E-mail Story
Print Friendly
Send E-mail
Reprint story
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Newfound Power Boosts F-150 Status
By Ken Walston
Of the Journal
For 2011, Ford has upped the ante in the pickup wars by giving the F-150 an entirely new selection of powerplants.
With that move, the only major fly in the ointment to assuring Ford's popular F-series trucks maintain their first-place status has been removed. Any under-the-hood insufficiency has been relegated to moot mode.
Our test truck — and electrifyingly blue F-150 FX4 Supercab — was propelled by one of two new V-8s, a 5.0-liter, quad-cam smoothie dispensing 360 horsepower and 380 foot-pounds of torque.
That's enough power to deliver surprisingly sprightly acceleration despite a nearly 5,500-pound curb weight, and a towing capacity of 7,200 pounds.
Paired with a new, solid-shifting six-speed automatic transmission, fuel economy is competitive and somewhat better than expected — 14 mpg city and 19 highway. For a bit of perspective, that's just about what you can expect from a 4.0-liter, V-6 powered compact Ranger 4x4. Still, it's nice to have a 36-gallon fuel tank for distance driving, until it comes time to fill 'er up.
With no less than 10 trim levels, the F-150 runs the gamut from a vinyl-clad, bench-seat work truck (base XL) through the kitchen-sink Platinum to the extreme off-road monster SVT Raptor.
The FX4 model features a towing package, 18-inch wheels, black-framed headlights and taillights, front bucket seats, a six-way power driver's seat, auto-dimming rearview mirror, the Sync multifunction voice-command system (includes Bluetooth and an iPod/USB audio interface), a trip computer, a 110-volt power outlet and satellite radio. There are also underbody skid plates and retuned springs and shock absorbers.
The leather-clad and heated captain's chairs deserve special mention for their sporty bolstering, ease of adjustability and overall comfort.
The ultra-quiet cabin is handsome and highly functional yet hews to a trucky sensibility. Ride, handling and braking are top-notch, especially considering its heavy-duty underpinnings.
Ford's F-150 upgrades virtually assure retaining its best-in-class status.
2011 Ford F150 FX4 Supercab
VEHICLE TYPE: Four-door, five-passenger pickup truck
BASE PRICE: $36,625
PRICE AS TESTED: $39,550 (incl. delivery fees)
POWERTRAIN: 5.0-liter, DOHC, V-8; 360 horsepower; 380 lb.-ft. torque; six-speed automatic transmission; four-wheel drive
WHEELBASE/LENGTH: 144.5"/231.4"
CURB WEIGHT: 5,461 pounds
EPA FUEL RATING: 14 mpg city/19 highway (regular grade)
You also can send comments via our comment form
|
|
