2004 Ford SuperCab 4x4 F-150 XLT - Forbes
It also makes sense, then, that Ford would very gingerly, but also very thoroughly, go about revamping its biggest breadwinner. Speaking of bread, Ford spent $1. 8 billion on the F-Series makeover. The new F-150 is 4. 6 inches longer, yet has lower bumpers to be safer in the event of a collision with a passenger car. It gets a deeper cargo bed (by 2. 3 inches), and its frame gets sturdier, square-sided rails that are far more corrosion-resistant and wear far better. The new rails also get credit for a quieter, tauter ride, thanks to massively improved torsional rigidity. In fact, in our test SuperCab 4×4–$34,455, with options–the interior looked more like that of the newest Lincoln Navigator than the cockpit of a get-it-dirty-and-forget-it pickup. For example, the suspension was also redesigned, now using cast-aluminum lower control arms up front and coil-over front shocks, and the rear dampers were moved farther outboard, to better stabilize the beast when cornering. And if you opt for the $895 optional 5. 4-liter V-8, you’re buying a nearly all-new powerplant as well, with newly designed aluminum cylinder heads, three valves per cylinder and variable cam timing (a rarity in the truck world). It helps that the new motor is mated to an upgraded four-speed tranny that. Source: www.forbes.com
