This thoughtful combination, along with large, wide-opening doors, allowed for my 75 year-old mother-in-law (which we jokingly say has “short-ass legs”) to enter and exit the truck with little or no fuss. Once in place in the rear, she could even turn her heated seat on to stay warm and cozy. Talk about a kind and gentle giant.
The F-150's passenger quarters are huge and will easily swallow five with elbow and headroom to spare. You could have two kids back there and a fair amount of travel necessities. Other than plenty of volume, the cabin is impressively appointed with soft touch plastics, brushed aluminum and many a hide of cow. Control layout is generally straightforward and would not look out of place in a mid-size luxury SUV.
Fit and finish are surprising, fit for a Lincoln, and bins and storage abound. Gauges are large, clear and even include a centrally-located display screen for all types of information. The navigation system is easy to use, much unlike the one found in recent Chrysler products. Take away the vast and vertical-ness of the dashboard and you once again could be behind the wheel of a Lincoln.
Where things get interesting is under the hood. My tester featured the boldest move by a North-American truck maker ever: A twin-turbocharged EcoBoost 3.5L V6. Pumping out 365 hp and 420 lb-ft or torque, this V6 outguns Ford's 5.0L V8 and most other competing V8s. The idea behind this powertrain is obviously that the V6 has V8 power but not the fuel consumption. Not so sure about that one...
I have nothing but praise for the fact that it runs on regular as well as the standard Selectshift 6-speed automatic transmission. The latter shifts through gears with brio and determination, and rarely misses an opportunity for a downshift.
And therein lies the problem... this engine is so good that all I wanted to do was lower the windows and bask in the twin-turbo whistles. On motorways, the V6 hums along well below the 2,000-rpm mark at 100 km/h. That's fine and all, but the slightest prod of the go pedal built up boost and out went fuel economy. My returned average after a week's worth of mixed driving was a mildly disappointing 16 L/100 km. Think of it as lots of boosting, little eco-ing...
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| The cabin is impressively appointed with soft touch plastics, brushed aluminum and many a hide of cow. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
The F-150's passenger quarters are huge and will easily swallow five with elbow and headroom to spare. You could have two kids back there and a fair amount of travel necessities. Other than plenty of volume, the cabin is impressively appointed with soft touch plastics, brushed aluminum and many a hide of cow. Control layout is generally straightforward and would not look out of place in a mid-size luxury SUV.
Fit and finish are surprising, fit for a Lincoln, and bins and storage abound. Gauges are large, clear and even include a centrally-located display screen for all types of information. The navigation system is easy to use, much unlike the one found in recent Chrysler products. Take away the vast and vertical-ness of the dashboard and you once again could be behind the wheel of a Lincoln.
Where things get interesting is under the hood. My tester featured the boldest move by a North-American truck maker ever: A twin-turbocharged EcoBoost 3.5L V6. Pumping out 365 hp and 420 lb-ft or torque, this V6 outguns Ford's 5.0L V8 and most other competing V8s. The idea behind this powertrain is obviously that the V6 has V8 power but not the fuel consumption. Not so sure about that one...
I have nothing but praise for the fact that it runs on regular as well as the standard Selectshift 6-speed automatic transmission. The latter shifts through gears with brio and determination, and rarely misses an opportunity for a downshift.
And therein lies the problem... this engine is so good that all I wanted to do was lower the windows and bask in the twin-turbo whistles. On motorways, the V6 hums along well below the 2,000-rpm mark at 100 km/h. That's fine and all, but the slightest prod of the go pedal built up boost and out went fuel economy. My returned average after a week's worth of mixed driving was a mildly disappointing 16 L/100 km. Think of it as lots of boosting, little eco-ing...
 |
| My tester featured the boldest move by a North-American truck maker ever: A twin-turbocharged EcoBoost 3.5L V6. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |