Quick Review: Boss's Truck

"Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness" (long-voyager-2nd-edition)
01/09/2019 at 07:34 • Filed to: Oppo review

Had to run some errands for work yesterday, so the boss told me to take his truck.

It’s a 2015 F150. It is the Platinum trim, powered by the 3.5L EB. It’s a very well cared truck with 150k miles.

!!! UNKNOWN HEADER TYPE (MULTI-LINE BREAK?) !!!

Interior: I was greeted by the power folding side step coaxing me inside. I climbed into the nice dk brown leather seat and moved it into a comfortable position, everything seems nice. As I turn the key I familiarize myself with the buttons ( so many buttons ) and am immediately put off by the giant screen in the dash.

After driving it some, the screen became less prevalent, but was still annoying to me. The seats remained a nice place to plant ones ass. The rest of the inside was kind of a let down for a $60k “luxury truck”, it all seems very Fisher Price. The pillars are overly large, creating a lot of blind spots. There were creaks and groans coming from various places inside the cabin ( seriously more noises inside this thing than my 25yo minivan ), but the road noise is almost non existent, just a faint growl of the tires can be heard.

Ride/H andling : The ride on this truck can only be described one way, horrible! I could feel every seam in the road on the “smooth” interstate and had all I could do it keep from wetting myself from the abuse on my normal road to work. Seriously the worst riding vehicle I’ve ever been in on the road. Handling wise it seemed ok, despite the wander in the steering.

Try to take off quickly and the engine has plenty of torque, after the initial poor response and turbo lag are overcome, and pulls quite strong from about 2k-5k, after 5k it falls flat on it’s face. Try to pass and that sluggish/confused trans becomes even more apparent as it hunts for the right gear, ultimately hitting 1 gear too low, causing it to be outside the powerband, then immediately shifting back up a gear and dropping in the sweet spot.

Final Thoughts: I’m at a loss as to why people are so crazy over these? Other than the very comfortable seats, it drives/rides/handles and gets worse fuel economy than our old F250. I am again completely unimpressed with the EB engine and the Fisher Price interior.

DISCUSSION (27)

The Dummy Gummy > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 07:45

“nice dk brown leather seat”

How are you not going to take a picture of the inside? I kid.

Nice write up, but I think your $60k observation is spot on. These ‘luxury’ trucks never are up to snuff where it matters most, in the cabin.

The Dummy Gummy > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 07:45

“nice dk brown leather seat”

How are you not going to take a picture of the inside? I kid.

Nice write up, but I think your $60k observation is spot on. These ‘luxury’ trucks never are up to snuff where it matters most, in the cabin.

E90M3 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 07:45

I’m at a loss as to why people are so crazy over these?

BUT MUUHHH TRUCK!!! I NEED it in case I buy that boat in 8-10 years and for that occasional trip to Costco.

adamftw > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 07:58

The ride in these should be pretty alright. I’d bet he has the tire pressure way too high.

UnderSTeerEnthusiast - Triumph Fanboy > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 08:16

Came here mainly for the interior review. My brother recently rid himself of his full cab ‘14 STX. Additionally, I was shuttles around by a vendor for 2 days including a long haul drive in a ‘14 platinum. I was amazed at the fact of besides leather seats, which weren’t super comfortable IMO, there wasn’t much discernible difference between the interiors. There was so much cheap feeling plastic for a truck that expensive.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 08:48

Unless you need the extra power for towing, the 2.7eb is better than the 3.5. less turbo lag, and it pulls hard all the way to 6000. Our long term fuel economy (including towing miles) is hovering around 21mpg. The 2018’s 10-speed is anything but sluggish, and it always seems to find the right gear. Ours is a very-close to base XL, it doesn’t even have carpet, and that’s how a truck should be. The interior is impressively quiet (asside from the squeaky plastics) and the ride is surprisingly refined. Not sure if they improved it for 2018 , or if the higher sidewalls on our base 16" tire /wheel package make that difference. In any case, we spent a little over 35k on ours and anything more would have been a waste of money. But that 2.7tt and 10-speed are a sweet driveline.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 08:49

There were creaks and groans coming from various places inside the cabin ( seriously more noises inside this thing than my 25yo minivan )

I think this is more a side affect of the road noise being non-existent, you can hear everything that creaks and groans with newer vehicles being so much better with road noise.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 09:02

I drove a 2017 Platinum 5.0 recently. My edits to your take:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Interior: I was greeted by the power folding side step coaxing me inside. (That always seems to break as soon as the warranty is done. I don’t get it. Are people really taking the platinum places they need the extra clearance?) I climbed into the nice dk brown leather seat and moved it into a comfortable position, everything seems nice (hard plastic. Wasn’t this the same shit GM go t raked over the coals for for so long? ) . As I turn the key (Push Button Start—eh, it’s OK. This is not a rip on Ford. Not sold on it as a whole. Note this is from someone who still has a separate key and fob... who’s only plus point is it comes in handy when someone you don’t trust needs to get something from your locked truck ) I familiarize myself with the buttons ( so many buttons ) and am immediately put off by the giant screen in the dash. (I remember liking the screen, but hating the way the info was delivered/navigated . I forget the actual beef I had.)

(Also, unrelated to any point you made, basically everything except the air vents looked all pretty and great . Until you used it.)

After driving it some, the screen became less prevalent, but was still annoying to me. The seats remained a nice place to plant ones ass (This is a major disagreement for me, but that’s not a shock. I don’t understand why, but Ford seats as a whole never have enough lumbar for me and wreak my back in short order. Not For d’ s fault my back is weird, but it’s odd that almost nobody else’s seats do that to me ) . The rest of the inside was kind of a let down for a $60k “luxury truck”, it all seems very Fisher Price. (YES. THIS.) The pillars are overly large, creating a lot of blind spots. (SO MUCH BLIND SPOT. I COULD NOT FUCKING SEE ANYTHING.) There were creaks and groans coming from various places inside the cabin (I didn’t notice that but then my truck squeaks like a mofo from every conceivable area, so it’s possibly a comparison thing) but the road noise is almost non existent, just a faint growl of the tires can be heard.

Ride/Handling: The ride on this truck can only be described one way, horrible! I could feel every seam in the road on the “smooth” interstate and had all I could do it keep from wetting myself from the abuse on my normal road to work. Seriously the worst riding vehicle I’ve ever been in on the road. Handling wise it seemed ok, despite the wander in the steering.

(I didn’t have a problem with the ride, and the handling was mostly precise... at least in cornering. T he problem I had was it was totally numb. W ay overboosted. Combine that with a faily loose “center” and you had a truck that you had to consciously correct all the time. Not that the corrections themselves are odd to me, but with more steering feel it could be instinctive rather than active. It’s tiring. Also, I experienced a phenomenon I first encountered in a Sprinter van—when in a sustained corner, the wheel seems to “pulse” in your hand, almost like it’s swaying back and forth of it’s own accord. It doesn’t affect your path, but it’s unsettling.)

Performance: With all the hype surrounding this drivetrain, I was expecting a lot everytime I’ve drove one, holy shit do they have people sold on their bullshit. It does well in simple easy driving, except the terrible throttle response and noticeable turbo lag. (I have a feeling a lot of this is electronic, the 5.0 also had laggy throttle response. Same as my own truck before I tuned it. Which begs the question... WHY?) The trans feels sluggish and confused with easy driving. (Agreed. Changes too often when you don’t want it to , picking the wrong gear, and when you DO need it... doesn’t change quick enough.) The sound of the turbo spooling around 1500rpms is a nice change from the NA intake sound I’m used to.

(One thing I’ll give it was it towed fairly well. Best use for it IMO. Mediocre- to- s ucked at every other drivability scenario in my view. )

Economy: I only had a short time with the truck, mixed hwy driving, but I netted 14.6 mpg. He pretty much uses it exclusively for cruising to work on the I, his mpgs according to the truck were 16.1 mpg. (I was towing a fairly substantial trailer for about half the time. S till outdid the owner because he’s an animal. Don’t remember the numbers. Also, hated the start-stop system because they all suck. Put it on a damn toggle switch.)

Final Thoughts: I’m at a loss as to why people are so crazy over these? (Concur) Other than the very comfortable seats, it drives/rides/handles and gets worse fuel economy than our old F250. I am again completely unimpressed with the EB engine and the Fisher Price interior.

(I thought the feature for ba cking up a trailer with the little knob was a cool idea, unfortunately I couldn’t try it out because you have to set up every trailer in it and I had a borrowed trailer. Power extending mirrors was good and handy for me, but I’m not going to give much credit because I’ve never used the competition’s solution for that. Too many driving modes, especially when you consider that the only way it was tolerable to drive was in “Sport” and “Towing”. Everything else was like a limp noodle. Back up camera was good, but it damn well should be by now. Also, it’s essential—you can’t see a thing without it. I’m also not a fan of Ford using blue lighting on the instruments/needles—too piercing at night. Truck shifters should be column mount—or dial, I suppose, if you must. The console is valuable real estate. For a truck so big, I was underwhelmed with the amount of storage I had. The under armrest storage was fine but there wasn’t enough elsewhere. Integrated trailer brake controller was good, but everyone has that now. I had one more positive thing to say but I have no idea what it was now. Take from that what you may.)

Nothing > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 09:53

Being a truck guy, I didn’t mind the ride/performance aspect of the 5.0 XLT I test drove, the interior was a big let down though. As far as nice cabins, Ram is the place to be.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Nothing
01/09/2019 at 10:01

I would bet I would be happier with a 5.0 personally. The throttle response/turbo lag kills the EBs for me.

I think the ride may have been affected by the bigger wheels/tires he has on it.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > adamftw
01/09/2019 at 10:03

Guessing it has something to do with the oversized wheels/tires he has on his. It was truly an appalling ride.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > E90M3
01/09/2019 at 10:04

To his defense, he does use it for truck stuff regularly, including hauling his skidsteer every weekend.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 10:05

That truck isn’t a 2015, unless Ford continued making the old steel body as a heritage model for some reason. 2015 was change over to the aluminium body. That generation of truck is a moderately updated version of the platform that came out in 2004, with a 1st generation 3.5 EB.

E90M3 > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 10:07

There are some people who actually need a truck for truck things, I’d e stimate a vast majority of truck owners don’t.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
01/09/2019 at 10:07

Honestly I couldn’t believe the squeaks and rattles. A 3 yo vehicle just shouldn’t sound like that IMO.

I think the 5.0 would have been a better fit for me, I find even the 2.7L EBs to lack response and notice the turbo lag.

His would likely ride much better with smaller rims/bigger sidewalls also.

All in all, it’s severely disappointing for a top dollar luxury truck.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
01/09/2019 at 10:09

Is this really an excuse?

Not trying to be a dick, but a 3yo vehicle should not have squeaks and rattles inside, IMO, regardless of how quiet it is inside.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/09/2019 at 10:12

Pretty sure it was, but I don’t much care for overpriced/overhyped trucks, so I could be wrong on year.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 10:19

Not an excuse, but I bet those creaks and squeaks have been there on your van for 22 years too, it’s just the road noise drowns it out. I think it’s something all manufacturers except the luxury brands have yet to address.

Nothing > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 10:34

When I test drove it, I still had the Tacoma too, which isn’t the smoothest riding thing in the world, especially with the mildly firmer sport suspension.

Had I gone pickup, I wouldn’t have gone with the F150, which made me feel weird since they sell a bizillion of these things.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s
01/09/2019 at 12:05

My only creak is from my rear hatch, which is because it doesn’t line up quite perfectly due to the van being rear ended when the PO had it. It is also 25 years old with 240k miles on the body, so some creaks and rattles should be expected.

It does have more road noise, mostly wind ( a brick has better aero ) and tire though, thanks to my additions. I’d rather listen to slightly more road noise than have to listen to everything inside creak and rattle.

This truck isn’t the only modern vehicle I’ve driven like this. It seems like since they went away from the nice padded doors and cushy cloth seats, interior rattles and creaks have become common place, and honestly, I don’t understand how people are ok with it.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Nothing
01/09/2019 at 12:13

The ride of his truck made my F250's ride feel like a luxury car. I honestly think people just don’t realize they can do so much better.

David Baker > ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com
01/09/2019 at 12:34

Defiantly a 11-14. Try a 15+, much nicer

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > David Baker
01/09/2019 at 12:56

I own a 2017.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 13:22

Ford Interiors: The squeaks are real. It’s especially annoying given the lack of wind, road, and engine noise in the modern F150s. The 2.7 is extra quiet, and sometimes I am surprised to find that the auto start stop has NOT stopped the engine, it’s just that silent and smooth at idle. There definitely is some lag, but the 2.7 spools up quicker than the 3.5 and has more puff at high RPM, so it may not be quite as instant off loaf as an NA engine, but the transient response once it’s under load is damn good. I still think ”luxury truck” is an oxymoron, and I scoff at even the XLT trim trucks I see running around. I mean we already have a fancy screen, backup camera, heated mirrors and rear window defroster, power windows, payload/tow package, dual-range 4x4 with rear locker, comfy seats, pro-trailer backup assist (which works, and if you tow rarely might be worth it... but if you practice regularly backing a trailer you’ll quickly tire of it’s perfectly understandable/reasonable, but sometimes inconvenient limitations) and seating for six without much compromise for rear seat passengers (King cab)... Why would you feel the need to spend $60+k on a vehicle that still handles, rides and has fuel economy like a truck, when you could get so many other things that are nicer to spend time in and are more efficient and cheaper to operate with the difference in price between a base-ish truck like ours (assuming you actually have a use for a truck) and the price of a fully loaded Platinum F150? I mean, our Kona Limited + the F150 XL comes out to about $63k total. The Hyundai Kona has all the leather, fancy electronics, power seats, heated this and that, sunroof, AWD, rear seat comfort, driver assists, etc you are paying for in a $60k truck, while also being safer, more fun to drive, getting better fuel economy, being cheaper to insure, and being easy to park... And the 2.7eb F150 tows a <~9,500 lb trailer just fine, more than fine actually. *Sigh* Stupid Americans.

cloverworks, aka Mrs. Boost > E90M3
01/09/2019 at 13:32

Whenever I see a truck that is clean, undented and that has fake beadlockers or extra chrome, I assume it’s a grocery-hauler until proven otherwise.

CobraJoe > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness
01/09/2019 at 14:49

After reading your review, I’m glad I went for a Nissan Titan.

Ok, it’s an ‘05 and I wouldn’t want to pay for a new F150, but everything you disliked is not an issue on my Titan.

Throttle response is nearly instant, minimal throttle lag, no turbo lag. Plus, it responds well with little throttle input.

Ride is ok, a bit rough compared to a passenger car, but it completely shrugs off large or harsh bumps.

Interior is dead quiet. Only squeaks or rattles come from the kids car seats.

Transmission is pretty smart, will downshift on downgrades to control speed and is quick to respond to a prod of the throttle. I wish it didn’t downshift so quickly though, that 5.6 makes great torque down low.

I doubt the new Titan is that different, it is a Nissan after all.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
01/09/2019 at 15:33

For him it’s a matter of 3 vehicles vs 2. Owning/maintaining/parking 2 vehicles is far easier/cheaper than 3, so he bought a truck that he liked instead of a cheaper truck + another car.

I agree, there is no need for a “luxury” truck, but I can see why they exist and why so many people buy them.

Our XLT truck was the perfect truck for us at the time. Crew cab, long bed, diesel, 4x4. Had all the power options, but still had vinyl floor and cloth seats. We, like I would guess a lot of people, only really had the means for one vehicle, so we got one that could do it all.

Funny enough, our 04 F250 rode better than this truck, got better mileage, and lacked the squeaks and rattles.