FORD F-150 KIING RANCH V8
EIGHT-IRON SOUNDTRACK
NOTHING makes you grin as much as the rumble of the Coyote under the bonnet of the V8 King Ranch Effie. The naturally aspirated burble drifting from the exhaust tips quickly builds to a satisfying crescendo when the right hoof is buried. It’s an addictive soundtrack.
The King Ranch badge gets you an entire cow herd of leather, a massive sunroof, and a raft of driver-assist aids including adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, trailer-sway assist and hill-start assist.
A 360-degree camera displays a bird’s eye view of the truck’s surroundings when parking or squeezing into tight spaces – the display is made up of data picked by cameras dotted around the truck. Given the dimensions of the F-truck, it’s a very handy feature both in town and out in the bush.
CHEATING IN REVERSE
FOR THOSE who aren’t real flash at reversing a trailer there’s a neat Pro Trailer Back Up Assist function that lets you program where your trailer needs to be slotted in. The pick-up will then automatically steer it into place, much like an auto-park function (also included).
The 288kw five-litre V8 does its best work with the tacho above 3500rpm, where it not only sounds hilarious, it hauls. Peak power from the eight-iron is at 5750rpm and peak torque (525Nm) is at 3850rpm. Kick the go pedal under load and the five-litre emits a howl that sounds like Chewbacca being kicked in the goolies.
Compared to its bigger Super Duty siblings the F-150 is a whole lot more nimble on the open road – the IFS front end and leaf-sprung rear are still quite civilised when the truck is empty.
PLUSH YET BALLSY
CONSIDERING this is a more-than-$150k vehicle, it’s every bit as cosseting as you expect for a truck. Payload is a fairly modest 850kg, especially considering the not-so-slight proportions of the Ford, but braked towing capacity with a 70mm ball is 4000kg. While these 4x4 pick-ups are pretty capable off-road, towing is where these trucks excel.
We hooked a hefty tri-axle trailer and a load of wood behind the F-150 and the result was predictable. With 2500kg on its back the rear end barely noticed the load, with the V8 still needing to be revving to get its boogie on. The six-speed automatic transmission is an intuitive unit and will downshift under brakes. The big Ford also comes with electric trailer brakes as standard.
Off-road, the 150’s shift-on-the-fly 4x4 system is easy to use and intuitive, and there are a few surprises with hill descent control, traction control and a rear diff-lock as standard kit. As a bush basher the Effie is a little wide if you want to keep the shiny bits unscratched, but in open country and on the beach the V8 Ford is quite a capable performer; although I doubt the aluminium body panels would take much punishment from sticks, branches and rocks.