BREAKING IN A FORD F- 150 PICKUP
XLT proves it’s up to the task of towing, hauling and off- roading
I’ve already broken this F- 150. While bounding through deep snow that covered a rutted road last winter, I somehow — in all the jarring, banging and bouncing — popped a tube that works one of the BorgWarner turbochargers feeding the 2.7- litre V6. The power I had been savouring just moments before suddenly vanished, though the truck was still surprisingly driveable. Good thing, too, because it was crazy cold outside.
The same turbo 2.7- L truck is back in my hands for a weekly report on what the F- 150 is like to live with for over a month this summer. While I don’t intend to break it again, I’m not going to pamper it, either.
The truck we requested from Ford Canada is not some top- of- the line version like the King Ranch, but the volume seller — the XLT, with cloth seats, no less.
We asked for this truck because it represents what many in the market will end up with after shopping an F- 150, but we also wanted to see for ourselves how the new aluminumbodied F- 150 holds up under a variety of real truck tasks: towing and hauling and off- roading.
Our first weekend with our Ruby Red truck was a good reminder of why we’ve been so enthusiastic about this engine since our first drive of the F- 150 in Texas last fall: it simply feels way more powerful than it should. While horsepower is only 325, the 375 pound- feet of torque arrives early and keeps pulling hard to about 6,000 rpm. It was that torque that made towing the family Sea Ray 185 Sport on the weekend such an easy task. With a combined weight of about 1,800 kilograms, the boat and trailer are typical of the kind of towing duty the F- 150 will see, even though our truck has a maximum towing capability of 3,447 kg ( 3,674 with a 3.73 axle).
Fuel economy had been averaging 13.5 L/ 100 km, but resetting the trip computer for the mostly highway towing trip registered 16.5.
Not earth shattering, but not too shabby either.
Hooking up the trailer with the aid of a backup camera was delightfully simple, as was making the electrical connection. Once hooked up, the truck recognized the trailer was out back and provided a checklist in the cluster to make sure it was all done correctly. Neat.
The steel on the hitch receiver was a little tall for my latching safety chains, but few will have this issue.
An optional LED light will help for night hookups, but the licence plate lights are just as useful ( though they should be LED too).
While towing, I did need to engage Tow mode because the six- speed select- shift automatic shifts too early when left to its own devices. It feels a little lazy, mostly because it’s programmed to conserve fuel. Of course it can be driven like a manual, too. And I did need to engage 4WD on a gravel incline, but the switch to 4WD — with a faint- sounding click and an alert in the cluster — is mostly seamless. The switch is in a good spot on the dash, though I wish it was aluminum instead of plastic because this is a vital control.
I am also surprised our XLT, priced at $ 55,149 with options, did not come equipped with the available damped tailgate, which can be opened with the key fob.
Shouldn’t that be available across all models, and at this price?
But we did receive LED bed lights that can be activated by a switch in the bed, so it did not require another walk to the cab.
The cab, however, does have one small annoyance, which I discovered when working with the trailer and frequently getting in and out: A chime sounds whenever the key is left in the ignition. The driver should be able to shut this off, or pull the key out and put it back in to disable it, the way GM has done with its half tons.
What I did appreciate is the ease with which the rear seats flip up to access the cargo hold beneath them.
This is where I stowed some cargo straps and other recovery gear, just in case I need to help someone or someone needs to help me.