Never been much of a truck guy--actually not one at all--but I like what I see of the new F-150.  Now, I love the interior of the King Ranch that has the saddle type leather seats and door inserts and other accents, but this one is very good too.  I don't care for the standard F150 or the Lariat, or the Platinum, but this FX4 is their sports model and it looks very attractive, very masculine.  It rids of silly chrome grills and mirrors and streamlining that, imo, don't belong on trucks or suvs or, really, any car. 

 

The boxy angularity is a great design theme and I like how Ford has decided to move away from their soft lines that have defined the F150 for some time now.  I think part of the problem with domestic car companies is that their styling had become bland and predictable.  Safe, is how they played it.  With this new installment of the world's best selling truck, they've gone aggressive, which is exactly what they needed to do given that Nissan had come to the table to play a serious hand with the Titan, and the totally wicked looking new Tundra from Toyota.  I think GM has gone the wrong way with their new Sierra since it looks very safe and unoffensive even.  In other words, insignificant.  Dodge has kept their aggressive styling with their new Ram, but that is to be expected as it has always been edgy in that regard.  The fact that Ford has come back to the table with a F-150 that can be outfitted in up to 9 different packages and appointments, including this aggressive FX4, well it means the blue oval has developed a truck they think can cover the range of buyers:  fleet vehicles of conservative utility, heavy duty workloads, core truck buyers, and noncore car buyers like me who are attracted to the aggressive sport of the FX4. 

 

I especially like the tailgate and how it lips up and out at the top, like the crown of the Rook chesspiece.  Also, you cannot see it here, but when you fold the tailgate down, from the top of it slides a very desired step to assist your entry with much needed ease into the bed.  Similar steps fold down from just in front of the rear tires to help you place and collect items from the back of the bed without having to climb in. 

 

Ford helped pioneer the capless fuel tank.  Direct Fill or Easy Fill, whatever it's called, Ford is the first to offer it.  Market research showed that this was a huge hit among women.  When you pull up to the gas station, all you do is open the tank cover and  insert the pump into the tank.  Instead of a gas cap that you have to screw on and off, this system uses a stainless steel piece of metal that, well, you can't even tell is any different than the piece of metal you see covering your tank now, beneath the cap.  You just insert, fill, and when the cover closes after you take the pump out, you're done.  Emissions are less, the possibility of leaking or seeping fumes is gone, there's no cap to lose, and one thing less you have to touch and step you have to take.  It's a hit.

 

 

I'm including this picture b/c I love the continuity of the silver dash trim down and along the console and back up again across the armrest.  Very fluid design.

Also a first and only truck to offer it is the way these seats fold up and back into the rear wall in combination with the only true flat floorbed in the second row allows for you to do things like this.