03-12-2018, 10:25 AM
With the Range Rover being kickass but not the best option for towing my enclosed, I started re-evaluating uh, everything. The initial goal of the Range Rover purchase was to have a more compact tow vehicle that could fit in DC parking garages and also pull what I needed. Unfortunately, downsizing at the expense of safety made my chest too tight. So, I may have to eschew DC for Arlington (not 100% confirmed though) but would rather do that than have white-knuckle towing every month.
So, the pendulum swung back to a pickup truck. As mentioned in the RR thread, I'm tired of working on my daily. I got a raise with my new job and figured I could use a small bit of that money to end up in something new.
Given this would be expensive, I decided I wanted every last option. My last F-150 was equipped well but was not... lavish - and in a daily driver, I'd prefer a good sound system, heated seats, sunroof, etc. I also figured that hey, it's 2018 and I should have some modern driver assistance tech.
I cross-shopped every "half ton" pickup on the market. Nissan and Ram don't offer the driver assistance - Ram is coming on 2019s, but they aren't out yet and won't likely have strong deals at first. Toyota offers the technology, but the Tundra interior isn't somewhere I'd enjoy spending tons of time, and their navigation/infotainment is outdated. No GMs, obviously. So that left me with another Ford.
My friend Hans is a sales manager at Battlefield Ford, so we started talking. I also got put in touch with the SM of Koons in Sterling. Ultimately Hans was willing to make a better deal. I took the trailer out to American Truck & Trailer on Saturday morning for new tires, and they said it'd take a few hours, so off to the dealership I went.
I was initially gunning for a Platinum, but it had been sold the night before. But... you can option up a Lariat to have all of the relevant features of a Platinum, so it works out to be about $3-4k cheaper, and the only real difference is the appearance, and "exclusive" leather/wood options. Whatever. Let's see the Lariats.
The Lariat they had in the showroom was a 5.0L "502A" (the loaded model) with Technology package and 3.55 rear end (many have the 3.31). It also had the "sport" appearance package which eliminates the chrome everywhere. Cool, I like the looks, so that's a plus. We talked about the Rover trade-in and general numbers, I went and grabbed lunch (while fretting about the whole thing) and ultimately decided to go for it.
I ended up leasing, which I've never done. Looking at how it shakes out, it should be a good option for my use. I get to put three years of towing/DC potholes on the truck, and give it back long before I'd have to think about shocks, bushings, balljoints, cooling system, etc being replaced. I'll do oil changes and brakes/tires if needed.
So, I have it for 36 months and 15k miles a year. It came on some Hankook DynaPro all-terrains so I can still tackle light trails, assuming they're wide enough. The revised 5.0 is now direct/port injected and makes 395 hp and 400 ft-lb of torque, a nice upgrade from my last 5.0 (365/385). It's mated to the new Ford/GM 10-speed automatic, which shifts a LOT but is smooth. It can skip gears both up and down and is generally unobtrusive.
The Tech package gave me blind spot monitoring (works with a trailer up to 30', too!), 360° cameras, cross-traffic rear monitoring, emergency braking, and (the kicker) adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go. It will work in traffic all the way down to 0 mph, and accelerate again. And it will work with a trailer hooked up - in Tow mode, it knows to leave more braking distance.
I've got power-extending, power-folding, heated tow mirrors. Power-extending running boards. Heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel. Panoramic sunroof. Remote start. Auto high beams, auto wipers. Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker audio with Sync3 and CarPlay. The tailgate can be opened from the keyfob and is damped, so it won't slam down. The "FX4" package is now available on any XLT+ trim of F150, so I have the skid plates and rear locker, along with the same "Auto 4WD" system that Ryan has. It's got the "Pro Trailer Backup Assist" which I'll set up this weekend.
I don't expect to do much to this truck, other than a bedliner and tonneau cover. It didn't come with the integrated trailer brake controller (somehow) so I am going back to the dealer on Saturday for them to install it.
The timing worked such that I had to go pick up my trailer before that shop closed, so I brought it back to the dealership with me and my first drive of the red truck was with the trailer hooked up. It is already far more stable in curves than the Range Rover was. Should tow incredibly well.
Seeing this parked outside this morning gave me this "mhm, this is why I work hard" thought. I'm excited for the next three years with it.
![[Image: Rj4CBas.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/Rj4CBas.jpg)
So, the pendulum swung back to a pickup truck. As mentioned in the RR thread, I'm tired of working on my daily. I got a raise with my new job and figured I could use a small bit of that money to end up in something new.
Given this would be expensive, I decided I wanted every last option. My last F-150 was equipped well but was not... lavish - and in a daily driver, I'd prefer a good sound system, heated seats, sunroof, etc. I also figured that hey, it's 2018 and I should have some modern driver assistance tech.
I cross-shopped every "half ton" pickup on the market. Nissan and Ram don't offer the driver assistance - Ram is coming on 2019s, but they aren't out yet and won't likely have strong deals at first. Toyota offers the technology, but the Tundra interior isn't somewhere I'd enjoy spending tons of time, and their navigation/infotainment is outdated. No GMs, obviously. So that left me with another Ford.
My friend Hans is a sales manager at Battlefield Ford, so we started talking. I also got put in touch with the SM of Koons in Sterling. Ultimately Hans was willing to make a better deal. I took the trailer out to American Truck & Trailer on Saturday morning for new tires, and they said it'd take a few hours, so off to the dealership I went.
I was initially gunning for a Platinum, but it had been sold the night before. But... you can option up a Lariat to have all of the relevant features of a Platinum, so it works out to be about $3-4k cheaper, and the only real difference is the appearance, and "exclusive" leather/wood options. Whatever. Let's see the Lariats.
The Lariat they had in the showroom was a 5.0L "502A" (the loaded model) with Technology package and 3.55 rear end (many have the 3.31). It also had the "sport" appearance package which eliminates the chrome everywhere. Cool, I like the looks, so that's a plus. We talked about the Rover trade-in and general numbers, I went and grabbed lunch (while fretting about the whole thing) and ultimately decided to go for it.
I ended up leasing, which I've never done. Looking at how it shakes out, it should be a good option for my use. I get to put three years of towing/DC potholes on the truck, and give it back long before I'd have to think about shocks, bushings, balljoints, cooling system, etc being replaced. I'll do oil changes and brakes/tires if needed.
So, I have it for 36 months and 15k miles a year. It came on some Hankook DynaPro all-terrains so I can still tackle light trails, assuming they're wide enough. The revised 5.0 is now direct/port injected and makes 395 hp and 400 ft-lb of torque, a nice upgrade from my last 5.0 (365/385). It's mated to the new Ford/GM 10-speed automatic, which shifts a LOT but is smooth. It can skip gears both up and down and is generally unobtrusive.
The Tech package gave me blind spot monitoring (works with a trailer up to 30', too!), 360° cameras, cross-traffic rear monitoring, emergency braking, and (the kicker) adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go. It will work in traffic all the way down to 0 mph, and accelerate again. And it will work with a trailer hooked up - in Tow mode, it knows to leave more braking distance.
I've got power-extending, power-folding, heated tow mirrors. Power-extending running boards. Heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel. Panoramic sunroof. Remote start. Auto high beams, auto wipers. Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker audio with Sync3 and CarPlay. The tailgate can be opened from the keyfob and is damped, so it won't slam down. The "FX4" package is now available on any XLT+ trim of F150, so I have the skid plates and rear locker, along with the same "Auto 4WD" system that Ryan has. It's got the "Pro Trailer Backup Assist" which I'll set up this weekend.
I don't expect to do much to this truck, other than a bedliner and tonneau cover. It didn't come with the integrated trailer brake controller (somehow) so I am going back to the dealer on Saturday for them to install it.
The timing worked such that I had to go pick up my trailer before that shop closed, so I brought it back to the dealership with me and my first drive of the red truck was with the trailer hooked up. It is already far more stable in curves than the Range Rover was. Should tow incredibly well.
Seeing this parked outside this morning gave me this "mhm, this is why I work hard" thought. I'm excited for the next three years with it.
Now:
'16 Ram 1500 | '97 BMW M3 | Some Press Loan
Then:
87 BMW 325e | 91 BMW 535i | 96 BMW 328i | 95 BMW 325i | 95 Mazda Miata | 13 Focus ST | 09 BMW 128i | 00 Pontiac Firebird | 05 Yukon Denali | 96 BMW 328iC | 11 Ford F-150 | 06 BMW M3 | 10 Range Rover SC | '03 Ford Ranger | '18 Ford F-150 | '01 BMW X5 | '98 Volvo S70 T5M
'16 Ram 1500 | '97 BMW M3 | Some Press Loan
Then:
87 BMW 325e | 91 BMW 535i | 96 BMW 328i | 95 BMW 325i | 95 Mazda Miata | 13 Focus ST | 09 BMW 128i | 00 Pontiac Firebird | 05 Yukon Denali | 96 BMW 328iC | 11 Ford F-150 | 06 BMW M3 | 10 Range Rover SC | '03 Ford Ranger | '18 Ford F-150 | '01 BMW X5 | '98 Volvo S70 T5M
![[Image: 0023177d5f008333a2a29e83bba83ced.jpg]](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180312/0023177d5f008333a2a29e83bba83ced.jpg)
![[Image: 140207_2723958_Pumping_up_with_Hans_and_...vver_3.jpg]](https://www.nbc.com/sites/nbcunbc/files/files/images/2015/5/05/140207_2723958_Pumping_up_with_Hans_and_Franz_anvver_3.jpg)
