"I'd rather push my Ford than drive a Chevy."
That was the oath of loyalty I saw on the bumper of a Ford F-150 pickup last week, a motto that I'm sure amuses Chevrolet drivers who believe that "Ford" stands for "Found On Road Dead" or "Fix Or Repair Daily," witticisms that go back at least to the '40s.
But if Fords were unreliable in the past — and having owned several of them over the past five decades I believe they were no more so than their competition — it doesn't seem to be the case today. My son swears by his F-150, and while Consumer Reports magazine says the vehicle has only "average" reliability, it awards the F-150 its coveted "Recommended" rating based on its above-average "satisfaction" and relatively low rate of depreciation.
One would think that with all of the pickups from which buyers may now choose, a truce would have been called years ago by the combatants in the Ford vs. Chevy wars. Back in the '50s it really was pretty much a two-truck marketplace, but that's hardly the case today.
But true believers still see it that way, especially in the full-size pickup market. Sure, Dodge Ram has made some inroads and even Toyota has entered the full-size fray, but truck loyalties span generations, and a real Ford man (or woman; females account for only 10 percent of the pickup market, but their numbers are growing) would rather fight than switch, to borrow a line from an old cigarette ad.
This is not just a guess on my part. The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling truck for 23 consecutive years and the best-selling vehicle of any kind for the past 18 years, a fact that boggles my mind.
The F-150 up for review this week is the new 2001 SuperCrew with four "real" doors as opposed to the rear-hinged, in-to-out doors found on the Ford SuperCab version, which requires the front doors to be opened first and affords a narrower opening to the rear seat.
You may have noticed that pickup trucks are now promoted more for their doors and seats (and the more the better) than for their hauling capacity. It's all about making trucks more like cars, family haulers rather than mere workhorses.
Crew cabs (defined by four full-size doors and a rear bench seat) have been around for years, but they were always boxcar behemoths that I could never get around my circular driveway, into my garage or even into a "normal" parking space at the mall. Crew cabs were for crews — you know, six burly guys sent out to repair the power lines or tear up the street.
No longer. Last month I reviewed the new Nissan Frontier Crew cab but noted that the "crew" in the back should not be over age 12 and should have a penchant for sitting up very straight.
Enter the new Ford SuperCrew. Since the cab is only a foot longer than the SuperCab version and its shortish 5.5-foot-long bed (which can be lengthened to seven feet by one of those three-rail, flip-out "bed extenders") makes it no longer than the SuperCab at 225.9 inches. This means the SuperCrew is not much longer than a standard pickup — still bigger than most imports but small enough to fit in "normal" garages and parking spots.
Navigating our downtown parking terrace was no problem, either, although the truck is tall enough that the (nonadjustable) whip antenna would clang against the concrete roof beams, which is annoying. On the plus side, my tester had an optional running board that made climbing in and out relatively easy.
Another attractive, standard feature is the F-150's adjustable pedals. Just push a button on the dash, and the accelerator and brake pedals move forward and back, a major boon to short-legged drivers. Ford has pioneered this idea, and it's a good one. They even use it in their cars, and, as far as I know, Ford is the only manufacturer to offer it.
In my view, the best thing about the F-150 SuperCrew is the back seat. Unlike last month's Nissan, my knees were not jammed into the back of the front seat, my head didn't brush the roof, the seatback angle allowed for a more La-Z-Boy feel, and I could imagine sitting back there for a long trip, even with one other passenger (there are three seat belts back there, but three would, indeed, be a crowd).
Also, the rear seatback splits 60-40, affording large and usable inside cargo capacity for stuff you don't want out in the open bed.
As usual with trucks, the ride is a fairly bumpy affair without a load in the bed. Manufacturers have made big strides in making trucks ride more like cars, but when you have to suspend a vehicle so that it can haul 1,900 pounds of cargo and tow an 8,000-pound boat or trailer (with the optional 5.4-liter engine), there's no way to make it ride like a Lincoln.
Crew cabbing doesn't come cheap. The base price of my tester, a four-by-four with the XLT trim package was $29,310, but 11 options and the destination charge put the bottom line at $33,185.
The options included an $800 upgrade from the standard, 220-horsepower Triton V8 to the 260-horsepower, 5.4-liter version, which makes it faster and, as noted above, increases its cargo and trailering capacity. It also increases fuel consumption: 13 mpg in city driving and 17 on the highway for the big engine. Welcome to the thirsty world of full-size pickups.
Other options included skid plates for $160; a running board, which Ford calls "cab steps," for $250; a six-way power driver's seat for $360; cloth "captain's chairs" (as opposed to a bench) for $490; two-tone paint for $225; a sliding rear window for $125; all-terrain tires for $340; an engine block heater for $90; and the cargo cage/bed extender for $195.
If you buy the two-wheel-drive version with the smaller power plant, the base price for an F-150 SuperCrew drops to $26,780.
About the bed extender. These devices make the bed longer by lowering the tailgate and pivoting the cage rearward. But they also make the bed porous. The extender will not keep loads like topsoil or sand/gravel from pouring out the back. Also, if you want to load stuff like that in the back, you have to remove the extender, which is inconvenient.
Bottom line: If your priority is passenger capacity, this is the truck for you. If hauling stuff tops your list, you'll be much happier with a "regular" cab and an 8-foot bed.
E-MAIL: max@desnews.com