The Ranger has rejoined Ford’s pickup truck lineup for 2019 after a long hiatus. The mid-size pickup has a class-leading payload capacity and strong tow rating, but what about carrying more precious cargo? The Ranger carries child safety seats pretty well; the Ranger’s backseat is — for the most part — car-seat friendly with decent enough room for two car seats.
Related: What You Need to Know Before Buying a 2019 Ford Ranger
Installing the car seats was a mixed bag, however. The Ranger’s two sets of lower Latch anchors require a bit of muscle to connect. The seat cushions sit firmly against the top of the lower Latch anchors, making it a bit difficult to access them — especially with our infant seat’s skinny, hooklike connector. We had more luck using the convertible’s chunkier, rigid connectors.
Once the rear-facing infant and convertible car seats were installed, we only had to move the front passenger seat forward a little to accommodate the passenger.
We ran into some trouble during the installation of the forward-facing convertible due to the truck’s top tether anchor placement — a common issue in pickups. In the Ranger, to access the top anchors, you need to fold the rear seat and find them. They weren’t clearly marked in our test vehicle, which is a problem because this step is often overlooked by parents, but it’s an important one. Connecting to the top tether anchor can reduce a child’s head and neck movement in a crash.
Check out the Ranger’s full Car Seat Check.
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