Had a 2003 ranger 4.0 auto. I loved it. It had a lot of power, drove smooth, and was great off road! I would buy another but I have my 89 bronco. I like my girlfriends dads has the GM and it is cool. My friend who works at a chevy dealership says they are garbage-- recalls and problems. I never had a prob with my ranger. My friend had a 4 cylinder ranger and we beat it. Never quit. I put it in a ditch twice. Poor little thing. I like the way the chevies front ends look. They are nice to me!

 

you should have gone with the 5 speed. that truck was unstoppable...

 

Has the OP bought a vehicle yet? At any rate here's my .02. I used to work for a utility company a couple of years ago...they had colorado and ranger pickups, brand new, extended cabs, base model 2 wheel drives. I had to opportunity to drive both, plus an old I6 grand cherokee they had too. I prefer the ranger - the interiors were more comfortable compared to the colorado. If you need a back seat though, forget the ranger...the extended cab is only good for gear. The colorado is marginally bigger but it is available as a crew cab. I wouldn't want to ride in back of either one though. As to economy, I found it to be comparable around 16 to 17 around town. The cherokee got the same with its I6 too and it was a 97. This was a mix of city highway driving and stop and go on city streets. Ford had the 3.0L and chevy had the I5. They did Ok in the snow with some logs thrown in back for weight. My money, I would buy the ranger because I like them better - they seemed more comfortable to me. But the Colorado with a 5.3 would be sweet and if you need a crew cab, chevy is the way you'll have to go. I wouldn't touch a Tacoma - one guy I knew had an older 'yota v6 throw a rod on him and another had a 97 that I rode in and the hood was vibrating in the wind on the highway. The bodies are thin and cheap feeling.