FORD Australia's relaunch of the iconic F-150 pickup in this country has come with a few hiccups, with several recalls so far in 2024 including a 'stop ship and sell' notice, and alerting owners to stop driving them immediately, interrupting sales and owners' usage.
Some of the recalls have related directly to the left- to right-hand drive re-engineering that was done locally by Ford's chosen partner RMA Automotive. The most recent recall was for side indicator lights on LWB F-150s that were not ADR compliant.
Notwithstanding the hiccups, we were keen to get back behind the wheel of the F-Truck following our initial launch drive last year. More specifically, we were keen to test its off-road capabilities as there was no off-road component to the initial launch drive.
While the Ford F-150 and its full-size 'half-ton' competitors, the Ram 1500 and Silverado 1500, are not great offroad vehicles due to their size and weight, many buyers will still purchase them and modify them to improve that situation, delving in to the extensive range of aftermarket equipment available for them.
The SWB F-150 XLT is the lowest priced full-size American pickup offered by the manufacturers in Australia at $106,950 plus ORC. For this drive we had the slightly more expensive entry-level LWB F-150 XLT, which starts at $107,945 plus ORC. Long-wheelbase Effies are 304mm longer between the axles and offer a larger cargo bed than their shortwheelbase counterparts.
All F-150s sold by Ford Australia are powered by a 3.5-litre petrol-fuelled twinturbo V6 engine backed by a 10-speed automatic transmission. There is no V8 or diesel engine offered by Ford AU, nor any hybrid nor EV option yet!
This story is from the May 2024 edition of 4x4 Magazine Australia.
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This story is from the May 2024 edition of 4x4 Magazine Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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OUTBACK WATERING HOLES
SINCE OFF TRACK WINES WAS LAUNCHED, OWNERS ANNA AND BRETT FISHER HAVE DRIVEN MORE THAN 20,000KM UP, DOWN AND ACROSS AUSTRALIA SPRUIKING THEIR WINES-IN-A-CAN MADE FOR CAMPING. THEY DROPPED INTO PLENTY OF OUTBACK PUBS ALONG THE WAY AND THESE ARE THEIR SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FAVOURITES
BIG COUNTRY
THE PILBARA IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF BIG COUNTRY, AND THERE IS PLENTY TO SEE, DO AND ENJOY IN THIS ANCIENT LANDSCAPE IN WA'S RUGGED NORTHWEST
ISLAND PARADISE
NEAR THE TOP OF THE BUCKET LIST FOR EVERY AUSSIE FOUR-WHEEL DRIVER, K'GARI IS PACKED WITH STUNNING HIGHLIGHTS AND BOASTS SOME OF THE BEST BEACH DRIVING IN THE COUNTRY
WEIGHTLIFTING
INCREASING THE GVM OF YOUR 4X4 SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY, BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN SHOULD NOT BE AVOIDED IF YOU NEED IT. WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS ON OUR FORD RANGER TO EXPLAIN HOW TO GET IT RIGHT
NOW HEAR THIS
THE CEL-FI GO MOBILE BOOSTER WILL KEEP EMAILS, MESSAGES AND CALLS COMING THROUGH TO YOUR DEVICES WHEN EVERYBODY ELSE IS HEARING CRICKETS
LOOKING BACK
A PAIR OF MSA 4X4 TOWING MIRRORS ENSURE WE ALWAYS KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND US WHEN WE HAVE A TRAILER HITCHED TO OUR MITSUBISHI TRITON
TRUCKIN' LIFE
CAN FORD AUSTRALIA'S NEW F-150 BE AN ACCOMPLISHED OFF-ROAD TOURING 4X4?
WHAT LURKS BENEATH
IT MAY LOOK LIKE A FAIRLY STANDARD (IF CLEAN) 80 SERIES, BUT DIVE A LITTLE DEEPER AND YOU'LL FIND A MONSTER BELOW THE SURFACE
EYE OF THE HURRICANE
RAM HAS DUMPED ITS HEMI V8FOR A SIX-CYLINDER, AND IT'S COMING TO AUSTRALIA
GETTING TANKED
GWM EXPANDS IT TANK 4X4 RANGE WITH THE LUXURIOUS TANK 500 WAGON
