2024 款福特 F-150 XLT 评测
The Ford F-Series has been the best-selling car in the United States for more than four decades
merit
- Impressively sophisticated
- Spacious cabins
- Comfortable to drive
shortcoming
- No more efficient than the competitor's V8 engine
- Some strange features missing
- Reputations take a hit
After giving Ram and Chevrolet a head start, Ford finally introduced the factory-backed right-hand drive F-150 in Australia in 2023.
Initial problems weren't uncommon for models that hit the market in their first year, but the F-150 had its fair share of issues between two discontinuations and multiple recalls. Ford is compensating owners who have had to endure these issues while working to correct a series of compliance violations primarily related to lighting.
We hope Ford can avoid these minor problems. Why? First of all, we feel sorry for the buyers who have had to put up with these problems. But the F-150 is indeed a great pickup, outperforming its competitors, the Ram 1500 and the Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
To simplify operation and avoid other problems, Ford introduced only two trim levels and two lengths of the F-150.
This short wheelbase XLT is as basic as Australia's Ford F-150, with cloth seats, halogen headlights, and regular cruise control.
Well, it's not an agricultural truck – after all, it still comes with features like electrically adjustable front seats and blind spot monitoring. But in a market where buyers snap up the Silverado LTZ and Ram 1500 Limiteds, not to mention the top-of-the-line version of the "regular-size" pickup, XLT stands out, for better or worse, depending on your point of view.
If you read the comments on almost all Ford Australia social media posts, you see angry statements from people who say they will not buy an F-8 without a V150.
We suspect that many buyers scoff at Mustang cars that don't have a V8 engine, even though this model has been offered with a four- or six-cylinder engine since the first year.
You can still buy a V8 F-150 in North America with a 5.0-liter V8 engine, not to mention the Raptor R's supercharged 5.2-liter engine.
But United States stopped pursuing V8 engines a few years ago. While six-cylinder engines have been used in the low-spec F-150 for decades, the first twin-turbo V6 model was introduced in the United States in 2011.
The 3.5-liter engine and the smaller 2.7-liter engine offered here accounted for about 60% of F-150 sales in the United States market in 2020.
Do we miss the roar of the V8? Of course. But our advice is to get over it because V6 is a very good thing. Also, Ram is ditching its V8, Toyota has given it up as well, and if you just have to have a Bend Eight engine, you're left with General Motors.
Note: The F-150 shown in this article has not yet undergone rectification work.
How much does a Ford F-150 cost?
Currently, the F-150 is only available in one engine and two trim levels – XLT and Lariat – but both are available in short or long wheelbase models.
XLT LWB(左)和 XLT SWB(右)
| model | Prices do not include on-the-road fees |
| 2024 款福特 F-150 XLT SWB | $106,950 |
| 2024 款福特 F-150 XLT LWB | $107,945 |
| 2024 福特 F-150 Lariat SWB | $139,950 |
| 2024 福特 F-150 Lariat LWB | $140,945 |
What does the interior of a Ford F-150 look like?
Let's start with the body of the F-150. After all, it's a truck, right?
图示为 Lariat SWB
The short wheelbase F-150 has a cabin length of 1705 mm, a width of 1656 mm (1285 mm between the doors) and a height of 543 mm. If you upgrade to a long-wheelbase model, the length will increase by another 300 mm.
All F-150 models are equipped with tie-down points and spray-on cargo case padding. However, only the Lariat model comes with a 12V outlet. The Lariat also has an electrically opening and closing tailgate.
If you need help climbing into the XLT's cabin, Ford also offers a helpful step that folds out from the tailgate. A pole can also be raised so that you can hold onto it.
Shown is the XLT LWB
This reminds me of an old legend: NASA of United States spends a lot of money to buy pens for cosmonauts, while Russia cosmonauts use only pencils.
In short, it appears to be a more complex and potentially more expensive solution to the problem Ford Australia solved in the Ranger by cutting off a portion of the bumper to create steps.
It works well regardless of whether it is complex or not. Another clever design is the inclusion of a ruler in the shape of the tailgate – although this is an United States truck, thankfully there is a metric ruler. There was also space for drinks and pencils.
As part of Ford Australia's rectification efforts, white courtesy lights next to the centre high brake lights will be disabled as they violate the Australia Design Rules (ADR).
The XLT has never been equipped with Lariat's clever area lighting feature, as seen on the Ranger. However, Ford said it will remove area lighting from all Lariat models due to ADR compliance.
The base F-150 also gets bright white LED lights on the outside of the tailgate, but this doesn't seem to be affected by the rectification work required by Ford.
The cabin is easily accessible thanks to side steps and easy-to-grip armrests.
The F-150 has excellent visibility and the front of the cabin feels particularly airy thanks to the waistline sloping towards the mirrors – a design that has been in place for 20 years on the F-150
These doors are also comfortable to lean on, with the F-150 topped with soft-touch trim on all four doors.
The interior is mostly made of hard plastic, but it looks functional and aesthetically pleasing.
No, it doesn't look fancy either, and the 8.0-inch touchscreen looks out of place in the huge dashboard, but overall, the interior feels a cut above the Ranger.
A large number of different interior materials are used here - there are at least five on the dashboard alone - and the trim near the power window controller on the doors looks a bit like the Laminex from the 90s of the 20th century.
Still, the interior isn't too fussy and doesn't look cheap. Those are cloth seats, but the patterned inserts and two-tone gray color scheme make them attractive – at least in my opinion. They are also electrically adjustable and comfortable.
On top of that, all parts are screwed very tightly. We didn't notice any squeaks or clicks in the cabin, the only build quality issue was that there was a little bit of plastic burr around the combination lights/wiper levers.
Speaking of what's sticking out of the steering column, the F-150 has a traditional column-type shifter that differs from competitors' console-mounted levers or dials. It doesn't feel as cheap as the pre-upgrade Silverado, and it's sturdy and satisfying to use, although it's a bit awkward to get in and out of parking gear.
In front of the driver is an 8.0-inch instrument cluster screen and analog gauges instead of a 12.0-inch all-digital setup like the Lariat.
While it doesn't sound fancy, it's a beautiful, clear dashboard and one of the best combinations of analog and digital. We especially like the beautiful blue hands.
The infotainment touchscreen is only 8.0 inches instead of 12.0 inches like the one in the Lariat, which also makes it a step below the cheaper Ranger.
All the controls are at your fingertips, as well as a thick dial for functions such as volume and climate control adjustments, as well as drive mode selection. Most of the headlight controls are located on the right side of the steering column.
Just like a typical Ford, the interior of the cabin is bathed in soft blue lights. And just like a typical United States pickup, there's plenty of storage space inside.
You can open a convenience store in the cab of the F-150. The center console has a deep storage compartment; There is a large shelf at the bottom of the center console, enough for a 1.5-liter bottle; There are bottle holders on the door; There are even small corners on either side of the center console.
There are cup holders and phone slots on the center console, and a glove box and a second closed storage compartment above it on the dashboard.
Another clever design is that the center console storage compartment can be folded forward to provide a flat workspace for your laptop.
If you have enough space, this is an excellent family car, because a lot of space means a huge cabin. With 1107 mm of legroom in the second row, you can comfortably sit three adults side by side.
The rear seats dwarf the Ranger and the floor is completely flat, in addition to USB-A and USB-C sockets and cup holders at the rear of the center console.
There's also a cup holder on the back door, but it's a bit square. We haven't tried it, but we guess Farmer's Union should be a good fit.
Ford installed the SecuriCode keyless entry keypad on the F-150, which lets you enter a key code to unlock the vehicle without using a key.
It's an ingenious feature that Ford introduced back in 1980, and few people are willing to emulate it. But RMA Automotive, why don't you guys move the keypad to the driver's side?
| aspect | 福特 F-150 XLT SWB |
| length | 5884 mm |
| height | 1995 mm |
| width | 2430 mm (2030 mm without mirror) |
| wheelbase | 3694 mm |
| Tail box length | 1705 mm (at floor) 1662 mm (bathtub top) |
| The tail box is wide | 1656mm 1285mm (between arches) |
| Tail box height | 543 mm |
What's under the hood?
While twin-turbo V6 hybrid, electric and V8 powertrains are available in North America, Ford Australia currently only offers twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6s.
This actually beats the Coyote V8 offered overseas, which has the same power but 122Nm less torque.
| specification | 福特 F-150 XLT SWB |
| engine | 3.5L 双涡轮增压 V6 |
| strength | 298 kW @ 6000 rpm |
| Torque | 678 Nm @ 3100 rpm |
| disseminate | 10-speed automatic |
| Drive type | Time-sharing four-wheel drive |
| Fuel economy (claimed) | 12.5 l/100 km |
| Fuel economy (observations) | 13.9L/100km (inner-city, suburban, expressway loop) 13.4L/100km (1 week mixed driving) |
| Fuel tank size | 136 liters |
| Fuel requirements | 91 Romania leu |
| Braking traction capacity | 4500 kg |
| Curb weight | 2451 kg |
| Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) | 3220 kg |
| payload | 769 kg |
| Ground clearance | 239 mm |
| Approach angle | 24.3 degrees |
| Departure corner | 25.3 degrees |
| Breakthrough angle | 20.0 degrees |
Ford may label the engine as EcoBoost, but in actual driving, it's not much more efficient than a rival V8 engine.
On the same driving loop – albeit with slightly different traffic conditions – we achieved 13.7L/100km in the Silverado ZR2 and 1500L/13.8km in the Ram 100 Laramie Sport.
The payload numbers for the F-150 are not high. As is fairly common with full-size United States pickups in Australia, the F-150 doesn't carry as much capacity as some smaller pickups, and once you start filling the compartment with passengers and filling the trunk with luggage, you'll quickly reach your maximum capacity.
However, it has more traction than the HiLux-class pickup, with 4,500 kg of braking traction.
How does the Ford F-150 drive?
The F-150 is a sophisticated pickup truck.
It's almost like Ford wants to respond to people's complaints about the lack of roar in the V6 engine by making the V6 as smooth as possible.
When the vehicle is idling and you are outside, it emits a pleasant, muddy exhaust sound.
However, once inside the car, you can barely hear the engine. The main sound of the engine is the faint chirping of the turbocharger. Aside from the sound of the engine, the sound you can hear is not bad, but the interior is very quiet.
Even when driving on the highway, the interior of the cabin is quiet. While you'll hear a little tire roar, the wind noise is surprisingly low despite the large and thick exterior mirrors.
The engine may not make a lot of noise, but it will produce a lot of thrust. The twin-turbo V6 engine produces a lot of power effortlessly, and frankly, you can't miss the V8.
The 10-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly and unobtrusively in most situations and tells you what gear you're in at all times.
For efficiency, the car shifts to the highest gear, and we did observe the annoying habit of keeping seventh gear on steep downhill roads.
Therefore, I want to shift the gears manually...... But Ford made that extremely difficult. It uses silly plus/minus buttons, which some United States brands seem to love very much, but this kind of button is never as intuitive as flipping the gear lever or moving the gear lever.
To make matters worse, they are located on the shift lever posts, obscured by the edge of the steering wheel, and you have to awkwardly reach for them to press them. Using these buttons is as clunky as picking something out of soup with your fingers.
Parking is also a tricky thing. In the XLT model, the F-150 only has a faded reversing camera and rear parking sensors.
There is no front-facing camera, and there are no front-facing sensors, which is not ideal because the front of the car is a bit tilted and then descends like a cliff, making it difficult to tell where the end of the vehicle is.
It's already cumbersome to park such a large vehicle, and the lack of these features is even more unbearable.
Steering doesn't get much easier at low speeds, but you seem to be able to lock in very quickly, which makes parking feel particularly cumbersome.
Still, it won't feel too bulky once you awkward drive out of the narrow parking lot and onto the open road.
The steering weight is moderate, with some weight, but not too much effort. It's a bit of a cliché, but the F-150 does shrink around you.
The width of the F-150 was noticeable on some of the narrower country roads, especially noticed by my colleague in the car behind me, who said it looked as if it was about to fall off the side of the road.
On these country roads, the F-150 showed an extremely high level of comfort. Occasionally, there will be a slight wobble in the rear and a slight wobble in the frame. So, it's still a pickup, but it's a very comfortable pickup.
It provides a smooth ride that doesn't feel out of control, and only has a bit of a floating sensation when crossing a country bridge.
The F-150 is a vehicle that you can easily cope with poor road conditions, and it can handle it with ease and all the way unimpeded. Potholes? What potholes?
You'll never feel bumpy in the F-150, and it's very comfortable when we drive it off-road.
We drove the F-150 through some muddy forest trails, as well as some rougher, more challenging trails, and it got muddy in the process.
On some paths, it will feel a bit wide, but always feel comfortable and robust. We didn't drive it for any challenging rides that required tuning it to 4L or locking the rear differential, but the devices are there if you need them.
You can also switch between slippery, deep snow, sand, and muddy/rutted driving modes as well as normal, eco-friendly, and tow/haul modes. These modes are activated by a large rotary dial.
A significant disadvantage is the use of halogen headlights, especially if you travel a lot through rural areas.
Also, unlike the Lariat, the four-wheel drive system in the XLT is only set up part-time, so there is no 4A mode that can be used on the road.
All F-150 models in Australia are equipped with Ford Pro Trailer Reversing Assist.
As long as you have a yaw sensor on the trailer and then program its parameters on the touchscreen, you can effectively maneuver the trailer instead of the vehicle, which you can then use to see what's happening behind you.
In previous tests of the feature, we found it to be very clever, but sadly, it was a bit difficult to use in the XLT model due to the smaller touchscreen and lower resolution of the XLT model.
What do you get?
As far as the standard configuration goes, the F-150 XLT does feel like a downgraded version of the higher-spec Ranger. The standard configuration is a lot less than the Lariat, but the top-of-the-line F-150 costs about $33,000 more, so you want to have more......
F-150 XLT Standard Equipment:
- Integrated trailer brake controller
- 4.5 ton towing hitch and 70mm towing ball
- Professional trailer reversing assist
- Electronically locking rear differential
- 2 pre-recovery hooks
- Skid plates for the front differential, transfer case and fuel tank
- 20 英寸合金轮毂,275/60 R20 BSW ATT 全地形轮胎
- 18-inch alloy spare tire
- Automatic halogen headlights
- Tailgate footrest
- Spray-painted bathtub lining
- Electronic parking brake
- Keyboard input
- Proximity entrance with push-button start
- FordPass connection
- Rear privacy glass
- Upholstered in fabric
- 12-way power driver's seat with power lumbar support
- 10-way power passenger seat with power lumbar support
- Electrically adjustable pedals
- Dual-zone climate control
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster screen
- Satellite navigation
- DAB+ Digital Radio
- 7-speaker sound system
- Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
- Electrochromic rearview mirrors
- Storage space under the rear seats
Is the Ford F-150 safe?
The Ford F-150 has never been tested by ANCAP.
Standard safety equipment on the XLT includes:
- Automatic emergency braking
- Blind spot monitoring with trailer towing overlay
- Lane Keeping Assist
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert with trailer towing coverage
- Reversing camera
- Rear parking sensors
- Tire pressure monitoring
- Front, front side and side air curtains
You'll need to set foot on Lariat to get:
- Adaptive cruise control with start-stop function
- The lane is centered
- Circumvent steering assistance
- Front parking sensors
- Surround view camera
- Traffic Sign Recognition
How much does a Ford F-150 cost to run?
The F-150 is backed by a five-year unlimited mileage warranty.
| Operating costs | 福特 F-150 XLT SWB |
| Warranty | 5 years, unlimited mileage |
| Service intervals | 12 months or 15,000 km |
| Limit price service | 4 years |
| The total cost of the limit price service | AUD 1716 (4 x AUD 429) |
Maintenance is required every 12 months or 15,000 km (whichever comes first) and is charged up to AU$429 each for the first four services. This is in stark contrast to rival Ram and Chevrolet pickups, which don't offer the highest priced maintenance service.
Ford Australia also currently offers the first five services free of charge to eligible buyers. You can learn more on the company's website.
What about the Ford F-150
The Ford F-150 was a very good pickup truck, but it was a disappointment due to a poor rollout.
Not only did Ford wait until GM and Stellantis entered the Australia pickup truck market before making a move, but it also used different companies for local remanufacturing, and this company made some novice mistakes when it came to compliance.
One wonders why Ford doesn't use Walkinshaw directly like General Motors, Stellantis, and Toyota. If this was done to save money, the call was strikingly counterproductive between recalls, compliance fixes, and stop selling.
We hope that this is the last issue of the local remanufacturing of the F-150, since it deserves to be as successful as the 1500 and Silverado.
Okay, so the smaller engine isn't much more efficient than the Ram 1500's V8 in practical use, and it doesn't sound that good either.
The XLT also lacks some strange features for such an expensive vehicle – for example, the lack of front-facing parking sensors and a front-facing camera, which makes parking very cumbersome.
But it's an impressively sophisticated vehicle, and it's particularly user-friendly in addition to parking. It's powerful, comfortable, priced lower than its main competitors, and offers better after-sales service.
The Ford F-Series pickup truck was the best-selling car in the United States, but sadly, its clumsy launch may have damaged its reputation.