Jul 24, 2018, 00:00 AM by Paul Immediato

This year will be the 40th consecutive year that the Ford F-150 has ranked as the best-selling truck in America, and the best-selling vehicle period for 35 years. When Henry Ford built his first truck in 1900, and launched Ford Motor Co.’s first truck line in 1917, this kind of success had not been envisioned. And when Ford premiered its F-150 truck line in 1948, it is doubtful that they had foreseen that their pick-up that would become “America’s Truck” for four decades running.

Freshening the 13th-generation F-Series that began in 2015, Ford proclaims that this year’s version is: “tougher, smarter and more capable than ever”. New features include standard Auto Start-Stop for all engines, an all-new 3.3-liter V-6 with port and direct-injection technology and flex-fuel capability, and electronic six-speed automatic transmission with selectable drive modes – normal, tow/haul and sport. In fact, there’s improved power and fuel economy all around with gains in the majority of its engine choices.

The 2018 F-150 features a number of design updates and technology enhancements including driver-assist and connectivity, standard auto start-stop for better fuel economy, an electronic 10-speed automatic that features selectable drive modes – normal, tow/haul, snow/wet, eco-select and sport (standard with all-new 2.7-liter EcoBoost®, 3.5-liter EcoBoost and 5.0-liter V8 engines

Major exterior freshening across the lineup includes new grilles, bumpers, lighting, tailgate outer, appliqués and wheels. And adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality and Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection are available.
Manufactured at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant in Dearborn, Michigan, my 4x4 test truck with a SuperCrew® cab and carried a bed of 6.5 feet and measured 231.9 inches long, 77.2 inches high for the 4x4, and 79.9 inches wide on a 145.0-inch wheelbase.

The F-150 provides plenty of power through five engine choices, including a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 that delivers 325 hp and 400 lbs.-ft. of torque; the all-new 3.3-liter Ti-VCT FFV engine that is good for 290 horses and 265 lbs-ft.; the 3.5-liter V-6 turbo engine with twin independent variable camshaft timing that produces 375hp/470 lbs.-ft; the turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost high-output V-6 engine that increases last year’s power numbers to 450 hp and 510lbs.-ft. of torque. And the 5.0-liter Ti-VCT VB FFV engine that growls out 395 hp and 400 lbs-ft.

My test XLT was powered by the 375-hp 3.5-liter turbo engine, and I found it powerful and responsive. On the track, I finished off a zero-to-60mpg sprint in 6.9 seconds, en route to a 15.4-second quarter-mile (hand-timed). The Ford F-150 is a confident highway cruiser and it also handles heavy payloads and smoothes out road irregularities. Rack-and-pinion, electric power-assisted steering is aggressive and predictable, and coil-on-shock, long-spindle double-wishbone independent front suspension with a stamped-steel lower control arm, and a Hotchkiss-type non-independent live rear suspension with leaf springs and outboard shock absorbers work well together to provide a level truck ride. Four-wheel vented ABS disc brakes deliver responsive stopping ability.

And I worked it hard on the highway and on soft off-road pot-holing, and averaged 16.2mpg.

The cabin is packed with amenities and is spacious, with 40.8 inches of front headroom and 40.4 inches for those in the cab. Front legroom was a generous 43.9 inches with second-row passengers getting 43.6 inches. Shoulder room is a comfortable 66.7 inches in row one and 65.9 in the rear seats.

The 2018 Ford F-150 comes with a truckload of standard safety items including first-row side-impact airbags; antilock brakes; electronic stability control and roll stability control.

For 2018, Ford F-150 is offered in six basic trims with tweaks for engines, bed length and cab size. The base XL starts at $27,705; the XLT which I tested, started at $33,300; the upscale Lariat bases at $41,015; the aggressively powerful and stylish Raptor starts at $50,625; the King Ranch® model starts at $51,930; the upscale Platinum trim starts at $54,485 and the top-tier Limited starts at $61,360.

My XLT, which adds SYNC®, the Power Equipment Group and Chrome Front and Rear Bumper to the XL, based with a Regular Cab and 6.5-foot box; the 3.3-liter engine, 6-speed automatic transmission and 4x2 drive, but my test drive upscaled a bit. A Super Cab added $5260 and the 6.5-foot box; and as I am a 4x4 truck guy, that option was added for $3495. I am also a “more power” guy, and the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine with the 10-speed transmission added $2595.

Shadow Black paint was a standard color, and the interior was augmented with the 301A option which added some great tech conveniences for an additional $2150, then discounted by $1000.

A drop-in bedliner added $350; box side steps added $325; the remote start system added $195; power sliding rear windows with privacy tint and defroster added $350; reverse sensing system added $275; Black platform running boards were $250; the voice-activated navigation system was $795; Sync® 3 with voice-activated communications and entertainment system with 911 Assist®, Vehicle Health Reports and an 8.0-inch center-stack touch screen with audio control and compass added $450, and Destination charges were $1295. That put the sticker-as-tested at $50,285, but regional incentives of $3250 knocked the price down to $47,035, so check with your local dealer.

You can see the 2018 Ford F-150 and more than 2,000 trucks that span decades, in a celebration of trucks featuring Big Rigs, Mini Trucks, Antiques, Custom Vans, 4x4s and more, at the Carlisle Truck Nationals, August 3-5 at the Carlisle (PA) Fairgrounds. This event and has been the epicenter for all things truck since 1991.

Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com for more on the automotive hobby.

Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.