2018 Ford F-150 Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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The Ford F-150 is smart, nimble, efficient, and sophisticated. Some trucks do a better job owning the luxury niche, but the F-150 is a far more well-rounded pickup for everyday use.
Sometimes being a jack-of-all-trades also means being a master of none. Because it has the best towing capacity and the best fuel economy among full-size pickups, you would think the Ford F-150 might lack in other areas—after all, something’s gotta give. But for 2018, Ford’s popular full-size pickup delivers in nearly all areas, making for one of the most well-rounded new pickups available today and explaining why F-Series trucks have been the best-selling brand of pickup in Canada for decades.
And that’s quite a feat, considering the competition. Every year, automakers cram more capability into their full-size pickups. But trucks have also become more civil and accommodating for people who use their truck to commute. There are plenty of new innovations for the weekend warrior and even for the luxury pickup buyer—and yes, that’s a thing.
The 2018 Ford F-150 Limited we drove shows just how far the pickup truck has come to address the needs of all these types of truck buyers while showing off some new tricks in the process.
The last decade for large pickups has been characterized by constant one-upmanship. From engine outputs to towing capacity and even sheer size, automakers have been constantly out-doing each other. The result is that most trucks have become comically large.
But thankfully, the F-150 actually bucks this trend and feels manageable. It’s still large, but it looks like the bigger-and-bigger trend is finally starting to plateau.
Like most full-size pickups, the model year 2018 Ford F-150 is available with a regular cab, extended SuperCab or a 4-door SuperCrew. Bed-size choices include short, medium, and long. The extended SuperCab has rear-hinged clamshell doors that open to the second row.
More than almost any other modern pickup, the F-150 trim lineup runs the gamut from no-nonsense work trucks to incredible high-end trim levels. It starts with the base XL and includes XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, Raptor, and the Limited that we drove.
The base Ford F-150 XL is a true work truck, providing little more than plastic bumpers, cloth seats and steel wheels. On the plus side, it does have a reversing camera and an auxiliary jack for the stereo. Moving up to the Ford F-150 XLT adds some basic creature comforts, like power windows and locks, a USB port and Bluetooth connectivity. It also adds 17-inch aluminum wheels and chrome front and rear bumpers.
The Ford F-150 Lariat adds 18-inch aluminum wheels, leather-trimmed front seats, a 10-way power driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-zone electronic temperature control, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system. It also comes with an 8-inch advanced trip computer, ambient interior lighting and push-button start.
Moving up to the King Ranch, you get everything from the Lariat, plus unique 18-inch machined aluminum wheels, unique leather bucket seats and a two-tone paint scheme. It also comes with heated rear seats and a Bang & Olufsen premium audio system.
The Ford F-150 Platinum delivers plenty of style, including a unique grille and 20-inch polished aluminum wheels, as well as genuine wood interior accents. It also comes with a voice-activated navigation system.
The Raptor is made for conquering trails of all kinds and looks the part. It is actually just over 16 centimetres wider than the conventional F-150, hence the need for the “trucker” style amber lights integrated into the unique mesh grille. That grille features massive “F-O-R-D” block lettering. The Raptor also features a unique bumper design, larger fender flares and skid plates—all geared for off-roading.
The range-topping Limited comes with a mix of body-coloured bumpers and a satin chrome grille and door handles. It also features massive 22-inch polished aluminum wheels.
The Limited comes with basically every major option package selected, including power everything, a massive panoramic sunroof, power sliding rear window, and heated and cooled front seats, with heated rear seats. The front seats also feature a massaging function, which will make any road trip more enjoyable—just don’t doze off!
The F-150 currently offers four gasoline-powered engines, including a 3.3-litre V6, a 2.7-litre EcoBoost twin-turbocharged V6, a 3.5-litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6, and a 5.0-litre V8.
The base 3.3-litre V6 makes power specs of 290 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque. The 2.7-litre EcoBoost V6 makes 325 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque, while the 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 in our test model makes 375 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. The 5.0-litre V8 makes 395 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque.
An available 3.0-litre Power Stroke turbodiesel V6 makes 250 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque.
The base 3.3-litre V6 pairs with a six-speed automatic transmission. All other engines come with a 10-speed transmission. Power gets sent to the rear wheels or to available four-wheel drive (4WD).
The dash-mounted shift-on-the-fly dial in our test truck featured 2-hi, 4-auto, 4-hi, and 4-lo. As a refresher for first-time truck- or SUV-buyers, 2-hi is rear-wheel drive (RWD). When fuel efficiency is a priority and the conditions are dry and favourable, this is what you will use most of the time.
4-auto is useful when a light covering of snow or ice is on the ground. In older trucks, there's always that big decision on when to put it into 4WD. 4-auto does the thinking for you, deciding when to kick in its extra traction.
When you actually start getting into the dirt and mud is when you'll use 4-hi. Finally, 4-lo is for the serious stuff, such as fording water, crawling over rocks and blasting through deep sand or snow.
On top of even those powertrain modes, the F-150 has a drive-mode selector. It features Tow/Haul, Snow/Wet, Sport, and Eco drive modes. Each has its own unique tuning for the steering feel, throttle response and shift mapping.
The problem is just finding the button. It’s down on the side of the shifter, as are the manual shift controls. It would make a lot more sense for the manual buttons to be paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The drive mode button would also be better located on the centre console, in the centre stack, or on the steering wheel—pretty much anywhere other than hidden next to the shifter.
There’s been a lot of talk about aluminum in trucks in the last few years, with rivals like Chevrolet attempting to knock Ford for its use of the lightweight material. But the use of aluminum in the F-150 shaves hundreds of pounds. And that weight savings makes the F-150 very nimble. As a result, it drives more like a large SUV than a truck.
Of course, the F-150 Raptor is a completely different beast. It features beefed-up shocks, and its EcoBoost V6 makes an absurd 450 horsepower. All of this is so the Raptor can travel at highway speeds over dirt, sand or gravel.
If fuel economy is a concern, there are certainly better options than the Raptor, which returns just 15.6 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, 13.2 on the highway, and 14.5 combined.
The most efficient gas-powered drivetrain configuration in the F-150 is the 2.7-litre EcoBoost V6 with the 10-speed automatic and RWD. It returns 11.9 L/100 km city, 9.0 highway, and 10.6 combined. Our Limited with the V6 and 4WD returns 14.3 city, 10.5 highway, and 12.6 combined.
The F-150 is capable of fantastic fuel economy, and Ford does not sacrifice power for efficiency, as the 3.5-litre EcoBoost can tow up to 5,987 kilograms (13,200 pounds) when properly equipped, which is best-in-class for full-size pickups.
The 5.0-litre V8 tops out at 5,260 kilograms (11,600 pounds), while our 4WD Limited manages a respectable 4,944 kilograms (10,900 pounds). To get the maximum towing capacity, you'll need a very specific equipment setup, hence the old “when properly equipped” disclaimer.
It’s important to note the different types of doors offered with extended-cab pickups—the middle child of cab sizes. A single cab will always have just two doors and maybe a tiny bit of space behind the seats for a small bag. A crew cab will always have four doors and tons of interior space. But different automakers treat the extended cab differently.
The Ford F-150 SuperCab features rear-hinged clamshell doors. And though they provide massive openings, the front doors need to be open all the way in order to open the rear ones. Meanwhile, extended-cab pickups like the Ram 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado feature four conventional doors, which make for smaller openings but are often more practical. If you are using the back seat a lot, those might be better options. Truck owners with kids might want the Chevy or Ram take on the extended cab, but if you are mostly using the front seats and just want some extra space behind them, the SuperCab will get the job done.
The inside of a SuperCrew F-150 is expansive, and, frankly, feels like a living room. You can load up the whole family for a weekend trip, and any gear you don’t want exposed to the elements will still fit in one of the many cubbies and compartments or the massive spaces under the rear seats.
The base XL trim has little more than an AM/FM stereo with four speakers and an auxiliary audio input. Move up to the XLT if you want the most basic version of Sync infotainment, with Bluetooth connectivity.
But all other trims (except the Raptor) come standard with Sync 3 touchscreen infotainment system. The 8-inch colour screen is easy to use and provides large fonts and icons. It also provides support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Sync 3 is optional for the XL, XLT and Raptor trims.
The F-150 can also be had with a Wi-Fi hotspot that can connect up to 10 devices. Sync 3 provides additional features like support for apps like Spotify, Pandora and more. You can also connect to your truck via the FordPass smartphone app.
Standard safety features for the F-150 include a rear-view camera, tire-pressure monitoring system, traction control, and a full array of front- and side-impact airbags. A 360-degree camera is standard on the Limited and available on the Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum and Raptor. This camera setup provides multiple camera angles, which you can select via a toggle in the dash.
Our Limited also came with features like forward-collision warning and avoidance with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control that can stop and go with traffic all on its own. Like the 360-degree camera, these features are standard on the Limited and available on other models.
Safety is more than just airbags and seatbelts—when it comes to trucks, it’s making sure you’re towing safely. To that end, the F-150 comes standard with trailer sway control and is available with an integrated trailer brake controller.
Even beyond that is the Pro Trailer Backup Assist. Backing up a trailer is an acquired skill and can be counterintuitive for beginners. You have to counter-steer in order to position the truck to get the trailer pointed in the right direction, which often means turning the opposite way you think you should. Pro Trailer Backup Assist will execute all the steering inputs needed to back up your trailer.
Base MSRP for the 2018 Ford F-150 is $31,049. The XLT trim starts at $35,449, but when you expand to a SuperCab and add 4WD, you'll pay about $44,000 before options. The Lariat starts at $50,549.
Above that, you start getting into the true “Lux Trucks” equipped with standard SuperCrew cabs and 4WD. This includes the King Ranch, which starts at $69,129, the Platinum trim starting at $71,579, and the range-topping Limited, which starts at $78,529. The Limited comes so well equipped there are few options to add.
The Limited is absolutely chock-full of features, but luxury is more than the sum of its parts—even for trucks. The Limited doesn’t have the polish of high-end rivals like the Ram 1500 Limited or GMC Sierra Denali.
But as an all-around everyday truck, the Ford F-150 is a fantastic choice. Given its light weight and EcoBoost V6 engines, it’s nimble and efficient, yet powerful and technologically sophisticated. To that end, few trucks do as many things as well as the 2018 Ford F-150.
Note: Images and video show a US model.
