I'm going to post this here, too, since all of you 4-cyl gurus hang out here...

I know that Ford offered a 2.3L 4-cyl with a manual transmission in a regular-cab 4WD Ranger in the mid-90's. The equivalent Mazda B-Series could be had this way as well. Here are my questions:
1) Did they ever offer that in a SuperCab?
2) If you have one of these, how is the power?
3) What have you towed with it?

I don't care at all about drag racing, I just want to be able to cruise on the highway at 75 with a headwind. I've driven my brother's '88 with the 2.0L and you can't keep it in overdrive.

I don't care about automatics--I would only buy a manual. I would expect an automatic in this configuration to be anemic. Although, if you tow a boat with your 4-cyl auto, I'd be interested in your findings.

I don't care about the 4.0 or the 3.0. I've driven both and I know their strengths and weaknesses. The equipment I've mentioned is harder to find and I've not been able to drive one yet.

I also don't care about 2WD models. I know you could get a 4-cyl SuperCab in that, but I'll never buy a 2WD truck again.

Thanks for your input and for this site in general.