I have been known, on occasion, to allege that we've gone too far with our pickup trucks here in these United States of 'Murrica. That they're too big, too heavy, too wasteful, too----much.
I might even be able to whip up such an argument over the Ford F-150 4X4 SuperCrew King Ranch you see here.
After all, it's 20.33 feet long, 6.66 feet wide, 6.66 feet tall and weighs 5,014 pounds.
It only gets 22 mpg city and 24 mpg highway---and that's because it is a hybrid. And it's only a $1,900 "PowerBoost Hybrid Discount" that keeps the price tag under $80,000.
But I've driven it---four and a half hours in one sitting just yesterday.
And it's just so darn good at pretty much everything.
The 3.5-liter PowerBoost full-hybrid V6 makes 430 horsepower and 570 pound-feet of torque. In low speeds or under light acceleration, the F-150 can run purely on electric power. That accounted for 22 miles of the 175 miles I drove yesterday.
There's a ten-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive.
Max towing capacity is prodigious---13,500 pounds.
It can handle 62.3 cubic feet of cargo in the bed and a maximum payload of 2,445 pounds.
And still more with some or all of the rear seat flipped up.
And with the seats in place, passengers have plenty of room to stretch out---43.6 inches of legroom.
The base price of the 2024 Ford F-150 4X4 SuperCrew King Ranch is $73,425 ($75,420 including delivery). That price includes chrome exhaust tips, LED fog lamps, a chrome-surround grille with bronze accents, dynamic LED projector headlamps, LED side-mirror spotlights, power mirrors, a power-sliding rear window with defroster and privayc tint, remote tailgate release, power running boards, LED taillamps, a twin-panel moonroof, 10-way heated and ventilated power leather front seats, heated rear seats, a 12-inch touchscreen, ambient lighting, genuine wood accents, a head-up display, heated leather-wrapped steering wheel, King Ranch floor mats, a power tilt/telescoping steering column with memory, rear partitioned lockable fold-flat storage, a 360-degree camera, a 14-speaker B&O Unleashed audio system, a bed utility package, 7.2kw Pro Power Onboard, and a comprehensive suite of active safety features.
Our test vehicle had extra-cost options---$495 for the Rapid Red Metallic paint, $1,900 for the 3.5-liter PowerBoost full hybrid (offset by a $1,900 PowerBoost hybrid discount), $1,125 for the 22-inch premium painted wheels with chrome inserts, a free 90-day trial of Ford's BlueCruise Level 2 autonomy system (it's $49.99 a month or $495 a year after that), $340 for maximum-reclining front seats, $180 for wheel well liners, and $595 for a Toughbed spray-in bedliner.
Bottom line on the window sticker---$78,155.
Yeah, that's a lot of money, but the F-150 is a lot of truck in any of its eight available trims. The King Ranch is close to the top of the line (only the Platinum and Raptor are higher).
It's number one for a reason.
