where are you guys seeing a flareside? both of them look like they have the exact same bed shapes to me. if you look closely, the yellow color just makes it stand out more, and the top pic has a glare so its really hard to see

 

You need to look harder then at the yellow...it's actualy pretty obvious when comparing the top of the fenders on each one.

 

you need to look harder at the top one. the dark color and the glare are hiding it. they both still look like bulky fender flares to me, but not a flareside bed. more like a dually bed

 

ok I look like an idiot here at work with my face an inch from the screen LOL

I'm still seeing the yellow as a flareside....a little lower you can kind of see a step.....but the glare is horrible...who know's we could be looking at duallies or something LOL

 

i'm doing the same thing here

if you get about 1/4" away from the screen, you can almost see that same line you are talking about on the top pic too maybe its just a trim piece or something?
the reason i think they are both the same and the bottom isn't a flareside is cuz it looks like the bed would be like the 80's style pickups that had the flareside bed. just a tiny box with big fender flares. i would think they'd keep it curvy still like the current gen flaresides are, but it doesnt look like that in the pic, to me it looks like the body lines continue straight down and they are just big fender flares.

who knows. we'll find out in a few days
i hope they do keep a flare side though

 

Well, I don't know if you would call it a flareside or not but, It definitely has bigger flares or something on the back fenders. It kind of looks like the tonka fenders on the back. I also see an indention behind the cab like a step. If you look closely you can see this. Also, look on the picture of the sweepstakes ad on the 2004 homepage and you can see that there is an indention on the back of the fenders also like the current flareside.

 

Is that first picture of a King Ranch!??!?! It sure looks like it! Notice the badge, it looks larger... also, the lower valence and paint job looks to be Charcoal Blue/Arizona Beige.

Thoughts?

RP

 

The beds definitely look different to me, too. But, I'm not sure that it's a flareside. The yellow truck (SuperCab) has a different grill and a more muscular appearance, just look at the trim around the bottom and this could also explain the wider wheel flares. If you look at the top of the bed rail where it meets the cab, it appears to be flush with the side of the cab. The flaresides are usually narrower. The other truck (SuperCrew) is somewhat more plain on the bottom and has a less rugged look to it. I originally hated the look of that big chrome (okay, plastic, most likely) grill on the truck, but I'm rapidly getting used to it and coming to like it.

This all makes me wonder if they're going to introduce a sport model to the F-150 lineup. They've been saying all along that there will be a lot more choices with the new model, especially with the interiors, but this could also include the exterior. They've got to add quite a bit to keep up with the competition. This is getting quite fun, now!

Another thing to remember is one of the comments that I read a couple of times coming out of the dealer show in Vegas. Most of the dealers didn't seem to like the look of the new flareside. They all generally approved of the styleside, however.

At any rate, my mom bought a yellow Escape XLS earlier this year and I really like it. I could certainly see a yellow 2004 F-150 SuperCrew in my driveway!

 

If you copy the pictures to "my pictures" on your computer and then do some selective zooming you can see many interesting things. The bottom photo may be a stepside but it is grainy and hard to tell. The top one is definatly the Lariat and id not a step side.

When you zoom in on the smaller pictures on the bottom of the first Brochure you can see what looks like a five speed automatic transmission shifter on a full consol.

The yellow truck appears to hace black frame work over the grill giving the appearance of nostrils, but again the zoom in is to grainy to be 100% certain.

Also by using the zoom on your computer you do not have to hold your face so close to the screen.

 

Nick,

Just curious, but why do you think the console shifter is connected to a 5-speed tranny? I can see nothing that would indicate this at all. A little eager are we?

Just teasin' ya a bit. Please laugh with me.

 

OK, I played with the color and brightness settings on my monitor and here's what I see.

The yellow one has some kind of step or something directly in front of the rear wheels. The grille on the yellow one looks to have two horizontal bars, one below and above the blue oval. They intercept vertical bars to make nostrils similar to the Super Duty. The above picture looks to be a King Ranch for sure. It has a block pattern in the grille just like the Expy. There are also some kind of tie downs on the bed of the yellow one. I am pretty sure it is a flareside.

 

yeah, i can see how the yellow one has the superduty style grille. not sure how that'll look yet until i see one in person though.

also, i really doubt thats a KR. if they do come out with a 04KR, it'll probably be a late entry cuz they've got enough work to do getting all the new interiors and body styles out there to go and spend time and money making secondary editions to the truck. can't really tell from teh emblem either cuz ya don't know what those will look like either yet

i think rp just got a little excited again

 

The bumber blends in more with the fender, hood, and grill, more like an oversized car or SUV. I like the concept for the SuperCrew. The big ears give it more of a truck look.

 

I like it and I have test driven the 2003 Espedition , and loved the way it drove , and at that time I assumed ford would use most of the same tooling for the next generation f150 , saves a ton of money for FORD obviously (sp) so no big surprise to me. but damit~ I sure would like to see it offered in a diesel the expy has the higher tow rating , so that hurdel is out of the way! but now I guess there is the issue of EPA , and how many will purchase in a diesel. I would love to order one , from factory and say I'll take everything , but don't need an engine , because (I wish ) I will put my own Diesel engine thank you very much~ I am tired of waiting he hee hee.... But of course ford isn't listening , but if lots of people could write letters that might make a diferance!!! anyone know the email or postal address to bill ford I would love to send him a card shower so to speak !!! oh well , maybe in 2006 or something they well get off there butts, by that time I will have bought an f-250 powerstroke even though I don't need that much truck?

 

looks to me off-road fender flares....not a flare side....probably won't see a flare side until later in the year after they release the new f-150