Went to my buds dealership this AM. My STX needed a little warranty work and while there, he threw me the keys to a 2015 white Platinum FX4 Supercrew. I really didn't look at the window sticker so I'm not sure what was an option and what is standard on a Platinum FX4 but this truck listed for $61,000.00 per his comment. The truck had the remote tailgate release and step. The step is more of a hassle than useful. There is no power up with the tailgate, it just releases and gently opens. The LED bed lights are really nice. It even has an LED in the tailgate so when it's down it lights up the surrounding ground. There is a switch at the inside corner of the bed. The tailights and other exterior lights are LED which really looks sharp. If you get hit from behind and somebody says they didn't see you, beat their seeing eye dog cause these puppies are bright. The key folb has more buttons than I care to learn about and didn't try anything but the tailgate release and unlock the doors. The leather inside was a nice burgundy and appears to be much heavier material than previous leather interiors that fall apart in year 4 of ownership. I'm not a fan of the far too large console but for those that like one, this one is pretty nice. The steering column had power tilt and trim. There's a button on the left side of the column for moving it in and out and up and down. This truck had the tow mirrors that are heated. They didn't look out of place or grossly huge on the truck like some do. They are power of course in any direction you can point one. The seats were 6 way power and this one had an optional massage unit in the seat. I consider it dangerous as falling asleep will be REAL easy with this running. I'm not into navigation or a backup camera but both worked great and was pretty intuitive. Stereo was killer. No comment on the EcoBoost mostly because I had no intentions of buying the truck and not driving it like I stole it considering it'll belong to some one else. The tires were Hankook off road tires with a kinda knobby design to the tred. They were quiet and road nice considering the 50lb air pressure in them. I'm not necessarily a fan of the wheels. I just don't like the design. The best part of this truck was the moon roof. I'm not a fan of moon roofs at all but this is kinda neat. It's in 2 parts. You have the normal MR for the front seat....keep pushing the button and there's the moon roof for the back seat. Sure lets in a lot of light and makes for an outdoorsy kinda feeling. This truck had the frameless rear sliding power window. It moves pretty quick to open and close. Not sure how secure it is but it looks neat. There's also some real wood inserts in the door panels that look like plastic to me but he tells me it's supposed to be real wood. There's a lot going on in this particular truck, maybe too much. There's a button almost anywhere you want to look and in places you can't see it seems. The steering wheel is nothing but buttons. Maybe once the truck is setup to your liking it would be okay but it's far too busy for me. I like to get in and go and not have to fool with anything. Maybe a second drive with my setup it would be different but it's too glitzy for me. It is impressive what Ford has done with the trucks though. I don't think there will be a line waiting to spend the 61 grand to take one home but it is quite a ride. Overall I'd say this was a nice looking truck, better than the first ones I saw. The fit and finish sure appear to be top shelf. But as I told my bud, 61 grand and it still doesn't have rear wheel liners. He said, "no, but it is an option"!
The biggest down side I see for the new F150 is going to be price. Most any F150 is going to be premium priced to the competition. I can only hope Ford isn't pricing themselves out of the market. Yeah, there's a lot of content even in the XL trucks but most folks are on a budget and paying a premium price means buy something else that's more affordable. Only time is going to be the final judge.

 

Nice write up, I'm not in the market yet but it will be nice to see the future of Ford trucks in person.

 

I drove a Lariet FX4 last night and your description is pretty spot on. Lots of gadgets in the new rig. My 2007 seems ancient driving to work this morning. I think Ford did a great job. The truck is super quiet, I like the use of LED lighting everywhere. The cab seems sooooo much bigger than my 2007 Crew Cab. Not sure what the numbers are but the back seating area seems to have a lot more room.

I'd really like to drive the 2.7 and the dealer was at did not have one, only had the 3.5. In fact they said if you want a secific truck to order one becuase it would be March before they have much of a selection. Most early trucks he said we going to be premium models although when he checked they did have some XLT's coming next week.

Re: price, I don't really see much of an increase. They had a 2014 sitting on the show room floor and sticker was $45k. I went home last night and priced a 2015 online and it came to $46k. the two models were close, but the 2015 comes with a lot more standard so price is spot on with the 2014 models. Of course lots of incentives to get you into a 2014, but sticker is right there with the previous model.

I'm not saying they are cheap by any stretch just competative with last years model.

-Jeff

 

Interesting thoughts. My '04 does the trick for me. Tech in cars isn't really my thing but having recently driven the fusion I'll be OK with it when I buy it because the truck stays for goos. The car will be replaced in time so it can be someone else's issues down the road. I'm more of driving and the engines. I do think all vehicles should have power heated mirrors standard and led tailights. Those are safety issues in my opinion.