US utes are becoming increasingly popular in Australia. And the Ford F-150 Lariat long wheelbase – the top dog in the F-150 line-up – is the latest arrival in America’s full-size pick-up invasion of Australia.
If you’re considering a US ute like the Ram, Chevrolet Silverado or even the upcoming Toyota Tundra, then the F-150 seems, on paper at least, well-engineered, well-equipped and purpose-built for towing and touring.
Americans love the F-150, so why shouldn’t we? But is it any good off-road?
Read on.
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Ford F150 2024: Lariat LWB (4WD)
| Engine Type | Twin Turbo V6, 3.5L |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | |
| Fuel Efficiency | 12.5L/100km (combined) |
| Seating | 5 |
| Price From | $140,945 |
Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 7/10
7 / 10
There are two F-150 spec levels in Australia – the XLT and the Lariat – and both are available as a short- or long-wheelbase.
Our test vehicle is the Lariat long wheelbase. It’s a five-seat dual-cab ute with a price-tag of $140,945 (excluding on-road costs). The XLT is about $33,000 cheaper.
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Standard features include a 12.0-inch touchscreen-based multimedia system (with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto), heated and ventilated leather-accented seats, a two-panel power moonroof, 20-inch chrome-like alloy wheels, front and rear parking sensors, a cabin-length power-operated sunroof, a remote-controlled and power-assisted tailgate and more.
Exterior paint choices include 'Oxford White' (at no extra cost) or 'Agate Black', 'Iconic Silver', 'Rapid Red' (on our test vehicle), 'Antimatter Blue' or 'Carbonised Grey' – each costing $700.
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Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
7 / 10
The long-wheelbase F-150 Lariat is 6184mm long (with a 3994mm wheelbase), 2030mm wide, 1995mm high and has a kerb weight of 2555kg.
With a stretched wheelbase and chunkified body everywhere you look, this F-150 looks and feels massive but, really, this is not a whole lot bigger than a Ranger, 300 Series LandCruiser, or a new-gen Patrol. It does, however, have an undeniably in-your-face presence.
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For reference, the Ranger is 5370mm long, 1920mm wide, and 1880mm high; the LC300 (Sahara ZX) is 5015mm long, 1980mm wide, and 1950mm high; and the Patrol is 5165mm long (all variants), 1995mm wide (all variants) and 1940mm/1955mm high.
The Lariat’s 20-inch chrome-like alloys, shod with Pirelli Scorpion ATR all-terrain light truck tyres (275/60R20) cap off this US pick-up’s bulky style.
A lot of its notable design features are thoroughly functional rather than noteworthy because of their looks, so rather than include them in this section you'll find them in ‘Practicality’ (below).
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Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 8/10
8 / 10
The interior of the F-150 is cavernous, but it’s functional and comfortable with a definite premium look and feel about it all.
From the front of the cabin to the rear, this space is geared towards being practical.
For one, the multi-media system is easy to pair to your phone and operate. Just allow yourself a few minutes before you set off in the Lariat for the first time so you can get your head around how to navigate your way through the system.
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There’s ample storage space – including a deep centre console*, cupholders and bottle-holders for everyone, as well as the usual glove box (times two) and seat pockets for rear-seat passengers.
*In a stroke of Ford genius, the auto shifter power-folds forward into a recess, giving you room to unfold the lid of the centre console and turn that large surface into a picnic table or work desk.
Space is further maximised in the rear 60/40-split seat as it has a fold-out storage area underneath it, or the seat itself, if not in use, can be stowed away to free up even more room in the cabin.
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The stretched Lariat’s tub is 2005mm long and 1656mm wide with 1285mm between the wheel-arches – so it will fit an Aussie pallet, or a quad bike, camping gear etc.
This load space also has a 12-volt outlet, night lights, a tub camera (which I couldn’t get to work), a durable-looking spray-in tub liner, as well as fixed tie-down points at each corner and four sidewall-mounted tie-down points (two on each inner wall).
Remember I mentioned some design features that err on the side of practical rather than pretty? I’m talking about this F-150’s chunky side-steps, which serve an obvious practical function, and its remote-controlled and power-assisted tailgate (a nifty feature), its fold-out step (a real handy addition) and the accompanying slide-out guide pole for something secure to hold onto as you climb in and out of the tub – well, that’s what we used it for anyway, whether that’s its intended purpose or not.
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Bonus usage points for the raised ruler markings on the inner wall of the tailgate and the two G-clamp fitting positions at each side of the tailgate’s top edge.
The Lariat even has a keyless entry system with a keypad on the exterior of the vehicle (front passenger door). Punch in your permanent access code and bingo, you're in!
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission? 7/10
7 / 10
The F-150 has a 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 producing 298kW at 6000rpm and 678Nm at 3100rpm, and that’s matched to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
This is an impressive set-up – the long wheelbase F-150 is punchy off the mark, smooth and refined at highway speeds – it just trucks along – and overall it offers a comfortable and controlled driving experience.
This top-spec F-150 – the Lariat – also has full-time 4WD and an electronic rear diff lock.
Its selectable driving modes include 'Sport', 'Eco', 'Tow/Haul', 'Normal', 'Slippery', 'Deep Snow/Sand' and 'Mud Ruts'.
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Driving – What's it like to drive? 8/10
8 / 10
F-150s are imported to Australia from the USA as left-hand-drive vehicles and reengineered to right-hand-drive by Melbourne-based RMA Automotive, at the company’s production facility.
The utes undergo an exhaustive transformation including changes to steering, driver displays, air con, as well as software upgrades, to mention a few, all aimed at making them capable of excelling in Aussie conditions.
And RMA Automotive has done an impressive job.
The F-150 is, by its very nature, a big vehicle with a steel ladder-frame chassis and a lengthy wheelbase, but it suits Aussie conditions, especially with Aussie-tuned steering, great on-road ride and handling and that 4500kg towing capability built into it.
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It's well-controlled with a solid, planted feel on sealed surfaces, the steering has a nice weight to it in all conditions, acceleration is smooth (and punchy when needed) and the 10-speed auto offers clever management of this big vehicle.
It’s also very comfortable and quiet in the cabin. You can just barely register the low-level rumble of the twin-turbo V6 as you truck along stretches of highway and rural backroads.
All in all, on-road this is an almost perfect open-road touring vehicle. The bonus is, as a Lariat driver, you have access to a whole suite of driver-assist tech which specifically includes stuff geared towards making the task of towing safer, more controlled and, as a result, more enjoyable than it otherwise may be.
However, when you get this big ute off road, you quickly discover it has limitations. Those limitations don’t come close to ruining the F-150’s potential as an adventure machine, but this is a substantial vehicle so it has to be driven with real consideration, real care, and you have to know the off-road parameters in which this ute works best.
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If you drive anything more severe than light-to-medium-duty off-roading you're risking damage to this ute’s side steps or underbody.
The F-150’s size is not a factor when the tracks are nice and wide, but when the tracks become narrower, more treed-in, it becomes more difficult to navigate through those routes.
The Lariat’s suspension – IFS (twin wishbone) with coil springs at the front and live axle on leaf springs at the rear – is well set up to soak up lumps and bumps on sealed surfaces and even on gravel tracks, but it is less capable of doing the same job during low-range 4WDing.
It becomes very bouncy, when you’d be excused for expecting that longer wheelbase would offer a bit more stability and control through shallow to moderate ruts, but it really is a wild ride.
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Beyond that, though, visibility is great, the driving position is commanding, steering at low speeds is well-weighted and precise and throttle response is impressive.
While there’s little to nit-pick in terms of the four-wheel drive system onboard this ute, the traction control system is somewhat clunky.
When the terrain becomes more challenging, that off-road traction control system just seems to whirr and click and clunk away with lacklustre application – it’s not exactly smooth or seamless.
The F-150 has the kind of off-road angles you’d expect for a vehicle this large: approach angle is listed as 24 degrees, departure angle is 26.3 and the ramp-over is 19 degrees.
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Ground clearance is listed as 225mm and wading depth is 600mm.
The tyres – Pirelli Scorpion ATR all-terrain light truck tyres (275/60R20) – aren’t that good for off-roading, either, even though they’re marketed as all-season tyres.
Bigger tyres and an aftermarket suspension lift would go some of the way to help sort out the F-150’s issues with less-than-ideal rubber as well as poor ground clearance and off-road angles.
For such a big ute, payload is an underwhelming 710kg; for reference, the Ram 1500 (878kg) and Chevrolet Silverado (757kg) offer more, and even mainstream dual-cab utes, such as the Ford Ranger (966kg (kerb weight)/1010kg (min kerb weight) offer better payloads.
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Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and a noteworthy 4500kg (braked). GVM is 3265kg, and GCM is 7765kg.
Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 7/10
7 / 10
The Ford F-150 Lariat LWB has an official fuel consumption figure of 12.5L/100km (on a combined, urban/extra-urban, cycle).
I recorded 14.8L/100km on this test which included a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing although the F-150 was never working hard.
This F-150 has a 136L fuel tank, so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 920km from a full tank.
If you calculate driving range using the official fuel-consumption figure that number extends to 1088km from a full tank.
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Warranty & Safety Rating
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 8/10
8 / 10
The F-150 does not have an ANCAP safety rating because it has not been tested.
As standard it has six airbags (driver and front passenger front and side airbags, plus side-curtain) and top-tether points for child seats/baby capsules on the three rear seat positions.
Driver-assist tech includes AEB, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, front and rear parking sensors, tyre-pressure monitoring, a 360-degree camera view, trailer sway control, dynamic hitch assist, back-up assist, trailer light check and trailer theft alert.
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Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 7/10
7 / 10
The F-150 has a five-year/unlimited km warranty and you may pick up roadside assistance for up to seven years but it's worth noting not all Ford Dealers participate in providing the latter.
Servicing is scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km. Capped price servicing applies to the first four scheduled services and, at time of writing, was listed as $429 a pop which isn't outrageous for a vehicle of this magnitude.
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Verdict
The Ford F-150 Lariat LWB is a big comfortable, purpose-built work and adventure machine – but it’s better suited to load-lugging, towing and touring, than it is to hard-core 4WDing.
Despite that – and its less-than-ideal payload – there’s a lot to like about the Lariat, especially its on-road performance, 4.5 tonne towing capacity and factory-backed warranty.
If you’re serious about buying a US ute the F-150 should be in your sights.
Pricing Guides
Range and Specs
| Vehicle | Specs | Price* |
|---|---|---|
| Lariat LWB (4WD) | 3.5L, 10 SPEED | $140,945 |
| Lariat SWB (4WD) | 3.5L, 10 SPEED | $139,950 |
| XLT LWB (4X4) | 3.5L, 10 SPEED | $107,945 |
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