All New and Improved!
By Steven D. Gatt, Automotive Editor
Today, many people are buying trucks not only as utilitarian vehicles but as daily drivers. Trucks, like the new F150, provide a commanding view of the road. With this in mind, Ford set out to redesign the most popular selling vehicle, car or truck. Not only did Ford have to redesign their truck to be tough and rugged for the work site, wherever that may be, they also had to design it for those daily drivers.
Ford has succeeded. They have built the most car-like truck on the market, yet this truck has passed over a million miles in tests bearing out its' toughness.
On the interior, the new F150 has comfortable, supportive seats that seem to fit drivers of all shapes and sizes. The step in height of our 4X4 test vehicle was a bit high but running boards would eliminate this inconvenience. On the passenger side, a grab handle is available making entry easy, with the simple pull up with your arm, you almost hop up into the truck. Throughout the interior the new F150 has useful, and easy to use features. For instance, the radio has huge buttons that, even with gloves on would be easy to push. Ford also provides three 12 volt power outlets, for items like portable computers or cellular phones.
The dash board is smooth and contoured similar to one you would find inside your car; no square edges here. Other interior features include air conditioning, tilt steering, cruise control, power mirrors, AM/FM stereo cassette player and sliding rear window.
Pushing the safety envelope to new heights Ford is the first to offer dual airbags in a full size truck. The passenger side airbag is equipped with a shut off switch in case you're using a rear facing child safety seat. Further safety enhancements include side impact protection, including an extra support beam in the third door and optional four wheel anti-lock disc brakes.
Standard equipment on the super cab F150 is the convenient third door. This extra door allows for easy access to the rear seat for either passengers or cargo. For safety this third door can only be opened when the front passenger door is open. The only negative about this third door is the location. In my opinion, the third door should be on the driver's side, or both for that matter!
On the road the new F150 handles like a car. The steering input is very direct and doesn't have a bulky feeling as old trucks did. Off the road, the F150 takes everything in stride. Our test truck had a four-speed automatic transmission and shift-on-the-fly four-wheel-drive. A dash mounted dial could switch you from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive at any speed up to 50 mph.
Ford is also the first manufacturer to offer overhead cam engines in trucks. This new series of engines, called Triton, is more powerful and more fuel efficient than previous generation engines. The base V6 is the most powerful available in a full size truck today. Our truck had the 4.6L, V8 that provides 210 horsepower and a whopping 290 lb-ft of torque. The EPA rates city mileage at 16 mpg and highway at 21 mpg. During our test week, we managed 18.5 mpg.
With this new truck, Ford should take a commanding lead in truck sales. Chevy isn't getting an all new pickup until 1999 and the Dodge Ram won't be redone until 2000. For now, the truck war is over and the 1997 Ford F150 is the clear winner.