Used 2015 Ford F-150 Lariat 4dr SuperCab 4WD 6.5 ft. SB (2.7L 6cyl Turbo 6A) Consumer Reviews
Aluminum Body F150 Not all its cracked up to be!
Every few years my boss will replace my company truck with a new one. He is a die hard Ford fan going all the way back to something GM did to him back in the 70's. Because of that I have gone through the last 3 generations of the F150 (2003, 2010 and now the 2015). My job requires a truck, but it doesn't require me to use it to haul much very often. About once or twice a month I will move product around in excess of 1000-1200 lbs and maybe as much as 4000 lbs including a trailer. My first trip with a load was with 1200 miles on the odometer. It was a personal trip from KC to Ohio to pick up a car I purchased. It was an old Monte Carlo (3300lbs) and I used a dolly to pull it back. 99% of the trip was across I70. Within just a few miles of picking up the car I got my first scare. I was on a two lane going about 50-55 mph and came around a gentle right hand corner with a group of trees blocking my view all the way through the corner. Part way through I realized there was a raised RR track coming up and I needed to slow down. I probably had a half mile but was taking it pretty easy getting used to the feel of the car and dolly behind me. I applied the brake to start slowing up the truck while still coming around the corner slightly. The truck felt like the back tires came of the ground! It pushed over to the left as if I was on a patch of ice. My first thought was that I made a big miscalculation and the car was to heavy for the truck. The tow capacity for my truck is supposed to be 7600 lbs as optioned though. The hole trip home was a bit nerve racking. I got used to the trucks response to the weight behind it and figured out that the biggest issue was turning. The rear suspension is so soft that any side load pushes the truck in a manner that would make you think you have two flat tires on the back. It a straight line, it feels much better, although still very soft. I was not filled with confidence and conceded to the fact that I was going to be making a slow trip home in the right lane with the cruise set at 60-65 mph max. It was very slow going anytime I came into a city or road construction. I had to make sure to give myself plenty of room so as not to need to make any emergency maneuvers as I was positive the truck would not tolerate it. I ended that trip wondering if it was the car, the trailer, or something else that caused the truck to be so squirrelly. Since then I've used the truck a few time with and without a trailer to move different size loads round KC for work. On one occasion I had a new Honda Rubicon fourwheeler in the back. What I've learned is that anything over 300, maybe 400 pounds depending on how it's loaded in the bed of the truck, and about 1200 lbs trailer weight turns the truck into a big mush box. It is always fine in a straight line, but feels like it wants to slide out or tip over if you go around a corner that gets a little tight on the highway. My feeling is that FORD has worked so hard to make the F150 a comfortable daily driver that they have gotten to far away from the truck actually being a safe truck to use for work. The suspension is tuned to be soft and that makes it weak when you put a load on it. The ecoboost engine (2.7) that I have is very strong and responsive if you call on it to provide that. I was supposed to get something like 18-19 mpg overall. Not even close. The Ford gauge likes to tell me I'm getting 17, but it is incorrect. If you calculate the mileage, you typically get between 1 and 1.5 mpg less then the gauge states. My current overall average of mixed driving is 16.3. If you really work hard at it, and I mean work hard, you can squeeze out 18mg out of a tank. The aluminum body is noisy. The roof makes all sorts of noise in the wind on the hwy. Sounds like a metal HVAC duct popping as it heats up when your heater turns on in the winter. Except it isn't one pop, its multiples. And at around 10k miles on the truck, the bed starting making a popping sound when I drive over and uneven surface such as pulling in or out of my drive. The F150 is no longer a worthwhile truck in my opinion. It's loaded with neat features and the cab is comfortable. There are more electronics then every before that I am concerned about based off of previous experience (Ford electronics seem to have a short life expectancy for some reason). The cost of this truck compared to others was quite high. Insurance cost went up about 25% because of the aluminum body. If I was making the decision and it was my money, the truck that replaces this one will not be a Ford.
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Rons happy F150
It has lots of power
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
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