Short Take Road Test
What Is It?
It’s the country-music version of “rollin’ in my five-point-oh.” Included in the F-150’s new engine portfolio for 2011 is this 5.0-liter V-8 borrowed from Vanilla Ice’s new Mustang GT. Here, the motor makes 360 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque, some 52 hp and 10 lb-ft less than in the Mustang—presumably, it is detuned to make room for more expensive options like the 6.2-liter V-8 and 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. But floor the accelerator, and the speed and sound of this F-150 will have you feeling like you’re wheeling a two-plus-two.
How Does It Drive?
It drives rather untrucklike, which is a good thing. The F-150’s suspension tuning is almost spot on with the truck unladen: never too stiff or too soft. Even over broken pavement, the suspension soaks up road warts more like a luxury car than a pickup. The six-speed automatic is smooth but often executes multiple-gear downshifts in two pronounced steps when passing, which slows the proceedings. The brake pedal is deliberate, and the F-150’s 194-foot stopping distance from 70 mph is par for the segment.
Piloting the F-150 from its wonderfully comfortable bucket seats is a delight, but when we hung an empty 24-foot enclosed trailer from the tail, we found a few shortcomings. The first of our two gripes is the steering. Its responsiveness is a benefit when not towing, but the wheel is a touch too sensitive on-center, and it loads up quickly within just a few degrees, which keeps it twitching when there’s a trailer out back. A vehicle meant for work shouldn’t have a rack this active.
Our other complaint concerns the suspension and the chassis. Although rated to tow a max of 9300 pounds in this configuration, the truck bounced, bucked, and was pushed around by less than half that weight. We have no knocks against the powertrain, especially using the transmission’s tow mode, but the F-150’s foundation felt soft and unsettled. If you’re regularly towing heavy loads and need a Ford, we recommend stepping up to the F-250.
How Does It Stack Up?
The current F-150 has always fared well against the competition, but prior to 2011, it lacked a punchy engine. The 310-hp, 5.4-liter V-8 with 365 lb-ft of torque was simply outgunned, and the 5.0 marks the completion of a well-rounded package. On the track, the 5.0 reached 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and did the quarter-mile in 15.1 seconds at 93 mph. For reference, that’s an improvement of 1.2 seconds to 60 and 1.1 seconds in the quarter compared with the last similarly equipped 5.4 we tested, and it’s in the mix with segment leaders like the Toyota Tundra 5.7-liter and Hemi-powered Dodge Ram. Interestingly, although the F-150 was 0.4 second slower to 60 than a 6.2-liter truck we recently tested, it posted an identical quarter-mile time, with a 1-mph-faster trap speed.
Aside from the towing complaints, our one quibble with the F-150 has to do with the interior. As comfy as it is, our test truck’s dash wore five different colors and four diverse textures. It’s awfully busy, although it does offer a plethora of storage cubbies. (Depending on which trim level is ordered, the F-150’s dash layout and colors change significantly from the XLT tested here.)
What’s the Cost?
An F-150 with the 5.0-liter can be had for as little as $24,765 if a regular-cab, two-wheel-drive truck with a short bed suits your needs. Our truck was an XLT with four-wheel drive and a crew cab that offered oodles of back-seat space. The base price for this setup is $37,255. Additional options were few, including a towing package, the highly recommended bucket front seats, a keyless-entry pad, and the XLT Convenience Group, which includes adjustable pedals, Sync, heated and powered mirrors, and a power driver’s seat. Total price: $38,505. The truck, complete with a column shifter, was a refreshing departure from the loaded-to-the-gills King Ranch trim Ford often sends our way. We’d keep $75 in our pocket and forgo the keyless-entry pad but would otherwise spec our F-150 5.0 exactly the same way.
