This review begins with a car, a broken car, a miserable broken ungrateful little four-wheeled implement to which I have sunk too much money and too many pulled hairs, both of which I will never recoup. My stupid, silly Mazda Miata has been out of commission since, oh, last May, befallen by a faulty engine and then, uh, another faulty engine.

The details are sordid: The third engine, as pointed out by snickering colleagues, has got to be the charm. Swearing off any nod to aerodynamics, its front end is as square and brutish as your average Electro-Motive Diesel product.

And it certainly drives like it: It might be all that aluminum. It might be the fact that it can hit 60 miles per hour in five point six seconds. Our EcoBoosted Ford came with the 3. It is a hell of a thing. Counting down that red light?

Gotta move over before the on-ramp ends? Get on the gas and watch the nose rise up like a surfacing Red October, followed by the immediate and calamitous shifting of anything in the cargo bed.

Then I felt bad. Chris and I recorded an episode of the Hooniverse Podcast on the hour drive to Corona, which you can listen to here , and which we could because the F is dead quiet.

We pulled into a nondescript neighborhood of two-story homes, washed out in different tans and beiges. It was quiet here, he said, and cheaper than Irvine, where he used to run his operations. Hayes and Keegan talked shop, exchanged handshakes, business cards. Now, he works on diesels. We asked him if we could get him on the Hoonvierse podcast, and he smiled wistfully and shook his head no.

He had wrapped in plastic and strapped it to a pallet. We lifted it with a hoist and pushed it neatly into the bed, nearly filling its width. The F, especially with its FX4 off-road package, is so tall that the flip-out tailgate step is the only thing standing between you and your inevitable hamstring hernia. It slides out with a KA-CHUNK, along with corresponding yellow-knobbed pimp cane to climb up, and stepping down from the bed gives even the manliest man the countenance of a prom queen descending a crystal staircase.

The combination probably weighed pounds, according to a snotty Miata. From now on, I vowed, I would watch from afar, search and learn.

Progress in the truck world advances so rapidly that an FX4 Off-Road edition is quiet, comfortable and serene.

The ride is excellent. Let nobody tell you that leather is the be-all, end-all consumer good of lugg-jury: In back is so much legroom that it could serve as a one-bedroom apartment. The doors, however, slam with a shocking flimsiness, never with the hefty reassurance that justifies the purchase of a big new truck. After another two days around town and half a tank, the computer readout displayed something like 16 mpg.

A truck is the easiest gadget in the world to justify: Few consumer goods in the entirety of human civilization been honed to a knife edge, yet remain steadfastly traditionalist; in a sense, the F makes up for its bold new aluminum experiment by wearing its size boldly, out-hefting its Chevy and Ram brethren. The result is stunning in its effectiveness. Last year, when my Miata broke for the first time, I hauled it back home along the Central Valley with a Chevrolet Silverado HD.

2017 Ford F-150 FX4 Off-Road Review: Do you Need 10-Speeds To Take the Road Less Traveled?

It was my first time towing anything. Stopped reading right there. This cross pollination with Jalopnik is bearing some questionable fruit. I meant to take this out in my original edits, thanks for pointing this out. I definitely used the extreme utility excuse to justify my pickup purchase. Knowing how well trucks hold their value makes the ridiculous payment and terrible gas mileage seem almost palatable.

It does make me dream of an even more ridiculous and unnecessary second car like a convertible or something. But now he wants leather on whatever replaces his current pickup.

Sorry, but every cloth surface in my home says that cloth anything is not easy to keep clean with young kids. Leather on the other hand. I suspect if it was cloth, it would be littered with battle scars inflicted by bottles filled with formula and sippy cups armed with juice.. Our vehicles have black and dark gray interiors.

Another must with kids and a wife who is a bit of a slob. It is the single largest complaint from many of our customers along with poor visibility on most vehicles built after For the author, you reckon it is quicker than a V8 because it has a turbocharger? Could it be because it has more torque than the Ford V8 or the gearing is different or? Is it quicker than other brands with a V8? Which is largely because OF THE turbocharger.

I think that the only thing a truck could give me on a daily basis is the security of being in a larger presumably-safer vehicle. Then again, with the way I take corners, my little wagon is probably the safer bet. Ford put a significant amount of effort into keeping the F competitive, and it shows. With this truck you can put 2, in the bed and tow 11, out back. Tell them to get with the times. Or so they told me.

Carlson fan — I followed a guy in a gasser Chevy HD pulling a tandem dump trailer this summer. He lost control on a steep downhill and went into the opposite lane. Seems like the guys who wreck with trailers are usually the HD guys and almost always they have an oil burner under the hood.

Understand the trailer in question weighed 2 ton empty. I had 6 ton on the axles alone at the landscaping yard and the trailer had capacity for another 2 ton. Carlsonfan -it is human nature to load up based on volume. They see space and want to fill it. They have the space to take a load but not the engineered cargo ratings. They buy a truck with 20k tow raings and tow a 10k trailer. Because the truck barely notices the load they drive like they are empty. Only if you get the very right combination of stuff.

Same can be said for skid plates. They are cheap insurance. Look at the door tag because as you have pointed out, options add weight and weight reduces cargo ratings. Please tell me that any 3. Saw my first of the new generation in the flesh last week. It just looks so right. I see very little actionable advice from you on how to improve the writing, but frequent comments that belittle the writers and the quality of their work.

Only one of the above will help improve the quality of the writing here. The color combo shown here is what I would get too, although not sure if I would stick with the 5. More like a life lesson learned by a guy who knows nothing about trucks than an actual review. The first few paragraphs I thought this was satire and I still hope it is to some degree. The only direct comparison to other trucks was the incorrectly stated length. I guess the real truth about cars is that whatever is shiny and new is nicely reviewed.

That man step is all but useless. If a person has the time to pull that contraption out of the tailgate they definitely have time to pull their gloves off before changing the radio station or adjusting the air conditioning. I take mine off before opening the damn door. By the way, FX4 is also no longer a trim level but an optional package. Example my 99 Silverado can haul just as much as this F except I can step into it from the bumper and reach over the sides to grab stuff out of the bed.

Just one of the things that bother me about new trucks. Still they are awfully nice inside. Too bad about the mpg. I think think the biggest problem is the big wheels they put on trucks these days. Swapping them out would drop the truck about 0. With smaller wheels, they could make a truck with a shorter hood that would be smaller and more practical, without sacrificing cab or cargo space. For the task at hand the F not Transit connect performed the duties we asked of it.

Reviews are not subject to a given formula, that would be a comparison test and even that is dictated by the publication and not the readers. LA is not the natural habitat for such a large truck about the size of the outgoing Raptor and hammering that point in the review seems a bit silly considering how obvious that fact is. A Raptor is as wide as a dually F Go ahead, you 1st.

For my purposes, my Sienna winivan is a far better truck than the F FX4 that I used to own. So, I kept the van — and found someone who really wanted a truck to take it off my hands. Some people really like pickup trucks, but that does not make them the right tool for every job. I much prefer an engineering approach where we define the needs, and then pick a tool to address those needs.

OK…several issues that hit at my heart. Next, very sad to once again be reminded of the real driving MPG of this truck. However, is it again something minor considering the power and weight advantage it gives? My sister adores hers in Texas…but she has enough money where the price of gas is meaningless.

Again, very fun reading and wish all reviews could add this fun and emotion as well. Yes, there are missing specs and hard data, but it was still an enormously fun read.

I call it Hemi Ram driver syndrome. For many drivers the gas pedal is treated like a light switch. The F has always been bigger and heavier than the Chevy up until now. Aluminum puts Ford at a slight weight advantage until GM changes over.

Yes the F is big. That is why Ford went to aluminum. Roof height increased due to changes in regulations covering roll over crush resistance. Is that height and width an issue to most truck buyers? Again I got the vibe one was trotting out metaphors to play the car end of the pub. I do agree that the Ecoboost line is deservedly maligned for mpg but more because of Ford PR hype. Yes mpg is bad for a V6 but is it bad for a V6 with horsepower and lb. In carefully done, independent tests, the Chevy V-8s even the hp 6.

Today in the bizzaro world half tons are the size of semis while being made of aluminum and powered by turbo gas motors. Next up mainstream sedans cannot comfortably seat four adults. The that I used to own was big enough to be a box truck, for sure. And it required a badass 4. Like a box truck. Went and test drove a 3. I also drove a 2. These are very smooth, quiet, comfortable and capable trucks as are the Ram and GM trucks. Really impressive low-mid range power.

But I was most impressed by the 2. It simply gets up and scoots with a great flat torque curve from right off idle. Compared to the 5. Nothing like the muscular roar of the 5.

We should be so lucky we have such great truck choices these days.

I get a handle on it after awhile, but it is really there. The MKS I have had since with the earliest 3. And my sister loves hers and tells me she never has the lag.

And I remember test driving the GTI…and it drove me away with its sudden jerking from stop signs. Fun car…but that was nuts. Drive the Chevy 6. The rub is that the Chevy 6. I think the lowest priced 6. I prefer the big GM V8, but its restriction to only the highest trim levels makes it tough to champion.

Read consumer reviews for Used Ford Fs

DC Bruce — I had the chance to drive an EB3. It was like the transmission and engine mapping was trying to make its mind up as to what to do. The Ecoboost responds better to smooth inputs and avoiding inputs that cause a downshift. It seemed to pull harder if you kept it pulling in a gear higher than normal. I loved the torque. The mpg was similar to my 5. The only thing I hated was the E-locker. The EPS was heavy and numb at centre. Actually, Blake, while the front of the F may not look aerodynamic, a closer inspection of the detailing of the lights, etc.

I turned down a chance on a good deal on an otherwise perfectly satisfactory 14 F Lariat because I just found the seats impossible. The new model is better, but not great. You must be logged in to post a comment. Login Register Home News Car Reviews Editorials Video Product Reviews Tips and Advice Contact FAQ Forum. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Will Be Replaced!

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Gen-you-wine buttons and knobs! John from Tripoint Engineering and Chris Hayes unload the engine. Easier to hold the engine up and drive away from it. Posted in Car Reviews , Ford , Trucks Tagged as F , F , Ford , ford f , ford f Get the latest TTAC e-Newsletter! Back to Top Leave a Reply Click here to cancel reply.

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You cannot has cheezeburger. Leather is the new vinyl. Leather is far easier to keep clean. The flat torque curve and grunt down low is why the eco-boost engines are towing animals. Are you not a disruptive social influencer in the digitalspace? Corey, I see very little actionable advice from you on how to improve the writing, but frequent comments that belittle the writers and the quality of their work.

Local Man is Angry on Internet. Note to Ford dealers: PLEASE order more trucks with the spray in bed liner from the factory. Paul Harvey, is that you? Are you back from the dead? This is what brings me back to TTAC. Less badass looking, though, which is apparently what really matters to truck buyers….

The bed sides are taller now as well. Great for hauling dirt. So what is it good at other than traffic light drag racing and returning around 13mpg. And what are cheaper alternative to do what you used it for? If you wanna save fuel, better get dat dimmer on there. Did you choose to use a picture of the F next to a passing semi on purpose? Yes, and I also parked it under the NO TRUCKS sign on purpose! The F really needs to have a be truck conversion option. The F really needs to have a box truck conversion option.

The last F FX4 was so much better looking. This thing just looks frumpy. Life Gets In The Way.