Ownership Verified: 244 inches of America v2.0 (2014 Ford F150)

Crazyjeeper

NickGyver
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
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Location
Dallas, TX
Car(s)
F150, CJ7, Mustang GT, Tenere, Griso
New with the old

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New is a 2014 F150 Lariat in Ingot Silver Metallic with the extremely rare crew cab long bed combo, just like my old 2011 XLT. Main difference is in the interior. In 2013 Ford did a major mid cycle refresh to the F150 greatly improving the interior center stack and adding options like HID headlights. The new truck is fully loaded, heated and cooled leather, sat nav, sync, blue tooth, touch screen, etc. The old truck was nice for a truck, but the new one is miles better in terms of interior trim and comfort.

Drivetrain wise the new truck has the 3.5L twin turbo EcoBoost V6 which produces 365hp and 420lb-ft of torque. Compared to the 5.0L V8 in the old truck, the EcoBoost produces way more torque at a lot lower RPM. As soon as the turbos spool, it pulls like crazy such that the peak torque is achieved at 2500rpm. At first I thought I'd miss the N/A character of the 5.0 but now that I've driven the new truck 100 miles or so, I'm hooked on the instant grunt the turbo mill produces. It is also equipped with 3.31 gears, an electronic rear locker, and auto 4wd. Best part is, with those 3.31s in the rear end, it should easily crack 20mpg on the highway. Combining that with the 36 gallon fuel tank, it should do over 700 miles per tank on the highway.

Now, time for some pics:

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I took various pictures to show the functions of the touch screen system as well.
Home screen
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Nav modes, overhead and bird view
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Climate screen
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Phone screen
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Entertainment screen
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The whole stack. I'm happy that there are still hard buttons and knobs for a lot of the functions.
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4wd knob and trailer brake controller. Pulling on the knob locks the rear diff.
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The LCD in the instruments also has various functions other than MPG as shown above.
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And of course a backup camera in the center LCD
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At first I wasn't sure about all of the touch screen functions but now that I've spent a few days with it, I'm totally sold. It is really easy to use and with the voice control, I can easily tell it what I want it to do and it usually gets it right.

I'll get the proof pic up later tonight.

EDIT:
Proof pics:

 
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Awesome, congrats. Fake wood spotted, I'm sold!
 
Awesome, congrats. Fake wood spotted, I'm sold!

I'm not sure it's fake wood in the Lariat. Matte finish wood is a 'thing' now.

Edit: Never mind. You have to get a Platinum or King Ranch to get actual wood (even though it can look almost the same), this is 'woodgrain-style trim accents'. Oh well. If CJ wants, I know where he can get actual burl walnut trim put on. :p
 
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Nice truck, my mother has a '13 (i think) that is basically identical to yours, but in Gem Green. The Eco-Boost motor is pretty damn good for a half ton truck, pulling our boat last year was of no issue, unlike their previous 04 5.4 which was a dog.

Two things, does the locker still automatically kick off above 35mph? I found that to be pretty damn stupid. That and the traction control is way to limiting. Those are probably my only two complaints about it.
 
Is it some kind of rule that a brake controller has to be operated in the same way regardless of make or model? Referring to that thing that looks like it's supposed to be squeezed together.
 
And that HVAC stack looks a LOT like what you'd find in a 2004-and-newer Volvo S40 and V50 as well as in many other Volvos since then. Four knobs, a fiddly num pad, some other buttons and the little AC guy. :p

 
244 inches of America v2.0 (2014 Ford F150)

Is it some kind of rule that a brake controller has to be operated in the same way regardless of make or model? Referring to that thing that looks like it's supposed to be squeezed together.

No, but that has turned out to be the most popular control scheme. The squeeze plunger (spring loaded) allows the driver to manually apply the trailer's electric brakes, or to increase the amount of brake application if you are already braking. Other systems have been tried and a few are still offered but this is the most popular as it can easily be operated by one hand without looking at it. Next most popular but trailing by an enormous margin is the spring loaded dial.
 
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And that HVAC stack looks a LOT like what you'd find in a 2004-and-newer Volvo S40 and V50 as well as in many other Volvos since then. Four knobs, a fiddly num pad, some other buttons and the little AC guy. :p

First thing that came to mind. The dials are in the same place too... Nice truck except for the wood. Don't like wood. :p
 
Very nice truck! I rode in a friend's 2013 F-150 5.0 to Dallas and back earlier this year and thought the interior was 10x what my dad's 2010 GMC was in quality.


No, but that has turned out to be the most popular control scheme. The squeeze plunger (spring loaded) allows the driver to manually apply the trailer's electric brakes, or to increase the amount of brake application if you are already braking. Other systems have been tried and a few are still offered but this is the most popular as it can easily be operated by one hand without looking at it. Next most popular but trailing by an enormous margin is the spring loaded dial.

I've never really got the idea behind the manual application. Other than checking to make sure the brakes work at slow speed I've never used it for anything.
 
Thanks guys. I wonder if the stack design came from when ford was involved with Volvo.

I've got about 500 miles on it now. The HID headlights are freaking awesome.

Low beam
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High beam
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They really do turn the night into day.

Also, for scale, a Mini next to me in a parking garage.

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The HID headlights are freaking awesome.

HID headlights are so amazing. I especially love the very sharp cutoff on the low beams. Avoids blinding people as much.
 
The HID headlights are freaking awesome.
I had the same reaction when my car was new. By now I won't accept a car that doesn't have at least HIDs...

Also, for scale, a Mini next to me in a parking garage.
:D Everytime I see one of them over here I ask myself how they can justify calling it a "Mini"...
 
I had the same reaction when my car was new. By now I won't accept a car that doesn't have at least HIDs...

I can't understand people that finance a new car and skip the HIDs. Especially when it's an expensive car with lots of other options.

I have to say though that the high beams on the F150 look rather mediocre, like most other bi-xenon setups that rely on the projector only. You get the width and the even spread, but no range. But that's nothing you can't fix with a set of extra driving lights. A huge truck like that looks rather naked without them anyway, imo :)

 
W00t - just saw this. Congrats!! You'll have to let me know how you like all the Ford interior stuffz (Sync, touchscreen).
 
Are the cooled seats as amazing in real life as they are in my head?

Yes, they are. It had them on full driving home today. The best analogy I could come up with is that it is like sitting on a cold stone slab on a hot day. A welcome addition for sure on a 100+ degree day.

I have to say though that the high beams on the F150 look rather mediocre, like most other bi-xenon setups that rely on the projector only. You get the width and the even spread, but no range. But that's nothing you can't fix with a set of extra driving lights. A huge truck like that looks rather naked without them anyway, imo :)

As in most cases, the iPhone camera don't quite do them justice. I don't really see any need to put aux lights on. Plus, north Texas isn't anywhere near as dark as Finland 6 months out of the year. I would be putting a big grill guard on this one as well except that then it really won't fit very well in my office parking garage. It is tight enough as it is without that extra length. I might look into some kind of bumper replacement at some point but for now it will be staying completely stock. It already works just fine to muscle my way through traffic. :D

W00t - just saw this. Congrats!! You'll have to let me know how you like all the Ford interior stuffz (Sync, touchscreen).

Thanks! So far I am loving the interior stuff. Took me a couple of days to get accustomed to the touch screen functions but now that I'm used to it I am a fan for sure. The 700w 10 speaker Sony branded stereo system is also pretty impressive for a factory car system. A notable improvement for sure over my mid level 4 speaker setup in the old truck.
 
The miles have piled on a lot more slowly on this one compared to the last. Just hit 10,000 this week.

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Truck has been running flawlessly. I drove it 2200 miles to Utah and back pulling a trailer and it didn't even break a sweat.

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