My time with a 2015 F-150

[MikeNH]

I was a bit surprised to see a new (80ish miles!) F-150 on the National lot this week as I've only seen a handful in Michigan on the road that didn't have M plates (manufacturer). So I jumped at the chance to drive Ford's newest pickup and loaded up my things.

 

 

 

Overall I do like the new styling. I have an XLT crew cab with essentially no options so it does not have any of the LED lighting other trim packages have. The first thing that stood out to me though was despite the grill being rather large, it appears almost too small due to how the front end is set up. But the rest of the truck looks good- some of the creases/body lines stand out much more in person than they do in photographs. My rental has a drop-in bed liner and the tailgate locks with the remote like Ram trucks now do (GM needs to get this on their trucks yesterday!). Surprisingly the tailgate is not dampened when you open it but it does feel like it has the torsion bar assist like the 900-series trucks did.

 

Ford trucks seem to sit up a good bit higher than GMs and even the Ram I drove back in November so it was a decent hop to get into the cab. Ford has assist handles for all four doors to make getting in easier. Once inside, I encountered a few surprises. This is a mid-level XLT trim truck which should be comparable to LT/SLE GM trucks so I was surprised at the amount of hard plastics on the dash. The bigger surprise was the seat. It has manual adjustments for recline, fore/aft and lumbar and it is easily the least comfortable seat I've sat in over the past 8 years I've had this job (for reference, I rented 46 cars over something like 160 days in 2014). The bottom cushion feels as though it has a slight down angle and as such offers very little thigh support. Worse though is the lumbar; it does not retract/go down nearly enough and still bulges out. A 20 minute drive to dinner tonight was enough to start getting sore, I couldn't imagine driving this on a road trip.

 

Ergonomic issues with the seat aside, the interior is pretty nice. Everything is put together nicely and all switchgear operates smoothly. Going down the road the truck is very quiet inside though probably not quite as quiet as the Silverado I drove in Ocober. The suspension seems to do a good job over bumps and the electric steering seems to be nicely calibrated and not over-boosted like so many vehicles were when electric assist started appearing. Like most vehicles with this system though, there is very little road feel. The lighting seems to work well despite being the base halogen bulbs though I haven't taken it on any completely dark roads as I'm just outside the Minneapolis/St/ Paul area and most of the area is still well lit.

 

The radio appears to be similar to one I've used in Ford sedans before and normally I'd have to fight to get the unit to recognize that I had plugged my iPhone in to play music but thankfully this unit reacted quickly and allowed me to select music to play. It is the base head unit so it is not touch screen, you navigate using a control panel below the screen. I've said it before and I'll say it again here, Chrysler gets the crown for the best infotainment system. Ram trucks have three different units and whether you pick the base radio, the mid-level touch screen or the big 8" unit, they are all simply best in class. I haven't had a chance to try a high-level Ford truck infotainment unit (supposedly the truck ones favor physical buttons/knobs over touch interface in the cars), Ford's high end system in their cars just doesn't work well.

 

This truck has the 5.0 V8. Driving around town it is pretty responsive but on the highway the wait for a downshift does take a bit and once the downshift does happen, the truck does pull pretty good and makes nice sounds doing it. The 6-speed automatic is column shifted and one issue I've had with pretty much every column-shifted Ford I've ever driven is that the shifter is vague- it is very difficult to tell what gear you're in and a few times now I've ended up in no mans land between gears.

 

I haven't gone over the truck exterior in tremendous detail but there are no glaring issues that I've spotted related to Ford's use of aluminum for the body. There aren't tons of spots where you can easily check panel thickness but feeling the lip around the rear wheel well it did not feel like it was substantially thinker than the sheet metal on other trucks. It does have a more solid-seeming sound when you knock on it though. Only time will tell how these trucks hold up of course.

 

Of the three fullsize trucks that I've drive/actually matter I'd have to put this in last place due to the terrible seat. I'd like to sit in one with a power adjustable seat though to see if it is any better. I'm sure at least the lower cushion angle could be fixed with power controls.

 

I'll have it till Friday probably so speak up if you have a specific question on it.

['01LS1]

Is there a please recycle logo on any of the body panels?

Am kidding, they are nice trucks & thanks for the review.

 

There was a Lariat at a local dealership & since you mentioned the tail gate, the release was an electronic button.

Of course it had the soft drop torsion too. Thought the button was a cool touch vs the old style lever/handle.

Agree GM needs to add the remote tail gate lock asap. Would have assumed they would have made it for the 2014's.

[EastCoast HD]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing!

 

4X4?

 

Curious how it rides, I've heard some say the rear is a bit choppy while cornering over bumps?

 

Can you post a pic of the payload sticker?

[Big Whiskey]

How does the power feel compared to the new 5.3....if you've driven one?

[Stevens03]

After googling some images, that's probably the best looking F150 I've seen in years! One I'd even consider driving...haha

[f8l vnm]

good write up , my buddies granpa/family owns biggest Ford dealership in the US , so as you can imagine how hard it was telling them im getting GM product. End of day I think all trucks all do the same, about the same anyway , all make good power and it comes down to looks. so i choose the GMC and the 6.2 tickles my fancy too, plus better deals on the GM boys .

The remote tailgate is really cool, i also like the turn light signals on the outside of the mirrors on the F150's, the back vents for passengers which I have no idea if the braniacs at GM engineers forgot about or what ? I mean overall the Ford is alittle better in fit , finish , quality then the GM and Ram . But they are all nice trucks , so is the RAM . The Tundra and TITAN and NEw titan are garbage. IMO

 

Also i really hope GM ups the HP on the 5.3 to atleast match the HP of 385 on the 5.0

The TQ is good at 383

 

With the exception of the 6.2 in the 1500's GM's trucks need more power. The 2500/3500 Diesel truck motors are also under powered vs the competitiors in HP and TQ . the 6.0 is at 360 is just weak IMO

Last the 5.3 needs a power bump

[MikeNH]

The Duramax constantly out pulls the Ford and Ram, GM is fine there. As for the 1500 I'd rather see GM make the 6.2 available across the whole line. I don't want all the fluff on the LTZ/SLT. Nor can I afford it. Pics and answers once I get back to the hotel.

[MikeNH]

Nice review. Thanks for sharing!

 

4X4?

 

Curious how it rides, I've heard some say the rear is a bit choppy while cornering over bumps?

 

Can you post a pic of the payload sticker?

It is 4WD and I haven't noticed it being choppy specifically while cornering but it can feel a bit unsettled. On certain surfaces.

 

 

 

 

How does the power feel compared to the new 5.3....if you've driven one?

I've only driven the SUVs which are a bit soft due to the weight and tall 3.08 gears. This motor pulls pretty good and would likely leave one of the new SUVs behind. A lighter pickup with the better gearing may be more responsive.

[EastCoast HD]

It is 4WD and I haven't noticed it being choppy specifically while cornering but it can feel a bit unsettled. On certain surfaces.

I've only driven the SUVs which are a bit soft due to the weight and tall 3.08 gears. This motor pulls pretty good and would likely leave one of the new SUVs behind. A lighter pickup with the better gearing may be more responsive.

Impressive for a CC.

 

The GM trucks would need the max tow option to match or exceed that number.

[MikeNH]

One last update as I took it for another long-ish drive for dinner tonight. I've been fussing with the seat, headrest and steering column and finally have it so it isn't horrible to sit there anymore though I still really dislike the seat. I did notice a bit of bouncy-ness on the highway tonight, something similar to the secondary shakes you normally feel when towing. Seemed strange.

[Big Whiskey]

I've only driven the SUVs which are a bit soft due to the weight and tall 3.08 gears. This motor pulls pretty good and would likely leave one of the new SUVs behind. A lighter pickup with the better gearing may be more responsive.

Roger that. Thanks for all of the information you've shared. Does it feel considerably stronger than your own truck? Do you know what rear-end gears it has? Also, what kind of mpg have you been getting?

[MikeNH]

I'm sure it has whatever Ford uses as default- 3.35 or something like that. It pulls better than mine despite mine having a tune. Trans works well too. Mileage is crap but my hotel and no site are like a mile away and it's cold out. On the highway to dinner last night I saw 22-23 on slow highways.

[Big Whiskey]

I'm sure it has whatever Ford uses as default- 3.35 or something like that. It pulls better than mine despite mine having a tune. Trans works well too. Mileage is crap but my hotel and no site are like a mile away and it's cold out. On the highway to dinner last night I saw 22-23 on slow highways.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah it probably has the default 3.31 gears. I bet that 5.0 would scoot with 3.73's and a tune.

[MikeNH]

I hope the power seats are more comfy. The truck was nice but the seats are a show stopper.

 

Forgot to mention the crew cab still has a flat rear floor which I like.

[2018GMC]

Nice review. I think Ford did a good job on the exterior redesign.

 

GM needs to offer front and rear center head rests, Ford has offered this for years!