which engine 7 trans

[Diesel_Brad]

I am in the market for a ranger. I need it for a commuter. Currently i am driving 225 miles round trip. I am 6'4" so i need a supercab. My questions are... 1. 4cyl, 3.0 or 4.0 2. stick or auto 3 gear ratio?(is there even an option?) I want to get as much mpg as possible. I am replacing a v6 5spd probe that gets 28mpg. I used to have a F150 w a 4.2 v6 that i could hardly get 15mpg out if so i am learly of getting the small engine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. O and how bad are these trucks in the snow?(studded snows are not out of the question)

[court1100f]

I'd go with the 4.0L it AINT the 4.2L or anything like it two totally different breeds, Essex V6(4.2L) Cologne V6(4.0L). Reason I say the 4.0L is my mothers gotta 99 Explorer with the 4.0L V6 and a 5 speed stick and even running the AC full blast she averages 23-24MPG Hwy with it driving conservatively. and since the ranger is the same platform as the Explorer minus the rear shell and seats and extra weight it's lighter than the Explorer( thats based off of the Ranger platform) you might get 25-26 hwy out of it driving conservatively. Cause hell in my mothers case it runs roughly and the Check Engine lights constantly on!!!!. and she still gets 23-24MPG hwy out of it so a properly tuned 4.0L V6 with no faults should do better than that. the 3.0L I hear is gutless. the 2.3L in my wifes 93 Ranger gets roughly between 26-27MPG on average even with 170,000 miles on it. and the 4 cylinder despite what you might have heard is not nutless. read my post in the 2.3L power topic. given the 4.0L is substancially more powerful than the 2.3L and has the potential to get good gas mileage Thats the one I'd go with. as for automatic vs. stick go with the stick man yeah they suck in traffic and sitting on hills BUT if your battery craps out you can kick start your vehicle,better gas mileage,no torque converter or pumps to crap out,better performance(in my opinion} and it give you more control over your vehicle than an automatic does

and gear ratio the lower you go numerically the better hwy mileage you get but at the expense of power and acelleration but I'm sure you already know that though. with out knowing whats available option wise I'd say if I was going for power and a little gas mileage I'd go with either a 3.50:1 or the Classic 3.73:1 now if fuel economy was most important even at the expense of acelleration intown I'd go with a 2.73:1-2.80:1