Ford F-150 XLT Supercab (2015)

Test Drive Notes Library

Pros
Impressive 2.7 liter V6, twin turbo engine.  This is designed to replace the V8 as the primary engine for the F-150.  And it’s more than good enough to do that.  It’s got all the power you’ll ever need-- 325 horsepower-- delivered smoothly with a six-speed automatic transmission.  A Toyota Tundra owner was admiring the F-150, and asked about the engine.  “TWO point seven??” he asked, as if we had misspoken.  “My truck needs a FOUR point seven.”  
With the smaller, lighter engine, and the lighter weight aluminum intensive body, we got a little over 18 mpg overall, which is not bad for a full sized truck, and slightly better than its competitors.
Automatic engine stop/start system helps improve mileage. It’s noticeable, but works well.
Huge, spacious interior. Large, airy. People who live in NYC studio apartments will be jealous. Great storage space between the seats. A ginormous, covered bin, two big cupholders, and several other large bins.
As silent as the dinner table after Grandma mentions her sex life. It’s luxury car quiet, even at highway speed.  
Large, easy to use controls for heat, AC, volume and tuning. A small video screen handles radio, media, and bluetooth connections.  
Thoughtful amenities, like lights on the side view mirrors to illuminate the ground outside the truck, and lights in the bed to light up the cargo area when necessary.  
Good, fast to appear backup camera, with useful guidance lines.
Nicely shaped front doors, with the forward half of the door cut lower than the back half of the door, allowing for greater visibility to the front and sides.  
Cornering, at least at modest speeds, is surprisingly flat for a large vehicle.
Aluminum construction is innovative and courageous.  It saved nearly 700 pounds of weight, which is a tremendous amount of weight on a vehicle.

Cons
Ride is jittery at times, except on the smoothest of roads. Loaded with weight in the back, its a little better.
Huge, and hard to maneuver and park in tight spaces. Full size pickup truck owners already know this.  But drivers of other vehicles thinking of stepping up to an F-150 as a daily ride should think hard about how often they need to use parking garages, park between two Honda Civics in town, or make U-turns.  
Ford Sync system is still not 100% easy and reliable. Phone worked fine with Bluetooth, but wouldn’t work when plugged into the USB port.  
Expensive. Our mid level XLT test truck ran $43,660. That doesn’t include leather seats or automatic climate control.