2011 Ford F-150 - 1st Drive

What would you say if we told you the best engine choice obtainable for the 2011 Ford F-150 is a V6? You’d possibly think we had been nuts, proper? Well, believe it. Ford is revamping the F-150′s entire engine lineup for 2011, adding, amongst others, a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. It bests the two obtainable V8s for fuel economy although delivering as a lot or much more power and towing capacity. In fact, the EcoBoost is even better than Ram’s five.7-liter HEMI V8 and Chevy’s five.3-liter V8. You just know it’s a strange new world when the most effective engine inside the full-size pickup segment can be a V6.

Model Lineup
The 2011 Ford F-150 comes in normal cab, SuperCab and SuperCrew body styles, with bed lengths of five.5, 6.5 and 8 feet. The SuperCab has rear access doors that open from the front, and the SuperCrew has four standard doors.

Ford provides a trim level for every single taste, progressing from XL to STX, XLT, FX2/FX4, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, Lariat Limited, Harley-Davidson and SVT Raptor. The XL is Spartan, with vinyl floor covering and vinyl upholstery, manual windows and locks on the standard cab and SuperCab body styles, and steel wheels. The STX adds a CD player, cruise control, power locks, cloth upholstery and alloy wheels. The XLT adds floor mats, carpeting and fog lights. The FX2/FX4 trims have off-road styling, even though the Lariat gets a towing package, Ford’s new Productivity Screen, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable pedals, leather upholstery, power front seats, Sirius satellite radio, the Ford Sync entertainment and communications program, a power sliding rear window and 18-inch wheels. The King Ranch, Platinum and Lariat Limited models give different flavors of luxury, adding distinctive exterior looks and plenty of amenities. The SVT Raptor is often an accurate off-roader, with a wider body, an all-new suspension with increased travel and racing shocks, and many other off-road and performance features.

Regular safety functions consist of dual front airbags, front side airbags, curtain side airbags, anti-lock brakes, traction control, electronic stability control along with a tire-pressure monitor. Rear park assist along with a rear-view camera are optional.

Under the Hood
As we said above, the F-150′s engine lineup is all new. The base engine is a 3.7-liter V6 that produces 302 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. It is standard on XL, STX and XLT. Ford’s new five.0-liter V8 is regular on FX2/FX4, Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum, and accessible as an choice on the XL, STX and XLT. This is the very same engine introduced within the Mustang, where it makes 412 horsepower and 390 lb-ft of torque. In the F-150, it produces 360 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Standard within the leading three trims - Lariat Limited, Harley-Davidson and Raptor - and optional in the Lariat is Ford’s 6.2-liter V8, which churns out 411 horsepower and 434 lb-ft of torque.

The EcoBoost twin-turbocharged three.5-liter V6 will begin shipping in early 2011 as an choice. Initial introduced inside the Ford Taurus SHO in a front-wheel-drive configuration, it makes 365 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque; within the F-150 it cranks out the same horsepower but a whopping 420 lb-ft of torque. The additional power may be attributed to revised pc controls, far more increase pressure along with a beefier transmission which will manage the additional twist. That transmission, which is regular across the lineup, is really a 6-speed automatic with manual shift capability.

EPA fuel-economy numbers are not yet accessible, but Ford says fuel economy will improve by as a lot as 20 percent. The three.5-liter EcoBoost engine ought to also get far better mileage than the 5.0-liter and 6.2-liter V8s.

Maximum towing payload numbers improve by engine. The 3.7-liter V6 can tow up to 6,100 pounds. The 5.0-liter V8 can tow 10,000 pounds and haul up to three,060 pounds of payload. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 can pull an impressive 11,300 pounds and carry the very same payload as the five.0. The 6.2-liter V8 may also tow 11,300 pounds.

Ford’s base 4-wheel drive is often a part-time program that ought to not be engaged on dry pavement. A full-time all-wheel-drive program is available for upper-level trims.

Inner Space
Among full-size pickups, only the Ram 1500 compares to the F-150 in terms of interior refinement. While you will find a lot more plastic surfaces than we like, they’re sturdy and well-assembled. We’d like padded surfaces on the door tops, though. Visibility is good, and also the F-150 is amongst the quieter pickups on the road.

The lineup starts with base trims created for work, with vinyl floors and upholstery. Cloth and carpeting make an appearance a couple of levels up the food chain, and several luxurious models have leather upholstery and a host of accessible amenities. Among those features are the Ford Sync entertainment and communications system, rear DVD entertainment, upgraded audio, Ford Work Solutions and, new for 2011, a Productivity Screen. Ford Work Solutions can help contractors inventory and protect their tools and track truck fleets.

Introduced on the F-Series Super Duty pickups last year, the Productivity Screen is valuable for off-roaders and buyers who tow. It uses a four.2-inch screen inside the gauge cluster to show trip laptop or computer and fuel-economy information. It may also control vehicle settings and display details about the physical state of the vehicle, which includes pitch, steering and roll angles, and 4-wheel-drive power distribution.

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