Beast or big pussycat? The Ford F-150 is both

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****** or big *********? The Ford F-150 is both

Sometimes you just want to keep on driving . . .

I’ve got the Ford F-150 Lariat double-cab pick-up here and I’m halfway to Toodyay, but need to turn back to make good on a promise at work.

It’s a 2.5-tonne ****** built for the open road but a big ********* on suburban streets.

Why has it taken so long for me to get behind the wheel?

The F-150 launched in Australia in 2023, imported from Detroit to Melbourne in left-hand drive and re-engineered to right-hand drive locally by Ford Australia and RMA Automotive, which is part of the Thailand-based RMA Group, in Mickleham.

In the process, it’s been “********-tested” at sub-freezing and searing temperatures and travelled some 135,000km in total in Australia — the equivalent of driving around the country nine times — through mud, slippery sand and water, with some of the world’s most punishing roads replicated in the laboratory at Ford Australia’s You Yangs Proving Ground, where the F-150’s driveline, steering, wheels and suspension were thrashed on a kinematics and compliance rig.

Yes, this is our Day Drives vehicle that I’ve just picked up from John Hughes Ford in Shepperton Road, Victoria Park.

It’s no secret I love Ram trucks — and now I’m not sure whether I would choose an F-150 if it came to the crunch.

Camera IconBig tray: Ford F-150 Lariat at the Matilda Bay boat ramp. Credit: Stephen Scourfield/The West ***********

You know how it is: you confide in each of your kids that they’re your favourite child and swear them to secrecy not to tell.

Let’s just leave it at that.

VFACTS has the F-150 sitting on a 22.1 per cent market share nationally with 1881 sales to the end of October in the over-$100,000 pick-up category — in third spot behind segment leader the Ram 1500 on 31.5 per cent/2690 sales and the Chevrolet Silverado on 23.3 per cent/1989 sales.

Sure, the F-150 is no match for its stablemate, the Ford Ranger 4×4, but we’re talking about horses for courses here and the F-150 is in a different league.

If you want to tow a boat without flinching, this is built for the job (more on this later).

The look

It’s huge, with a “military-grade” aluminium-alloy body and high-strength steel frame.

There are two trims — the entry XLT and top-spec Lariat — each available either as a short wheelbase (3683mm) with 1676mm styleside box or a long wheelbase (3987mm) with 1981mm styleside box.

We’re talking about the truck bed, or tray, with no wheel humps at the sides, compared with a flareside, which does have wheel humps.

Camera IconThe Lariat has wireless smartphone charging. Credit: Ford Australia

Even the SWB is too long for a standard parking bay — my F-150 is nearly 5.9m from nose to tail and just over 2m wide, not including side mirrors (the LWB is nearly 6.2m long).

Either way, it’s a five-seater with three child-seat upper anchorage points.

Camera IconFord F-150 Lariat has five seats. Credit: Ford Australia

Think of the F-150 as bold and brashy with a powered tailgate which has a pull-out step and ruler (in centimetres and inches), plus a spray-in bedliner.

Both specs get satellite navigation, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, USB-A and USB-C points in the centre console, plus FordPass Connect which, once activated on your smartphone, lets you do cool things like locate your vehicle, lock and unlock the doors, perform a trailer-light check, receive trailer theft alerts and start the engine remotely.

It’s easy to spot the Lariat, which is decked out in chrome and includes, among other things, chrome angular running boards and 20-inch “chrome like” alloy wheels with 275/60 all-terrain tyres (mine were Pirelli Scorpion).

There’s also a powered twin-panel moonroof, LED headlamps, daytime running lights and fog lights, auto high beam, leather seats (heated and cooled at the front and heated at the back, except for the middle seat), 12-way power settings for the driver and passenger, wireless smartphone charging, rain-sensing wipers, an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system (more on this later), a 12-inch centre touchscreen, 12-inch digital instrument cluster and collapsible console-mounted e-shifter (the XLT has a column-mounted e-shifter).

Best of all, the F-150’s centre console flips out into a “desk”, which is big enough for a laptop or iPad if you need to stop and work in between jobs. There’s also under-seat storage at the rear to keep valuables out of sight.

F-150 drive-away pricing in WA

F-150 XLT SWB: $106,999

F-150 XLT LWB: $106,999

F-150 Lariat SWB: $139,999

F-150 Lariat LWB: $139,999

Pricing is from John Hughes Ford, Victoria Park, and valid till December 31, 2024.

The lowdown

Driveline specs differ, so choose carefully, because the XLT has only a part-time 4WD system, while the Lariat has a selectable transfer case with four drive modes — 2H, 4A (4WD Auto), 4H, 4L.

Camera IconFord F-150 Lariat SWB. Credit: Olga de Moeller

I use 2H on sealed roads and 4A on red dirt.

For serious off-roading, you get an electronic locking rear differential and two front recovery hooks, plus there are skid plates on the front differential, transfer case and fuel tank.

Camera IconFord F-150 Lariat has a collapsible centre-console-mounted gear lever. Credit: Ford AustraliaCamera IconFord F-150 Lariat has a collapsible centre-console-mounted gear lever. Credit: Ford Australia

Braked towing capacity is 4.5 tonnes (the same as the current Ram 1500) rated with a 70mm tow ball.

Both the XLT and Lariat have a 3.5-litre “EcoBoost” twin-turbo V6 engine with electronic 10-speed automatic transmission. Quoted outputs are 298kW of power at 6000rpm and 678Nm of torque at 3100rpm.

The SWB Lariat has a ****** vehicle mass of 3220kg, which is still a “light vehicle” in Australia. Kerb weight is 2535kg, payload is 685kg and ****** combination mass is 7270kg.

I won’t bore you with front and rear axle ****** weight rating but, suffice to say, the numbers are important, so do your maths, including tow-ball load, to work out what’s possible when packing the vehicle, occupants included, and hitching up a trailer, caravan or boat.

In reality, the vehicle cannot be at GVM and tow 4.5 tonnes at the same time.

The fuel tank is 136 litres with a combined fuel economy of 12.5 litres/100km (more on this later) and there is an 18-inch alloy spare wheel.

Safety and driver-assistance tech

The F-150 has not been safety tested by ANCAP or EuroNCAP, but 2023 US models have an overall five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a top safety pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

It comes with six airbags and lots of driver-assistance tech, the Lariat including:

+ Pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking

+ ******-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert and trailer tow coverage

+ Lane-keeping aid and driver alert system

+ Front and rear parking sensors

+ 360-degree camera

+ Intelligent adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go

+ Lane centring

+ Speed sign recognition

+ Evasive steering assist

+ Intersection assist.

The drive

Buttery and plush. It’s like a magic carpet ride. I swear it has air suspension — but it hasn’t.

I am hard pressed to notice any road or wind noise, even at 100km/h, and the engine purrs — when I turn down the audio. The only other time I had something that sounded this good was in the luxe Genesis GV80, which also uses B&O.

Yes, 18 speakers make a huge difference (the XLT gets seven speakers), so consider the specs and your spend — there’s a $33,000 difference between the XLT and the Lariat.

Camera IconThe centre console folds out into a ‘desk’. Credit: Ford Australia

Even at 160.5cm, it’s easy for me to get comfortable: foot pedals are power adjustable, as is the seat, so I’m sitting up high and feel like, well, queen of the road.

But I do have to hoist myself in, using the step and grab handle on the side pillar.

Easy.

This ****** tackles regional highways as easily as narrow suburban streets.

Take it from me, it drives like an SUV, though I think twice about manoeuvring it through Macca’s drive-through and go inside to grab my coffee — yet I’m assured when I drop it back that it’s no problem.

Camera IconFrom centre console to desk. Credit: Ford Australia

Maybe next time.

Honestly, I could drive to Exmouth in this.

The touchscreen is crystal clear and there are buttons and dials for key controls, like volume, temperature and seat heating/cooling.

The ADAS is well calibrated, so it’s not intrusive, and the intelligent adaptive cruise control is spot on, barely picking up 1km going downhill on Toodyay Road, which challenges just about every car I’ve had on test. Only two have managed the descent without me having to brake — and both were prestige brands costing more than the F-150.

I do 120km over several hours, with fuel consumption averaging 13.3 litres/100km, which is not far off the specs.

Service and warranty

The F-150 comes with a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and up to seven years of roadside assistance when serviced on schedule at an eligible dealership. Servicing is every 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first.

What is Ford’s EcoBoost engine?

Ford describes this engine, which comes in different power configurations, as its “most technologically advanced engine ever” because it delivers up to 20 per cent better fuel efficiency than its ******* conventional counterparts.

This is because in most conventional engines, some energy is lost in the exhaust, but in the EcoBoost, the turbocharger uses the force of the exhaust to push more air into the engine, generating more power.

The result? A more responsive drive with great low-speed torque and great overall performance.

Camera IconFord F-150 Lariat engine. Credit: Ford Australia

EcoBoost uses three key technologies designed to save fuel and boost power: direct fuel injection, variable camshaft timing and turbocharging.

Direct fuel injection. A high-pressure fuel system injects fuel directly into the combustion chamber, regulates how much fuel is needed at any given time, and cools the charge to enable higher compression ratios. This improves efficiency while generating more power compared with a port-injected engine.

Variable camshaft timing. Precise control of intake and exhaust valves matches engine speed and load changes for improved fuel economy, reduced exhaust emissions and increased low-end engine torque compared with larger conventional engines.

Turbocharging. A lightweight design improves fuel economy, while fewer cylinders mean less friction and more energy saved. The engine delivers more power as a result of turbocharging, which compresses the intake air charge, allowing more fuel to be injected from the direct-injection system.

The Ford F-150 Lariat was lent to Olga de Moeller for our Day Drives series by John Hughes Ford in Victoria Park. They have not seen or read the story prior to publication.

Camera IconFord F-150 Lariat SWB. Credit: Ford AustraliaCamera IconFord F-150 Lariat SWB. Credit: Ford AustraliaCamera IconFord F-150 Lariat SWB. Credit: Ford AustraliaCamera IconFord F-150 Lariat SWB. Credit: Ford AustraliaCamera IconFord F-150 Lariat SWB. Credit: Ford AustraliaCamera IconFord F-150 Lariat SWB. Credit: Ford Australia

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