Rental review, 2023 F-150.

[ls1mike]

On travel for work again. We received a fully loaded F-150. 26,000 miles. Some hail damage. 5.0 was nice. Plenty of power. Transmission shifted very nice. Looked, according to the computer lifetime mpgs were over 16 mpg. Fully loaded interior was comfortable, power everything. To include memory seat and power steering wheel adjustment.
Now as you all know we don't speak Ford at my house, but it was an excellent truck. Very comfortable. Heated and cooled seats. Infotainment worked well and the radio sounded awesome.
To be honest I only had two complaints. 1. I found the HVAC controls comubersome, just like the Mustang I rented. 2. It rode very similar to my 2024 3/4 ton Chevy. It wasn't horrible but thought is should be better than a 3/4 ton.

If I were in the market for a half ton it would be on my list.

 

[Brian123]

On travel for work again. We received a fully loaded F-150. 26,000 miles. Some hail damage. 5.0 was nice. Plenty of power. Transmission shifted very nice. Looked, according to the computer lifetime mpgs were over 16 mpg. Fully loaded interior was comfortable, power everything. To include memory seat and power steering wheel adjustment.
Now as you all know we don't speak Ford at my house, but it was an excellent truck. Very comfortable. Heated and cooled seats. Infotainment worked well and the radio sounded awesome.
To be honest I only had two complaints. 1. I found the HVAC controls comubersome, just like the Mustang I rented. 2. It rode very similar to my 2024 3/4 ton Chevy. It wasn't horrible but thought is should be better than a 3/4 ton.

If I were in the market for a half ton it would be on my list.

Stop Light to Stop Light race or 0 to 60 how would this compare to the 6.0 in your 2014 Caprice? I believe the Caprice has an LS3 with 415 HP. I do understand that the F-150 does have more weight. Which engine do you think is better, meaning as far as Torque and all out Horsepower at the mid to top end?

 

[ls1mike]

Stop Light to Stop Light race or 0 to 60 how would this compare to the 6.0 in your 2014 Caprice? I believe the Caprice has an LS3 with 415 HP. I do understand that the F-150 does have more weight. Which engine do you think is better, meaning as far as Torque and all out Horsepower at the mid to top end?

Well the Caprice is an L77. It was 355 factory. The stock Caprice beats it. My current setup is way faster. My 3/4 ton L8T is 403hp and 464 ft/lbs of torque. It would be a better race with the Ford winning.

 

[Brian123]

Well the Caprice is an L77. It was 355 factory. The stock Caprice beats it. My current setup is way faster. My 3/4 ton L8T is 403hp and 464 ft/lbs of torque. It would be a better race with the Ford winning.

Which 1 is more fun to drive?
So, basically the Ford pulls out at the top end?
What are your thoughts on Torque Versus Horsepower in a Street application?

 

[wavinwayne]

I'd love to have an F-150 if I didn't have such a long commute. It's the only reason I've driven cars instead of trucks for 25 years.

 

[ls1mike]

Which 1 is more fun to drive?
So, basically the Ford pulls out at the top end?
What are your thoughts on Torque Versus Horsepower in a Street application?

It isn't walking down the Caprice if that is what you are asking. I am not the person to ask about fun. I find no truck particularly fun to drive. In the department I use them for my 3/4 ton will destroy it. That is towing. Stop light to stop light both trucks will be close, but the 6.6 in my truck will eventually walk it down. I can't speak to a 1/2 ton GM truck. The torque in city driving is what will be the difference. The F-150 felt very strong.

 

[ls1mike]

I'd love to have an F-150 if I didn't have such a long commute. It's the only reason I've driven cars instead of trucks for 25 years.

You know I'm not a truck guy, but I understand that. The F150 was COMFORTABLE

 

[Cujet]

The F150 was COMFORTABLE

That is the only reason I purchase them. They are so stupidly comfy to me, especially for long trips, it is amazing.

 

[AZjeff]

@ls1mike - keep talking like that and you'll wake up one morning and your GM fleet will be gone and your GM rewards card will be canceled!

 

[ls1mike]

@ls1mike - keep talking like that and you'll wake up one morning and your GM fleet will be gone and your GM rewards card will be canceled!

BLASPHEMY, never

 

[Brian123]

It isn't walking down the Caprice if that is what you are asking. I am not the person to ask about fun. I find no truck particularly fun to drive. In the department I use them for my 3/4 ton will destroy it. That is towing. Stop light to stop light both trucks will be close, but the 6.6 in my truck will eventually walk it down. I can't speak to a 1/2 ton GM truck. The torque in city driving is what will be the difference. The F-150 felt very strong.

Lets say this another way, you have a car that weighs like 3500 pounds, the LS3 will be better than the 5.0?

 

[Cujet]

Lets say this another way, you have a car that weighs like 3500 pounds, the LS3 will be better than the 5.0?

There has never been a question, the added displacement of the LS3 makes for more power just about everywhere vs any 5.0 DOHC Ford. With the note that the better versions of 5.0 close the HP power gap at redline.

In a great many ways, a well configured pushrod V8 is darn near ideal. As it is able to carry far more (HP producing) displacement than a DOHC V8 of the same physical size and weight.

There really is a reason many road race sanctioning bodies limit pushrod V8's to 5.5L and 6000RPM. If they didn't, the twin turbo Ferrari DOHC V8's (with boost limitations) would not be able to compete. Never forget that these rattly old pushrod V8's were pushing big iron over 205MPH in the 1980's.

 

[ls1mike]

Lets say this another way, you have a car that weighs like 3500 pounds, the LS3 will be better than the 5.0?

It will probably be about the same. Now the current LT engines (LT1, L83, L8T) are different animal. I feel they are even better.
I know my baby cam Caprice which is similar to an LS3 was just as fast as the 5.0 Mustang I rented and it is 4200 lbs without anything in it. All you have to do is look as what the Chevy SS can do with the 6.2.

 

[meep]

I love my work spec f150. The only comfort challenges I’ve had have been broken front seat cushion supports and getting the suspension right over the back axle.

the bottom seat cushion uses plastic keepers to keep the springs spaced properly. When most of mine broke, the springs migrated and I sunk an inch, over time. at 4 years old, mind you. Bought new cushion and replaced all the broken plastic bits with hose clamps, it’s good now.

the aluminum body leaves for a light vehicle … and the solid axle has a lot of unsprung weight. I’ve got a fiberglass shell on mine. stock shocks were blown in 18 months (towing?). Bilsteins wore out (rebound seem to lose all dampening) 2 years later. Settled on adjustable, tuned fox shocks - finally have a good blend between a tight ride without being harsh. With all that, oh and back-speccing to 18” factory wheels instead of 20, it both handles well and is a decent place to spend some time.

that said, Volvo ownership set the bar. And the f150 hasn’t reached that bar yet.

 

[supton]

BLASPHEMY, never

First it starts with a test drive... then positive words... then... the Dark Side.

Flea while you can! Otherwise, later in life, you may find yourself... test driving a Toyota! Then the end times will be upon us.

 

[CKN]

Of the few complaints I have heard of the F150 ride has not been frequently mentioned.

 

[ls1mike]

Of the few complaints I have heard of the F150 ride has not been frequently mentioned.

It wasn't a complaint as much that it didn't ride much better than my 3/4 ton.

 

[vwmaniaman]

I have owned Ford,Ram and GMC. Ram has the most comfortable suspension for me and my wife. We also have a GMC Yukon XL and it gets the best ride award. Has the torsion bar suspension.

 

[joekingcorvette]

Thanks for the review. One of my fishing buddies purchased a brand new 2023 Ford F-150 with the 3.5 engine. To make a long story short he is getting a brand new one from the local dealership due to the lemon law. He didn't really even have to fight for a new truck. There were electrical problems with it that the dealership couldn't even figure out and the transmission shifted strange at times. The battery would also be dead for no reason and they tried 5 different batteries. Anyway it's not my truck but just sharing the story. I am sure this is a one of a kind problem and happens to a very small percentage of the new trucks. Almost any new truck will ride and drive nice and and older one will do the same if taken care of.

 

[CKN]

Thanks for the review. One of my fishing buddies purchased a brand new 2023 Ford F-150 with the 3.5 engine. To make a long story short he is getting a brand new one from the local dealership due to the lemon law. He didn't really even have to fight for a new truck. There were electrical problems with it that the dealership couldn't even figure out and the transmission shifted strange at times. The battery would also be dead for no reason and they tried 5 different batteries. Anyway it's not my truck but just sharing the story. I am sure this is a one of a kind problem and happens to a very small percentage of the new trucks. Almost any new truck will ride and drive nice and and older one will do the same if taken care of.

The transmission will shift strange in the replacement one as well. I own one and the transmission is full of surprises!