2004 Ford F-150

lennx · October 2003

Did not look at the Titan as I was looking to buy now not at the end of the year. I did look at the Avalanche, Dodge Dakota and the Tundra. Avalanche rode well but all the plastic made it hard to see out back. Tundra was smaller and felt smaller. Dakota was smaller but felt huge when I drove it.

F-150 2003 is large but did look or feel large when I drove it. As I recal when you compare ;O3 and ;O4 dimesions, the 04 is just a little bit bigger. I think you right about the rounded versus straight edges making the 04 seem even bigger.

Also the 2" taller bed is another thing. It is harder to get things over or even look in.

It seem likes Ford should now have a Dakota sized truck rather than a Ranger size.

Of course I did not like any of the small crewcab trucks which is why I ended up in an F-150.

brianbm · October 2003

The post on the Avalanche mentions rear visibility, which is a concern with anything this big. I'd like to see any vehicle this large be available with rear - facing TV or some other visibility improver. Hey, flat screen monitors are sprouting all over the place in navigation and rear-seat entertainment systems, that screen could provide data to what's behind you too. So far as I know Ford isn't doing that on trucks - yet.
It'll probably appear pretty quick in the Nissan and Toyota trucks, which will seek to first peel away the lifestyle truck-mom buyers, so Ford might surprise us with a 2d or 3rd year update that would include it. Ant, whaddya think? Year Three, a 3 valve V-10 and Saf-T-Cam?

ANT14 · October 2003

Those rear facing cams can be handy, and it certainly wouldn't hurt having one. But Ford hasn't been too keen in jumping on the bandwagon on that one, mainly because it'll require a Navigation system to display. So to get to point B, we need to first get to point A...then at that time we might see a rear facing camera system. That's how I see Ford's position to that.

Personally, if someone needs a camera to manuever such a vehicle, they shouldn't be behind the wheel of one. My concern would be, the soccer mom crowd who try to back up these vehicles at the supermarket parking lot. If you make it TOO easy for someone, they might totally lose their vehicles dimension perceptions all around and end up scraping the side of parked cars, AS they are concentrating on the rear view monitor.

I've tried both systems, rear facing camera's and object detecting systems, and have a better experience with the latter. Mainly because I'm able to concentrate around the vehicle and listen for the beeps, than stare into a screen. But that's just me.

As for 3V configuration of the Triton engines, yes the 4.6L and 6.8L will be receiving this treatment. As for the 6.8L fitting into the F-150, that's a whole other story.

lennx · October 2003

Would I want a camera? No.

The design of the Avalanch made visibilty out the back too dificult. The F-150 had more open glass and no plastic stuff in the way so it is much easier to see out back. I also removed the rear head rest to improve the visibility out back.

I would suspect the 2004 F-150 visibility is a bit worse out back by about 2" - the 2" they added to the bed height

newdad5 · October 2003

Need some help/advice here. I'm wondering if a rear-facing car seat can fit in the backseat of the F150 super cabs or if I need to buy a super crew? Please tell me it will work or I'll have to buy a minivan...ugh.

scottinssmd · October 2003

Yes, the visibility out the rear is somewhat restricted when backing. I had a 98 150 with a cap and had plenty of visibilty. Good tip on pulling the headrest. It appears the center child strap is permanent, so I thought the headrests were also. Best creature features are the power rear seating windows as well as the power back window. Got the moon roof, so it feels wide open.

Child seat will fit in the back of an extended cab. I'm 5'10" so do the math on how far your seat has to be forward.

baro · November 2003

Does anyone know if Ford will offer 6.5 box on the F150 supercrew. Currently they only have the 5.5 box for the supercrew.

s852 · November 2003

I had a 2004 4WD F-150 crew cab for a day.
It drove very well except the ride was a little bouncy in the back seat of the crew cab and sometimes the ride was jittery even in front on less than glass smooth freeways. It was quiet enough for a truck and had a tight turning circle for such a large vehicle.
The standard stereo was OK except in the rear, so the upgraded audiphile system should be very good.
The power was just adequate, not quick.
I also looked at a Lariat and it looked good except the fake wood is extremely tacky and cheesy. It is supposed to add elegance, but since it is so obviously fake, it actually cheapens the look of the interior. They would have been better off completely skipping the attempted wood-look if they can't pull it off more realistically.

The glaring omission is the lack of side curtain airbags. Ford says it doesn't need them because it is a large vehicle, but that's bogus since it can still be hit by an equal or even larger sized vehicle, plus side curtain airbags would add a lot of safety to a vehicle that is more prone to rollovers than a car. Also, the side curtain airbags will protect your head from smashing into the window glass or B-pillar regardless of if the vehicle is larger or smaller sized.
Ford's attitute when confronted by journalists reminds me of GM's resistance to airbags in the 1990s because they felt their ridiculous door-mounted seatbelts were "good enough."
The Expedition has the side airbags as well as the new Titan and new Dodge Ram. This is the only new design without it even being available as an extra cost option.
I wonder if the side airbags will come for 2005 or 2006 or if they seriously plan to skip it for the entire model run?

tbell10 · November 2003

Need help pricing this vehicle. What are the going prices for a loaded F150 Lariat 4DR with Leather? I have priced this vehicle online and at the dealership but I refuse to pay MSRP. Has anyone attempted to use the X plan for this vehicle? Is it really possible to purchase this vehicle from the plant manufacturer in Michigan? If so how do I go about doing so? Is there a real savings purchasing from the manufacturer? Would the manufacturer allow me to use the X Plan?

brianbm · December 2003

It's the first year of production and you're shopping at the high-end trim level. Why would anyone discount if they don't have to do so? Why would you think they would give away money? .... what am I missing here?

s852 · December 2003

This certainly is a low interest board for such a seemingly popular vehicle.

Anyway, the 2004 F-150 is already being heavily discounted in all trim levels, including Lariat, in many areas. Check Carsdirect.com to see what they will sell for in your zipcode area.

nvbanker · December 2003

is over at the Nissan Titan vs. Ford F-150 thread for some reason.......

lennx · December 2003

In part this is listed in the future vehicles board and its a now vehicle. THere are F150 groups in the truck section

Also trucks do not seem to garner the same enthusiasm as SUVs do so you can easily go a week with out a post.

Kirstie_H · December 2003

Yup, we'll be moving this discussion over to the Pickups board next week.

tbell10 · December 2003

I don't think they would give away money but I refuse to allow the dealership to make as much money off of me as they do the average consumer. I have purchased all of my Fords using the X plan which allows me to get 4% below invoice. The dealership has stated that I can do the same with the 2004 F150. I will never pay MSRP.

ANT14 · December 2003

I would like to Congratulate the Ford F-150, for winning Truck of the Year award from Detroit News.

"Best truck honors go to the redesigned 2004 Ford F-150 pickup, which continues to stand as the benchmark in the full-size pickup market and raises the bar even higher in terms of interior amenities and quality. "

http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosinsider/0312/17/a01-11508.htm

hansienna · February 2004

Any doubts just look and sit inside all pickups or look at the center fold pages of February 16, 2004 issue of Newsweek magazine.

nvbanker · February 2004

Agreed.

trucker49 · February 2004

are bucket seats and console available in the regular cab....or extended cab in anything except Larait?

ANT14 · February 2004

I believe you can get the bucket seats on other trims as an option, I know Lariat and FX4 certainly... And considering I have a Lariat I remember paying for that option. I'm not sure about the lower trimmed models.

On the Ford website, you can compare the features between trim models, and they lay it out simply for you to see. That's the best way to see what each trim level contains, since there's so many configurations.

2004 Ford F-150

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