, other than auto off and auto hold, so it was nice not having to mess with all the extra features and I don’t miss them. My biggest issue is the lack of auto keyless unlock and no push button start—is aggravating to go backward that way. Also, the seatbelt warning needing to be acknowledged and cleared every start is very aggravating and nanny state, along with giant unsightly warning stickers on visor.
While the rear bench back does lay flat, which is cool, the seatbelt does not and impedes stowage. Seems a real shortsighted fail from a design standpoint. Hard to believe that even after the design and build at the testing center that nobody looked at that and said wow, big miss. I added a custom metal clip work around to fold the belt back when seat is down.
Weirdly, the truck is so airtight, 50% of the time, after closing door, and shutting hard, I still get door ajar error. Gotta really slam it. Annoying.
I suppose I can be ok without the garage door opener visor buttons, but no passenger or driver visor mirrors is cheesy.
I’m not an overly critical person, but I give my XL STX an enthusiastic 9.5 out of 10, although I may have some bias against my ‘19 Lariat which had no end of electrical glitches. The issues with this truck are minor and could have been easy fixes but were left unresolved.
Took the opportunity this weekend to drive over 1500 miles round-trip, 11 hours each way to Colorado to see family.
Ride was excellent. The cloth seats versus my previous leather are unparalleled and comfortable. Refreshing and not a single complaint.
Transmission was flawless. From cruising speed across southern Kansas to driving the foothills of the Canon City area, shifting was nearly imperceptible and doesn’t even relate to my ‘19 Lariat and the adaptive learning. I had no end of issues with that machine. So this was a true test for me and really sealed the deal. Four-wheel-drive was smooth when I briefly used it
Rated at 24 MPG, over the life of the trip I averaged 24.6 so pleasantly surprised. That was with two passengers and luggage with AC on constantly. While nearly 22 hours of that time was interstate, there was a lot of in town and Rocky Mountain front range driving.
The climate control and stereo knobs are a comforting relief from my previous push buttons and touchscreen experience in the Lariat which I always found frustrating. The Lariat screen and console was hard to see while driving and I always seemed to hunt and peck for settings. Simplicity of knob control on the STX was nice, and don’t ever wanna go back. The larger center console display screen is pretty sweet too and the vertical layout I feel is better.
May sound strange, but I actually think the stereo system sounds better than my Lariat’s B&O. With the prior system I never could get the sound output I wanted, so although fairly standard, I thought the factory system was decent, although admittedly, I’m not driving around blasting stereo and bass for the world to listen either.
Drove largely with the lane assist off, which is about the only electronics on that beast, other than auto off and auto hold, so it was nice not having to mess with all the extra features and I don’t miss them. My biggest issue is the lack of auto keyless unlock and no push button start—is aggravating to go backward that way. Also, the seatbelt warning needing to be acknowledged and cleared every start is very aggravating and nanny state, along with giant unsightly warning stickers on visor.
While the rear bench back does lay flat, which is cool, the seatbelt does not and impedes stowage. Seems a real shortsighted fail from a design standpoint. Hard to believe that even after the design and build at the testing center that nobody looked at that and said wow, big miss. I added a custom metal clip work around to fold the belt back when seat is down.
Weirdly, the truck is so airtight, 50% of the time, after closing door, and shutting hard, I still get door ajar error. Gotta really slam it. Annoying.
I suppose I can be ok without the garage door opener visor buttons, but no passenger or driver visor mirrors is cheesy.
I’m not an overly critical person, but I give my XL STX an enthusiastic 9.5 out of 10, although I may have some bias against my ‘19 Lariat which had no end of electrical glitches. The issues with this truck are minor and could have been easy fixes but were left unresolved.
Sponsored
Last edited:
