 2010 Ford F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4×4. Click image to enlarge |
|
Related articles on Autos
Manufacturer’s web site
|
Join Autos’s Facebook group
Follow Autos on TwitterReview and photos by Peter Bleakney
Find this vehicle in Autos’s Classified Ads
Photo Gallery:
2010 Ford F-150
It is said that to keep a marriage fresh a couple should stray from the routine. Mix it up. Wear some new duds. Go to exciting locations. Maybe even try a little role playing.
Taking a page from this playbook, the betrothed and I picked a 2010 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4×4 for our hot date. Jimmy Choos and Marc Jacobs made way for work boots and Mark’s Work Wearhouse. I played the part of the foreman while Claire was the subversive lackie labourer. Destination: dump.
Hot.
No, no. It’s not what you think. With an ambitious landscape project on the go, we had Ford’s blessing to put this truck to work.
The F-150, redesigned for 2009, is the best selling vehicle in North America. It is available in myriad configurations ranging from the regular cab XL ($24,599) to the Harley Davidson edition ($50,799) to the full-blown Platinum luxo-barge ($52,599). There are three powertrains: a 248-hp 4.6-litre 2-valve V8 with four-speed auto, a 292-hp 4.6-litre 3-valve V8 with six-speed auto, and the 310-hp 5.4-litre 3-valve Triton V8 with six-speed auto.
 2010 Ford F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4×4. Click image to enlarge |
Our XLT SuperCrew 4×4 with standard 4.6-litre 3-valve and a starting price of $39,299 plies the upper-middle ground.
SuperCrew means four doors and a super big cab with more rear legroom than you’ll find in many full sized sedans. Tack a 6.5-foot box on the back and we’re talking serious length here.
This XLT was optioned for the job, sporting such manly features as the 5.4-litre Triton V8 ($650), skid plates ($120), 18-inch all-terrain tires ($420), 3.73 limited slip axle ($400), trailer brake controller ($1000), retractable box side steps ($300) and tailgate step ($300) – the latter two items proving exceptionally useful.
Job one was loading the bed (which sits almost a metre above the tarmac) with mucho concrete and brick rubble, rotting railway ties and some unwanted shrubbery. The lackie labourer started complaining almost immediately and left the job site to go make herself a latte.
  2010 Ford F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4×4. Click image to enlarge |
Once you’ve hoisted yourself into the cabin, the standard fabric seats prove to be a comfortable perch from which to look down at almost every other vehicle on the road. The ride is smooth (no spilt latte) and the cabin is well screwed together and reasonably stylish. Adding to the civility of this XLT were power adjustable pedals ($200), moonroof ($1,300), rear view camera ($500), reverse sensing system ($400), power driver’s seat ($370) and premium audio ($400).
The $2,000 XTR Package adds some bling – chrome step bar, fog lamps, 18-inch chrome wheels, chrome exhaust tip, chrome tow hooks and keyless entry keypad. I’m sure the Ford bean counters love it when truckies start checking these option boxes. This tester wrings your wallet to the tune of $52,349 before taxes and destination charge.
The landfill site was lousy with pickups, and I’m pretty sure our Candy Metallic ride, adorned with more shiny bits than a ’58 Buick, was causing some truck envy. Being the foreman and official photographer, I was able to take my time getting just the right shot as Claire dutifully, and with minimal profanity, unloaded the bed.
  2010 Ford F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4×4. Click image to enlarge |
Next stop was the garden supply depot, where we piled in 20 rolls of sod and several bags of mulch.
The Triton V8 feels plenty strong, putting out 365 lb.-ft. of twist. With its boxed and hydro-formed frame, the F-150 showed nary a quiver or rattle. Ford claims a 3,454 kg (7,600 lb) towing capacity for my tester, and a payload of 1,374 kg (3,030 lbs). Fuel “economy” from this 2,533 kg behemoth is officially 15.6 L/100 km city, and 11.2 L/100 km highway. I saw a more sobering 18 L/100/km.
Available this year is Ford’s new Work Solutions system, offering the professional some innovative features. An in-dash computer ($1,400 plus server subscription) provides high-speed internet access and navigation by Garmin. Contractors can check inventories, access files on office computers, surf Autos.ca and print documents (with optional printer). Hmmm… sounds like a real expensive iPhone that won’t fit in your pocket.
 2010 Ford F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4×4. Click image to enlarge |
Tool Link ($1250), developed with DeWalt, monitors onboard tool inventory via stick-on trackers and radio waves, and Cable Lock ($200) keeps said tools secure in the bed.
Crew Chief lets you play big brother with other Ford trucks in your fleet, checking location, maintenance schedule, idling time, vehicle speed, fuel calculations and possibly what type of donuts were bought at Timmy Ho’s. Crew Chief “boxes” are $475 per vehicle.
The last stop for us was the building supply store where the XLT barely broke a sweat hauling seven sheets of plywood, loads of cedar lumbar and concrete mix.
Sore backs aside, our date went pretty well. Yes, the foreman had to fire the help a couple of times due to excessive whining, but each time she managed to get rehired after talking dirty and flexing her biceps.
Hot.
|
Pricing: 2010 Ford F-150 XLT SuperCrew 4×4
Click here for options, dealer invoice prices and factory incentives
Specifications
Competitors
Crash test results
|
