Hey guys, been reading here for about a month now, as the new Ford really caught my eye, and I'm in the market for a new truck.

The looks of the 04 inside and out are impressive, enough to make me consider the truck. This site is very valuable, I've learned a lot of usefull information here.

So I finally took one for a drive this last weekend, the FX4 SCAB. I was very carefull to look for known issues that others are dealing with. But not to the point that I was biased, I kept an open mind.

First the seats, captains cloth. I could not get comfortable at all, and I took my time in the lot before heading out. I'm 6', 180. Felt like I was being tipped forward, could not sink into the seat. I had the recline back pretty good, but couldn't go any further and still reach the wheel. Just felt like I was being pushed forward.

Next the power. The truck felt about the same off the line to about 45 mph as my current 4runner. Not saying much there, I expected it to pull pretty hard with the 300 hp. I smashed the throttle once and it kicked down and got a bit louder, but the pull wasn't very strong.

The truck was very quiet and smooth.

There was no hestitation off the line, but there was the most minimal "shudder" for the first say 10 - 15 mph. Then gone. And extremely minimal, not a concern imo. I wonder if others that experience this are feeling a stronger "shudder". Truth be told, I was trying to see if this was present, and if I had no knowledge of others complaints, I probably would not have noticed it.

This new 04 has the looks, there's no question there imo. But the power and uncomfortable seats are biggies for me, especially for the price.

 

Well, good luck with your search. When it's all said and done you have to like what your spending the big bucks on

I only have my 11 y/o Silverado (with a V6) to compare things to. I paid extra for the captains chairs in my old truck. IMHO, those seats were a "little" bit more comfy. Some of that for me is getting used to the new seats. After 11 years my butt had grown accustomed to the old ones. I don't think the new ones are "uncomfortable", just not as comfy, if that makes sense. As far as falling forward, the only time I notice that is when I have to decelerate quickly. I sometimes feel like I'm sliding forward a bit. I think that is because the seats in my '04 seem a little "flater". I like them now but I do think as they break in the will become even better.

As far as power, I think the 5.4 has plenty, but, once again my reference is my old Silverado with a V6. I have a pretty light foot. With my old truck, when pulling away from a stop light under normal conditions other vehicles would almost always pull ahead faster than me. With my '04, I pull away about the same as others and I don't feel I'm pressing on the accelerator any harder. Once I get a few more miles on it, I'll try to see how quick it really is.

Good luck.

 

The seats are firm, not uncomfortable (for me anyway 5'11, 145), just firm. (Leather Trimmed Captains Chairs). I actually like the firmer seat & lumbar support. I think whether you like them or not is going to depend mostly on personal preference and your build. They do seem to "break-in" a bit, but not much.

I had the displeasure to drive a new Suburban for a day last week, and it has squishy soft lounge chairs (to match the steering and suspension), and it did highlight the differences in seat construction. The only thing I did like about those seats was the armrests, which were better positioned.

As for the performance, I noticed that after 300~400 miles, it started to get peppier feeling off the line (or seemed to anyway). I've read or heard somewhere that the engine management system is keeps things a little more sedate during the break-in period, and let's off as the mileage is clocked off. I don't know if this is true or not, but I did notice (or imagine) a difference after the first 400 or so miles.

I also would point out that it often just *feels* slow, and if you actually look at the spedo, you're going much faster than you thought you were. I had just the opposite problem with the Suburban, and often found myself dwadling along after merging onto the freeway.

 

The 10-15 mph shudder could've been from the tires being 'flat-spotted" from sitting. My Lightning only gets driven on the weekends so it sits for a few days usually. If should go away after a few miles though.

 

Shouldn't be getting flat spots from a standard radial tire...

 

The six way power seat option will take care of this.

Front of seat cushion = max up
Rear of seat cushion = max down
and it will sit like your recliner at home.

 

Huh? Being a radial or bias-ply has nothing to do with it. Go test drive a new car that has been sitting over a week and you wil find a vibration that will go away after a few miles. Didn't say the flat spots were permanent.

 

With regards to seat comfort. My 150 was in the shop for the last two days having minor warranty things taken care of. They gave me a loaner, an 00 Contour with seats that were more enveloping than those in my 150. The first impression is that they are very comfy, but after about an hour (I have a long 65 mile commute) they are killing me. They restrict movement of the body, unlike those nice flat seats in my truck, that allow you to scoot around. IMO this mobility in the seat is the source of comfort, because no part of a body likes to be in hard contact with much of anything for long.

This is why I particularly like the flatness of these truck seats. Rather than force you into one very narrow range of positions, they allow you a much wider variety of postures, which is a good thing on a long drive.