Background
The twelfth generation Ford F-150 came out in 2009 and lasted for just five years. This isn’t very long, but the Yank’s do love their full-size pickups, and Ford needed to keep the F-150 fresh, especially as it was launched just as ‘Murica plunged into a financial depression.
But the recipe was so successful partly because it is so straightforward: a big engine, beefy suspension, and a solid but effective drivetrain mean that the F-150 tends to stomp its way across rough terrain in a way that would make Range Rover owners shudder in their Hunter wellies and Barbour jackets.
But that same simplicity also breeds reliability, so the F-150 owner will still be motoring along quite happily while the owner of one of Land Rover’s finest might be sitting at the side of the road waiting for the recovery truck. Again…
The 5.4-litre petrol V8 is as straightforward in its design as it is in the way it goes about doing its business: 320bhp might not be an especially impressive figure given the engine’s capacity but it also delivers almost 400lb/ft of torque and makes the nicest noise this side of a six-figure supercar. It also lasts forever, so if the body is rust-free, anything else can be replaced for pennies.
Or cents, plus p&p and custom’s duty, obviously.







