Instrumented Test
Ford’s mega-selling F-150 pickup rolled into the 2013 model year packing no fewer than 10 distinct trim levels. Starting with the entry-level XL, the line climbs through the STX, XLT, FX2, Lariat, FX4, King Ranch, SVT Raptor, and Platinum trim levels before finishing off with the new-for-2013 Limited. Although the bewildering number of choices might appear to be overkill to the uninitiated—and we haven’t even touched on the myriad cab-and-bed combos or powertrain choices—Ford claims that more than 30 percent of F-150s have prices cresting $35,000, a statistic that’s bound to keep blue-oval showrooms stocked with as many luxed-out F-series trucks as bare-bones workhorses.
Start at the Top
Ford already had a good bead on what made the luxury-truck life one worth living, but we had to experience the new-for-’13 range-topping $53,890 4x4 Limited for ourselves, so we sidestepped the bulk of the options sheet and secured one for a test. Our rig added a few nominal extras, including a spray-in bedliner ($475), a tailgate extender ($250), a tailgate step ($375), and a coat of White Platinum Metallic paint ($595), so it landed wearing a $55,585 sticker. For thrifty readers, consider that a comparable F-150 XL with the SuperCrew cab, EcoBoost engine and six-speed auto, four-wheel drive, and 5.5-foot bed starts at a low $37,425, but you’ll have to add any hedonistic elements à la carte.
What you get for the roughly $16,000 difference is a check list of the latest and greatest in luxury and tech options available to pickup buyers: heated and cooled leather-trimmed front seats, heated 60/40-split rear seats, a power sunroof, a two-tone leather-wrapped steering wheel with power tilting and telescoping functions, ambient interior lighting, a rearview camera, a 110-volt power outlet, remote start, satellite radio, navigation, and Sync with MyFord Touch. Special shout-out to the range of the power-adjustable pedals and 10-way power driver’s seat: If we found one comfortable driving position, we found a half-dozen. If Shaquille O'Neal and Muggsy Bogues were forced to select and share a single vehicle for the rest of their lives due to some obscure NBA pension bylaw, this would be the one.
Size Matters
The sole Limited configuration is the four-door SuperCrew with a 5.5-foot bed, and like the rest of the F-150 lineup, it uses an independent front suspension with a stick axle and leaf springs at the rear. Steering is handled by a reasonably communicative electrically assisted rack-and-pinion setup (F-series trucks with the jumbo 6.2-liter V-8 engine still get the older hydraulic boost). It does a good job of taking the muscle out of three-point turns—which is good, because at 231.9 inches long overall and sporting a 144.5-inch wheelbase, you’ll be doing plenty of them. Gleaming polished aluminum 22-inch wheels are unique to the Limited, and it’d be a shame to scuff them up off-roading or doing, you know, actual work. Sturdy, power-deployable running boards tuck under the doors.
All F-150 Limiteds leave the factory with Ford’s 365-hp, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive costs $3275. (If you can deal with the shame of an F-150 Platinum, you can order the SuperCrew with the standard 5.0-liter V-8, the 6.2-liter V-8, or the EcoBoost V-6, not to mention the choice of a 6.5-foot bed.) All Limiteds get an electronic-locking 3.73 rear axle at no extra cost, and such trucks also include a trailer-towing package rated for a hefty 7300 pounds. Max payload is 1300 pounds.
