2008 Ford F-150 Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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Though some rivals have more power, the Ford F-150 pickup truck is a true jack-of-all-trades designed with everyday usability in mind.
It may not stir passion like the Ford Mustang, but the F-150 pickup is an icon all the same. It is one of the best-selling vehicles of all time and called upon for duties ranging from worksite workhorse and grocery-getter to road trip long-hauler and soccer-practice shuttle.
The Ford F-150 is in the final year of its eleventh generation. Trims run from spartan to luxurious. The F-150’s largest rivals include the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, and, to a lesser extent, the Dodge Ram 1500.
There is a dizzying array of configurations for the F-150, factoring in different bed, cab, drivetrain, and trim combinations. These include single cab, SuperCab (an extended cab), and SuperCrew (a full four-door crew cab), as well as Ford F-150 XL, Ford F-150 SXT, Ford F-150 XLT, Ford F-150 FX4, and Ford F-150 Lariat trims in Canada. There are also special editions, including the King Ranch, Lariat Limited, and Harley-Davidson editions, each with their own unique exterior and interior colour and material combinations.
What sets the F-150 apart from its rivals is its cabin. Even in the base trim, it is comfortable, quiet, and well-designed. Upgraded trims will have far more comfortable appointments, but the layout of the truck ensures a good cabin experience across all trims.
Standard features include 17-inch steel wheels, a tilt steering wheel, intermittent wipers, crank windows, and a locking tailgate. There are a host of new options for 2008, including a factory-installed cargo-management system, towing mirrors, and a backup camera. Leather seats, power windows, heated mirrors with auto-dimming on the driver’s side, automatic climate control, and a power sunroof are also available on higher trims.
The base engine in the F-150 is a 4.2-litre V6 engine making power specs of 210 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. There are two V8 engine options, starting with the 4.6-litre V8 that is also used in the Ford Mustang. This engine makes 248 hp and 294 lb-ft of torque. The range-topping engine is an E85-capable 5.4-litre V8 that puts out 300 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. Power gets sent to the rear wheels (RWD) or to the available four-wheel drive (4WD) system that includes low range. Manual and automatic transmissions are available.
While rivals like the Chevrolet Silverado might offer more powerful engines, the F-150 shines in its drivability. It is smooth and quiet, even at highway speeds. To be honest, this is where many owners are using their trucks.
On that note, the Harley-Davidson Edition actually has all-wheel drive (AWD), rather than true 4WD. It is designed to live mainly on the street, and it will not fare as well as other F-150 trims the farther you drive off-road.
F-150 Regular Cab models with a bench seat might at first look like shortened SuperCab models, but there is actually a small rear door that opens rearward, ensuring you don’t have to fold the front seat forward to access that area.
The SuperCab’s rear-hinged clamshell doors can open only when the front door has already been opened, and so they can be a pain if you have kids climbing in and out of the rear seats a lot. For that, look to the SuperCrew, which has a very spacious interior. There’s plenty of headroom and legroom for both frontseat and backseat passengers.
Box lengths range from 5-foot-5 and 6-foot-5 to 8-foot and come in either Styleside or Flareside styling.
The base XL trim gets an AM/FM radio, air conditioning, cruise control, and remote keyless entry, though moving up to the SuperCrew body style adds a CD player. The STX trim adds an auxiliary audio port as well as MP3 CD capability.
The XLT trim adds outside temperature display and automatic headlights. The F-150 is available with a touchscreen navigation system, and, though it works well, the screen is a bit small, especially for a dash as large as the F-150's. For long trips with the kids, the available DVD entertainment system is a helpful option.
The F-150 comes standard with anti-lock disc brakes on all trims, though traction control has to be selected as an option on some trims. The truck lacks side curtain airbags but does offer the optional trailering mirrors and an available reversing camera, thus adding safety through enhanced visibility.
Despite some of these deficiencies, the F-150 performs well in testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). It earns a perfect five-star rating from the NHTSA, as well as an overall highest score of “Good” from the IIHS.
One of the least capable versions of the F-150 trades off by being the most efficient. The V6 engine with RWD and a five-speed manual transmission returns fuel economy figures of 14.7 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving and 10.2 on the highway. Incredibly, the 4.6-litre V8 engine is not too far off. The big 5.4-litre V8 with 4WD is the least efficient version of the truck, returning 16.5 L/100 km city and 11.7 highway.
Base MSRP for the 2008 Ford F-150 is $22,199 for a regular cab, rear-wheel-drive XL trim. The Ford F-150 XLT trim starts at $24,899, and the range-topping SuperCrew 4WD King Ranch trim starts at $48,799, with more than 60 trims and configurations offered in between. Pricing roughly matches that of the Silverado 1500, which underscores how closely these trucks match up.
Note: Images show a US model.
