PREVIEW - Ford F-150

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: Ford Australia

It was almost a year ago when JUST 4X4s reported that Ford Australia would bring the F-150 to Australia as a factory-approved and warrantied vehicle. Now, more information has been revealed, including Australian pricing and a firmer local release date.

The first thing to note with the F-150 is that it’s not a “new” arrival. Various model grades and capacities of the venerable American pickup truck have been available in Australia for years – just not as a factory-approved and warrantied vehicle.

Harrison F-Trucks (in Melton, Victoria) and other specialty importers and convertors around the country started bringing in the F Series and performing local RHD conversions when Ford stopped offering the model here a couple of decades ago. But now, spurred by the success of the RAM pickup range in Australia, Ford are bringing the F Series back as a full factory offering, starting with the F-150, which will be released locally in two model grades – XLT and Lariat. Both will come with a broad range of standard features and the security of a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

“The F-150 is perfect for those who want to explore our amazing country in luxury and comfort,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO, Ford Australia. “The addition of this icon to our local showrooms alongside the incredibly popular Ranger means Australian customers now have two uncompromising utes to choose from.

“Thanks to its 4.5 tonne towing ability, the F-150 ensures Aussies can go anywhere, with almost anything, at any time.”

International – made Local

Unlike Ford's Mustang, that's factory-built in right-hand drive, the F-150 will come here as an LHD vehicle, with conversion undertaken by Victorian-based RMA Automotive, a Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier. According to Ford, RMA Automotive’s RHD conversion will meet all applicable Australian Design Rules and safety regulations.

The vehicles to be offered here are the product of what’s said to be a meticulous and extensive RHD re-engineering programme by both parties, with Ford Australia adding its application to the F-150 is a world first.

“We set ourselves the target of equivalency (to LHD) without compromise and are incredibly proud to have achieved this to our exacting standards, while offering our customers compelling value and generous standard specification,” said Tom Dohrmann, F-150 Assistant Chief Program Engineer, Ford Australia.

Shared Spec

Common to both the XLT and Lariat grades will be a 3.5-litre ‘EcoBoost’ twin-turbocharged petrol V6. Producing 298kW and 678Nm in F-150s for the US market, these outputs should be similar for the local version and compare to 292kW and 583Nm from the 3.0lt twin-turbo petrol V6 in the latest Ranger Raptor.

A ten-speed automatic will be the only transmission offered and an interesting quirk is the column shifter for the XLT – a feature not seen on an Australian car for decades.

A part-time four-wheel drive system is standard, with hi-lo range and ESOF (Electronic Shift On the Fly) between 2WD and 4WD, but not the locking rear diff and other more extreme features available on the F-150 Raptor in the US

Engine options available on the F-150 in North America, including a 5.0-litre petrol V8, 3.3-litre NA petrol V6, 2.7-litre turbo petrol V6 and 3.5-litre petrol V6 hybrid, will not be offered locally – but don’t be surprised if the V8 is added in the future. There’s no manual transmission option of any type for the F-150, even in North America, and hasn’t been available there since 2008.

A Crew Cab will be the only body style offered locally, but the F-150 will be available here in short and long wheelbase form, with the difference being a 1676mm (5.5ft) tub length for the former and 1981mm (6.5ft) for the latter. Wheelbase on the SWB is 3683mm and on the LWB it’s 3987mm. Overall length ranges from 5885mm for the SWB to 6185mm for the LWB.

A 4.5 tonne braked towing capacity will be standard for both F-150 variants, which puts the big Ford on a par with what's offered by most models in the RAM Australia range.

Choice of Two

With the same drivetrain, chassis and body, the differences between the F-150 XLT and F-150 Lariat come down to cosmetics and appointments.

The XLT is described as “the perfect accompaniment for customers wanting compelling capability from their pick-up paired with no-nonsense ruggedness,” while the Lariat “provides advanced levels of luxury alongside its uncompromised ability as a vehicle perfectly tailored to both work and play”.

The two will be fairly easy to pick apart, at least from the front, as the Lariat has a different headlight treatment and bold chrome grille inserts. Reflecting its premium position, the Lariat has more chrome generally, including on the door handles, mirror caps, tow hooks and side steps.

Each grade gets its own 20-inch alloy wheel design, while the Lariat upgrades the head, tail and fog lights to LED.

Of the six paint options, five are extra-cost prestige finishes, including ‘Rapid Red’ that’s exclusive to the Lariat.

Inside, the differences come down to seat trims (cloth on the XLT, leather accents on the Lariat), an infotainment, instrumentation and sound system upgrade on the Lariat and extra safety and driver convenience tech for the upper grade, too.

Here’s the breakdown on the key features of each grade.

F-150 XLT

• Two-bar grille with chrome surround and black accents
• 20-inch six-spoke machined face alloy wheels
• Chrome front and rear bumpers
• Black platform running boards
• Tailgate with flexible step and work surface
• Tough Bed spray-in tubliner
• Boxlink cargo management locking cleats
• Underbody skidplates
• 12-way power (including lumbar) driver cloth seat
• 10-way power (including lumbar) front passenger cloth seat
• Column-mounted gear shifter
• SYNC 4 with 8.0-inch centre touchscreen
• Satellite Navigation
• Seven-speaker sound system
• 8.0-inch multiview digital instrument cluster
• FordPass Connect
• Dual zone automatic climate control
• Power adjustable pedals
• Foldout office workspace (centre console)
• Six airbags
• Rear view camera
• Rear parking sensors
• Ford Pro-Trailer Back-Up Assist
• Cruise control
• Pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking (AEB)
• BLIS with cross-traffic alert and trailer tow coverage
• Lane-keeping aid and driver alert system6

  

  F-150 Lariat (in addition to XLT)

• Premium mesh insert grille with chrome surround
• Chrome appearance package including mirror caps, door handles, belt mouldings, tow hooks and running boards
• Powered twin-panel moonroof
• LED headlights, fog lights and taillamps
• Power release and close tailgate
• Power sliding rear window
• Leather-accented seats
• Heated and cooled front seats
• Heated rear seats (excluding middle seat)
• 12-way power (including lumbar) driver seat with memory settings
• 12-way power (including lumbar) front passenger seat
• Floor console gear shifter
• 12.0-inch centre touchscreen
• 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster
• B&O Unleashed sound system by Bang & Olufsen with 18 speakers
• Power adjustable pedals with memory settings
• Front parking sensors
• 360-degree camera
• Intelligent adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go
• Lane centring
• Speed sign recognition
• Evasive steering assist
• Intersection assist
• Wireless phone charging

Coming Soon

The first F-150s for the Australian market rolled off the assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan, in February and were en route to Australia at time of writing. However, the local re-engineering process means they won’t reach dealerships until Q3 this year. Orders are being taken now, though.

List pricing (excl. ORCs) starts at $106,950 for the F-150 XLT 4x4 SWB, rising to $107,945 for the LWB version.

F-150 Lariat 4x4 list pricing starts at $139,950 in SWB form and rises to $140,945 in LWB.

For more details and to order, see your Ford dealer.