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Overview
Our contractor drives a Dodge Ram. He doesn't like it. But then, he didn't like his last pickup either. That was a Ford F-150. Our contractor is picky.
So when he saw our swanky, four-door, four-seat Ford Lariat King Ranch F-150, he had to have a look. He was frowning. All 6-foot-2 of him ambled over, opened the back door of the truck--he winked and said the real test was to see if you could squeeze a guy his size into the back seat--and climbed aboard. His frown melted into a huge grin, and he blurted out, "Now THAT'S leather!" Not only did he fit, he fit easily, stretched out his legs and nodded in approval.
The niftiest leather interior this side of a Bentley. It's still a truck; short bed isn't convenient for real work.
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In fact, this was everyone's reaction to this truck. People everywhere we went sighed, cooed and oohed about the gorgeous leather interior. (Cross the funky, rustic style of J. Peterman with the quality of Coach, and then get a real saddle maker involved, and you have a hint of just how much sitting in this car is like sitting in the sweet spot of a catcher's mitt.)
The story behind all this cowhide is that the King Ranch is a real Texas cattle farm and they also make saddles there. Really good saddles. So Ford struck a deal with them to add their leather, properly accented with an off-white stitch, to the seats of a limited number of their Lariat four-seat trucks and charges $2,500 above the usual Lariat price for the option. The leather also crests the armrests, both front and rear, and special leather saddle-bag style pouches with purse-like magnetic closures have been created in the front seatbacks. In essence, every surface you might touch with your skin, save radio knobs and the like, is swathed in the buttery material.
Oh sure, there's more to the $31,075 (2WD) to $34,530 (4WD) Lariat King Ranch than just seats. The outside looks properly truckish, albeit in a two-tone way, with a sort of hokey King Ranch logo on the side, plus you get special wheels, a lighted running board, seat heaters, an in-armrest six-disc CD changer and a few other doodads.
But trust us. It's the seats that seal the deal.
And there's a trick here worth noting. Most leather seats are sticky when you are. That is, when it's hot out and you're sweating, you have to peel yourself off of them. But this is real saddle leather and is tanned without the usual plastic coating they apply to most car hides, so it feels soft not hard, just like your favorite mitt, golf glove, brief case, or, yes, saddle.
From The Driver's Seat | Should You Buy This Car | Specs
From The Driver's Seat
You'd think we'd shut up about the seating already, but we didn't even mention what it's like to drive the car from these perches. And that point is worth making because the seats are actually quite well bolstered, not soft, with good lumbar support and the ability to adjust them up and down as well, so both taller and shorter drivers can get comfortable behind the wheel.
However, climbing up, up, up, into this cab is a bit of a chore, even with those running boards. Ford full-size trucks sit way off the ground, about a foot higher than Ford's Explorer SUV, and although there's almost nothing taller than you on the road, lifting yourself aboard (or, heaven forbid, a kid into a car seat in back) is real work.
So what are we, sissies? Well, yes and no.
Given the quality of the materials used in this cushy cockpit, we seriously doubt King Ranch buyers will be carting anything around but a horse trailer and their tack. Which means that taking two giant steps in and out of a truck everyday might be seen as an unreasonable expectation.
Then again, driving this truck isn't at all difficult, despite its considerable bulk. Steering is a bit on the numb side, but no more so than what Dodge or Chevy offers. And on the highway at 70mph, the King Ranch is sedan quiet, with the 5.4-liter V-8 almost asleep at 1,800 rpms.
And with 350 foot-pounds of torque on tap at only 2,500 rpms (and an overdrive lockout switch to get the revs up in a jiffy), there's no shortage of grunt here, whether you're hauling horses or just have the kids asleep in the back seats and are passing a semi on the highway.
Our tester came with four-wheel drive, but this isn't full-time. Rather, there's both a low and high range, but it's only meant for slippery surfaces, so you'd basically use it on dirt roads or if it snows. The rest of the time it's just there, adding more weight to eat into your gas mileage (expect a paltry 14 city/17 highway).
Overview | Should You Buy This Car | Specs
Should You Buy This Car?
For all of our compliments about the King Ranch, the truck doesn't break tremendous ground as a daily driver. Its amenities--knobs, switches and controls are just out of the stock Ford parts bin--don't offend but hardly impress, and handling is merely stable. Still, trucks with back doors are the latest hot replacement for SUVs because they offer a lot of cargo room as well as people-moving ability.
The King Ranch though, like so many big-cab trucks, doesn't have a full-size bed. Its cargo box is only five and a half-feet long, which isn't long enough to handle many building supplies. You can flip down an optional bed extender, as we did to carry bikes and to move some furniture, but the half-moon shape of the extender means that many square items won't fit like they would in an actual full-size truck bed.
Also disappointing were the mud and snow tires, which had very poor adhesion on wet pavement. If you get this truck and plan to drive it on asphalt, get street tires, not off-road ones.
All in all, however, we've got a soft spot for the soft leather in this truck. It may only be skin deep, but riding in the King Ranch was almost as much fun as being a cowboy--minus the saddle sores.
Overview | From The Driver's Seat | Specs
Specs
Manufacturer Contact: 1-800-392-3673
Color Options: Dark Green, Black, White, Red, Toreador Red, Chestnut, Beige, Deep Blue, Island Blue, Silver (special-order two-tones also available)
Suspension Type: Numerous suspension packages and options are available, depending on two-wheel or four-wheel drive configurations and towing/plowing requirements.
Acceleration: NA
Engine Type; Displacement: SOHC V-8; 5.4 liter
Horsepower: 260 @ 4,500 rpm
Torque: 350 @ 2,500 rpm
EPA Mileage: 14 city / 17 highway
MSRP: $31,075 (2WD); $34,530 (4WD)