I’ve got another truck on deck today! The 2024 Ford Ranger is a very special truck to me because this is the truck my husband (Tyler) was driving when I met him. He’s a big fan of the Ranger, but the question still stands: is it family-friendly?

If you’re new here - welcome! I’m Kelly the Car Mom and as a mom of almost four (if you missed the life update click here), CPST, and a huge car fan, I can’t wait to walk you through all the features of the 2024 Ford Ranger to help see if it’s right for your family.

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2024 Ford Ranger + Background

For context, Ford brought the Ranger back in 2019 and refreshed it for 2024. This truck falls between the F-150 and Maverick in the Ford lineup. It's what I would call a small truck, comparable to the Chevy Colorado and Toyota Tacoma. While it’s smaller, it's still a pretty decent size, especially in the interior.

As for the trim level, I’m walking through the Ford Ranger Super Crew Lariat Edition today. It has 128in wheel speeds, has a 10-speed automatic transmission, and this specific color is called the Velocity Blue Metallic.

Seriously, I love the look of this truck a lot. The drive, the feel, all of it. If my 5-year-old was turning 16 and I was going to buy him a truck, it would probably be a Ford Ranger.

2024 Ford Ranger First Row

I think this Ford Ranger is such a good-sized car, but still has great technology available. The interior is this light colored leather which I find very unique. It's a very nice approachable tan and is very easy to wipe down. It's not white, but sometimes lighter leather is a nice contrast from the typical black interior. The Lariat Edition has good contrast throughout the cabin to kind of give it a rugged truck look. I don't feel like I'm in a very high-end SUV, but I feel like I'm in a very nice truck.

On our door panel, we have a little bit of cubby storage, which is nice but not the best I’ve ever seen. All of our power windows, window locks, power-folding mirrors, all the good things I would expect to find in a new car and a Ford specifically.

It's so funny how Ford just copies and pastes things onto their other models, this feels very similar to my Expedition and my husband's F-250.

Infotainment System

For the infotainment system, it’s a very long iPad screen that looks like a mini version of the updated Expedition screen. One thing I do like is the climate control is pulled out so you have buttons on the screen and down below for easy accessibility.

In the infotainment system, we’ve got Apple Carplay, Android Auto, navigation built-in, all of those good things. Down below, there is a wireless charger, two cup holders, and then our center console with a 12-volt in there as well.

2024 Ford Ranger Second Row

Let’s talk about how car seat-friendly the Ford Ranger is. In the second row of the Ford Ranger, there are lower anchors on the outboard seats and three tether anchors across the back.

I want to focus on clearance with a rear-facing car seat because this is a smaller truck and with four-door trucks, the sizes can vary so much. I brought two rear-facing car seats to give you an idea of clearance.

The first one is the Graco Extend2Fit which is one of the most compact car seats front-to-back I have. In the most upright rear-facing position with the front seat set for myself comfortably, I have just a bit of clearance. So, all that to say is this truck is going to take a more compact car seat, but you may have trouble fitting some infant seats back here because they do take up a little more space.

The other seat I have today is the Evenflo Revolve 360 Slim. This one is not quite as compact front-to-back and I have the passenger seat pushed way forward to the point where I'm borderline uncomfortable. So again, I think the message here is you've got to be careful which rear-facing seats you're trying to put in here.

For forward-facing seats, you're going to be fine. The bench is wide and you've got the appropriate hardware to install car seats. The seat belts are flexible and there's no overlap. I like everything about the bench, but this back seat is a little tight.

While it’s uncommon to find vents in the back (and especially on the ceiling) on trucks, I wanted to point out that your kids could be hot back here. Especially if they are in rear-facing seats.

2024 Ford Ranger: Wrap Up

For this smaller truck, I think it’s a great option for families. Yes, the second row is tighter for rear-facing seats, but there are options to make it work. I HIGHLY recommend giving it a test drive (and installing your car seat setup) before you purchase just to make sure it will work in the long run. Overall, I’m impressed and think that this truck can work as a great family car.

Would you ever use a truck as your family vehicle? Let me know in the comments! And to keep up with all the latest family vehicles on the market, check out my recent car reviews:

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