First Drive: 2004 Ford F-150
Check
out all 91 photos from the drive here
Introduction
July
2003 - San Antonio, Texas (a.k.a. Ford Truck Country) - Ford brought media
representatives from all over North America to scenic hill country to test-drive
the all-new 2004 Ford F-150. The F-150 is the best-selling vehicle on the
planet. In fact, the F-Series trucks have been the best-selling truck in America
for 26 straight years. Ford sells 5 F-Series trucks every minute!
The all-new F-150 has been redefined and redesigned, and it's clear why Ford
has the best-selling trucks. The 2004 F150 has a new 3 valve 300HP 5.4L V8 engine, a new
transmission, a new interior, and everything else is new too. The new frame is
twice as strong as the previous generation of F150. The new frame is 9 times
stiffer, and twice as strong as the competitor's trucks. Now, every cab comes
with 4 doors. The box is 2 inches deeper so it holds more stuff. There's an
industry-first: Tailgate Assist. And the list goes on. For full specifications
on the 2004 F-150, go here.
I recently had the opportunity to drive the all-new 2004 Ford F-150 in a
variety of real situations. I spent just over a day in Texas (Truck
Country), testing the capabilities of the new truck, as well as the
competition's trucks. And let me tell you, the all-new F150 is a very capable
truck!
The first thing you notice about the new F-150 is it's new appearance. Both
inside and out, this truck has been redesigned, refined, and improved.
Interior
When you first sit in the all-new F150, you'll wonder if you're really in a
truck. The totally redesigned interior has an instrument panel that looks like
it came out of a high-end luxury car. And the cab has more room over the
previous model. Both the SuperCab and SuperCrew cabs were lengthened by six
inches, and it's noticeable! One thing I liked was the addition of headrests
on the rear seat.
Ford has departed from traditional practices of offering one style of
interior on all trucks. This has been a common practice of basically every auto
manufacturer. Ford has come out with five distinct interior trim levels,
one to match each model of F-150. For example, the STX model has black gauges
with a chrome trim ring around them. The Lariat model offers the same gauges but
they're rearranged and have a white face. Also, the vertical bands on the dash
are black or satin depending on the trim level. The only complaint I have with
the interior is the top centre-mounted dash tray. Rather than being an open
tray, I think it should have a cover so you can hide change, sunglasses, etc. in
that spot.
The seatbelts for the front seats are built into the seat. And they double as
a grab area for passengers getting into the rear of the SuperCab. Ford has
introduced another industry first: a floor mounted shifter. This is a really
nice feature that reminds you of a sports car.
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