Hi everyone! I am hoping to pick up my first F-150 in the very near future and I'm currently looking at the 2011 Screw with the 3.5 Eco Boost Engine. I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask an informed group.

I have build a Lariat on the Ford site with all the options I could add to get it as close to a platinum as I can including an upgrade to 20" wheels. The price difference is about $2000 less for the Lariat but it's still missing the Platinum power memory steering column, power side steps and Platinum trim. I'm having a tough time deciding which way to go but I am leaning toward the platinum. Are there any other differences that I am overlooking I need to consider?

Do the power folding mirrors allow you to fold them on demand or do they simply fold when you park and turn off the engine. I'm going to have a tight fit getting this in and out of my garage so I'm hoping I can fold them and then pull it inside. Not sure how much that adds to the difficulty of not being able to see how close you are to the garage or if it's really going to be an issue.

Thanks for any insight and the reading I have done on this forum has been a huge help!

 

mirrors fold on demand. not sure on anything else. good luck with your purchase!

 

Few differences between the Platinum and Lariat other than what you've mentioned (power running boards & exterior trim):

- Darker "wood" on the interior trim vs the very light version in the Lariat
- Brushed stainless dash/center console trim pieces vs the painted version in other models
- Ambient lighting
- Front door sills have a stainless Platinum logo vs an all plastic sill
- "Wood" top steering wheel
- Leather wrap on the front door elbow rests, vs molded/padded plastic on the Lariat. They don't do this on the rear doors, which seems oddly inconsistent.
- Dark brown leather on the black interior with a contrasting stripe on the edge (same stripe on the lighter interior) vs all black leather in the Lariat

If you have the models within $2K, you figure the power steps if purchased through a company like Amp are at least $1K. The nice thing about the factory steps in the Platinum is that you can control their function through the LCD screen (turn them off so they don't deploy at all, stay open all the time, or deploy automatically). The other feature differences are purely personal preference, aesthetics, and maybe some minor material quality.

RE: mirrors, the trailer tow mirrors in all models are manual fold/telescoping according to the brochure, not power fold like they are in the Super Duties. Not sure why the F150s don't offer the same functionality as I believe the standard mirrors are power fold. This is the only disappointing thing about the trailer tow mirrors.

Hope this helps

 

That was very helpful. Thanks! The manual mirrors in the max tow package are the deal killer for me in getting that upgrade. I would like to have that capacity just in case but I don't believe I'll ever need it. I just need to pull a 7 x 12 V-nose with a couple of race bikes and all the equipment that go with them.

 

Not what you asked.... but you might want to check out an FX4 with luxury package as an alternative to either the Planinum or Lariat. IMHO, it has the best looking interior of the bunch, primarly because the FX4 dark trim is much nicer than the hideous fake wood. You still get the power seats, full leather, center flow console, etc. etc. Moonroof and Nav are the only luxury options really missing, and you can add them both for $2,500.

Power steps are not an option on the FX4, but you can order it without any side steps and just add the AMP power folding steps aftermarket, which I believe are exactly the same steps Ford uses. Leather top on the console is also not standard, but again, can be added for a few hundred bucks by ordering the leather top through the parts department.

 

Doesn't the platinum also have the extra lamination on the windshield and extra sound deadening?

 

Gogator,
I can honestly say I was in the same predicament when I was ordering my truck. In the end, I decided on the Lariat (Tuxedo Black with the Pale Adobe leather interior) and I couldn't be happier. Here are my reasons why:
I purchased my 2011 F150 Lariat SuperCrew without running boards and then purchased the BeStop PowerBoards separately from 4wheelonline.com and paid $899.95 with free shipping. They took me about three hours to install, but most of that was making sure I read the instructions correctly since I was adding something to a brand new toy and didn't want to screw it up. Yeah, it would have been nice to have the option of extending the running boards manually from inside the truck, but really, the only time I can think of that I would ever use that is when running the truck through the car wash. With them retracted there is no way they get clean. I'm thinking about putting a small set of mud flaps or something on the front to keep the dirt away from them.
Other than that, the other subtle differences weren't anything that was a deal breaker. I'd say honestly consider getting the tan interior. I think it helps in toning down the VERY light woodgrain that Ford decided to use this year.
Hope the advice helps.

-AG06

 

It is obviously up to you to decide but if you basically want everything the platinum has to offer and you are within a few grand of it as opposed to the Lariat, go Platinum. However I would really consider what the purpose of the truck would be. For example with the 20" wheels I am told the tires are horrible on anything other than pavement. So basically it wont function that well off road (I know some may disagree but the majority of the info I have heard proves this true).
I too like the ambient lighting and power steps etc. It is a very tough decision but if it were me, and I wanted all that jazz (and I have thought heavily about it), I would negotiate heavily on the Platinum. If there is one on the lot that fits everything you would want on the truck, you can negotiate that price down to basically match exactly as the Lariat.
Make the call and let us know how it goes. I know the incentives are basically gone right now, thats why I am waiting a month or so to pull the trigger. Good luck

 

Thanks guys for all the information. I'm still back and forth but I'm in no hurry because of the incentives not being the best right now also. The purpose of the truck is strictly highway transportation and hauling my track bikes and gear to the track and maybe CCS/WERA racing later this year or next year if my old body can handle it. Unfortunately crash injuries that took three weeks to recover 20 years ago takes three months now. I've been pulling an open trailer for the past couple of years with a Mazda CX-9 and I have too much equipment now that requires me to upgrade to an enclosed trailer.

I'm going to drop by the dealership tomorrow and have a look around at some interiors and exterior colors. I'm also going to use the X-Plan as my employer offers the Partner program. I've negotiated for a lot of cars and motorcycles over the years and came out well most of the time but I'm going to take the easy road this time. Choosing what I want is hard enough.

 

I was torn between the two and I ended up ordering an EB Platinum. The hideous blond wood pieces in the Lariat were no small part of my decision...

I tend to keep my vehicles for quite a long time so I figured I would go ahead and spend the extra money to get what I really want. Why not, considering I'll probably drive this truck 7-10 years.

 

Not sure if I'm going to be able to find the Platinum I want with all the features so I may have to order it. I am most likely going to trade in my 2002 Corvette which is in really good shape. I know I could get more for it selling it outright but you never know about a 10 year old car and I would hate to sell it to someone and have something go wrong with it.

I've never ordered a vehicle before so was wondering how that works if I want to do a trade in?

 

Doesn't the Platinum also have heated rear outboard seats?

 

yes this is true. and you can't get the cooled seats in the FX4.

 

But cooled seats ain't all that. I certainly wouldn't base a truck purchase on if it had cooled seats or not. How many years now without cooled seats.

 

made me choose the lariat over the fx4. sure is nice in the summer.
or even winter on long trips...