Ford F-150

Ford F-150 Models

The Ford F-150 has three engines available: The standard engine is a 4.2-liter V6 engine that generates 202 horsepower. The optional 4.6-liter V8 produces 220 horsepower. The 5.4-liter V8 produces 260 horsepower. There are 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmissions available.

Body styles include short and long cargo beds; Regular Cabs, SuperCab four-door extended cabs, and SuperCrew four-door crew cabs; flat (Styleside) and fendered (Flareside) bed styles. Two- and four-wheel drive models are available. And there are three trim levels: XL, XLT, and Lariat. With colors and options thrown in, the model matrix is huge.

Driving the Ford F-150

The Two-wheel-drive Ford F-150 uses conventional steel leaf springs at the rear and a coil spring independent front suspension. This yields a pretty solid ride when it's unloaded, but quite a good ride when you're hauling a refrigerator over bad pavement.

The 4X4 versions use a torsion bar front suspension.

Power steering is over-assisted to make it easier to park and maneuver in tight quarters. We find the brakes on Ford trucks to be average in stopping power and average in fade characteristics.

Although the optional 4.6-liter V8 engine is rated at 220 horsepower and 290 foot-pounds of torque, we don't think it's as good a performer in many respects as the small V8 engines from GM and Dodge. It's a good, solid engine, with millions of examples on the road, and it sounds good at full throttle, but we find it a little duff for all-around street use, and we would certainly find it wanting if we had to haul anything heavy or tow a trailer up a mountain road. For any customer contemplating those kinds of duties, the 5.4-liter V8 engine is a much better choice.