acdii

I had a deer kill my front end back in February, and didn't have a chance to get it in the shop until this week. The rental happens to be a 2016 F150 Screw Lariat 4wd 6'5" bed with the 5.0. My truck is a 14 Lariat RWD EB 5'5" bed with the EB engine. Not quite apples to apples comparison for size and drive train, but as an overall model it is.

First thing I found is the windshield appears much smaller, and after a while I found it is due to its rake, its much more sloped back than the 14. The A pillars are also further forward and come in more. The door glass is larger, the sill sits lower, so it feels more like a semi cab than a pickup cab. It took some getting used to after driving it 360 miles. The instrument display is nice, but I prefer the trip on the 14 as it shows gallons used, where the 16 does not. There are more features on the 16, like tire pressure for all 4 wheels, and digital speedometer, but I like the dash in the 14 better, not crazy about the styling, and what is with that 1 1/2" ledge above the glove box?

Second thing I found, the center console is wider, and the seats are smaller. My left knee hits the door handle when I place my foot flat on the floor as if I am sitting in a chair(which is why I drive a truck everyday instead of a car, back and leg issues), and my right knee hits the console when the cruise is on, which tells me the seat is not as wide in the 16. Also the console extends into the rear seat area by about an inch nore than the 14, I have a couple tool boxes and some other items that I take in my truck weekly, so have a very good idea what fits where, and I cant get everything to fit the same way in the center.

Third thing, the turn signal lever, its old school again, I like the tap type lever as I have a turn I take everyday where the signal will stay on, in fact there is a sign on the road telling you to check your signal. In my truck I just tap up to turn it off, and found myself trying to turn it off in the 16 this way and had to think, Oh right, old school.

On the plus side though, two huge thumbs up on the new Sync 3! Wow I wish I could retro fit this to the 14, what a difference it is. So easy to use, and very intuitive. A real touch screen, not a press and hope screen. Its quick and responsive unlike MFT. Good Job Ford!

Also there are BUTTONS! Oh how I missed thee! Actual physical buttons to turn on the seat heaters/coolers. Buttons for the climate (the 14 has them too, but the Fusion, Flex and MKT I had did not). Speaking of buttons, the window controls are too far forward, and the mirror controls even further, and it took a bit to find the lock button. They also put the pedal control way down low on the dash, poor thinking there as it makes you have to lean forward which puts you out of position to get them right the first shot.

That 5.0 is a slug compared to the EB, after 33000+ miles in mine, I can tell right away the 5.0 has no low end torque, on my daily drive I know exactly where the EB downshifts, which is rare, while the 5.0 drops to 5th quite often. My 14 would leave this truck sitting still in a heartbeat. I do admit it does growl nicely when you push it to pass, but 3rd gear to pass at 55? It also does not get as good MPG as the 3.5 driven the exact same way on the exact same roads, its 2 MPG less than mine.

I dont know if its because its longer than mine, but it does not steer as tightly, and it took me several tries to park it at work where it was between the lines, in spots I could just whip mine into. I also noticed the steering is very inconsistent in that at center it feels like a loose gear box, yet the slight movement translates to truck movement, very light at center, but gets heavy while turning, it just feels weird.

After having this rental for a few days I now know I made the right decision getting the 14 instead of the 15 when I got it.

Pros

New Sync3, 5 freaking stars
Quiet driving
comfortable seats, provided I keep my knees from hitting the console and door
great visibility to the sides
BLIS, 'nough said
Information display in instrument cluster
forward storage compartment in console with USB jacks, this is a really good placement for it instead of inside the console storage.
Arm rests on door and console, I can sit with both arms resting on them with both hands on the wheel (guess you have to take one from the other to get it)
exterior LED lighting is great, really lights up the areas around the truck.
Tailgate release and down assist is really nice


Cons
Smaller feeling windshield, larger A pillars restrict forward views to the left
mirrors just dont feel right, could be lack of blindspot mirror due to BLIS
lack of turn signal lights on rear of mirror, I like that I can see them on my 14, which means people to my rear can also see them.
button placements for some items are too low on the dash or too far forward on the door
Door is too thick, the handle to pull the door closed intrudes into the seating area
Weird feeling steering, feels like an old worn out truck.


Now that I have driven another 4WD F150 I remember now why I got rid of my 2012 Golden Bronze Fully loaded Lariat F150, and that is how it drove, and its height. My 14 drives much nicer, doesn't have that rolly feeling when turning or making lane changes, and I can reach inside the bed without needed a step stool.

When I was shopping, I really wasn't looking for an EB, it could have been the 5.0, as long as it was a Lariat 2WD model, but now that i have driven the 5.0, I prefer the EB. That low end torque is the deciding factor, I just touch the pedal and go, where the 5.0 seems like the same pedal pressure and a Prius could out accelerate it on battery alone. If I drive the 5.0 to match the EB it would use much more fuel than it does now. Even when pushed it just doesn't have that push you in the seat feeling I get with the EB.

SO bottom line, if I were to lose my current F150 in a crash, I don't think I would get a 15 or newer, and would look for another 13 or 14 to replace it, I just like the styling better, while the new style has nice features, the 14 just looks better to me. Someone mentioned the front looks like a Toyota, and the rear like a nissan, and I have to agree. I had one on my left and when I glanced in the mirror I thought for sure it was a Toyota, then when it passed I saw the F150 badge and did a double take.

Don't get me wrong, the new F150 is still a very good truck, but I just don't care much for its styling, and the slight changes they made to the interior seating, though that Sync3 is a homerun.

Ever since I bought my F150 last yar I always thought, did I buy the right truck, or should I have gotten the one year newer one, and now that I have had a chance to drive the newest model, I am very happy with my decision to get the 14. I can't wait to get it back from the body shop.

Gx2Lariat

Good review

WXman

They must have neutered the 5.0 in the new trucks, because I drove both before purchasing and my experience was totally different. I could BARELY tell the Eco had more power, and the throttle response on the 5.0 was much much better. It was night and day in terms of smoothness and drivability.

I will agree the new trucks are smaller. You can just look at them and tell they are smaller. I also have noticed that the interior is "cheaper" on the new ones. A salesman pointed it out to me, and sure enough it looks like Ford cut corners on the interior, maybe to make up for the cost of the aluminum body? I don't know. But I'm glad I got a pre-15!

Billy_Jack

My guess is gear ratio difference.

Cariboost

Ford said the new cabs have 2'' of additional width. My 2016 feels big inside compared to my 2013.

acdii

Maybe in the back seat it is. That center console is at least 1 or two inches wider than mine is, and with the door pull sticking out on the inside, it makes it feel smaller than it actually is. I also noticed that the rear of the console is sloped from the bottom up, and that is why I was unable to fit my cases like I usually do. After flipping two of them around I got them to fit.

I am finding it difficult to park straight between the lines. I dont know if its because of the A pillar or what, but I just can't line this bugger up.

As for gear ratios, this one I believe has 3:55, mine are 3:15, and only RWD, maybe being 4WD makes it slower. All I can say is it takes much more throttle to get going in this one than it does for mine. But for passing, I KNOW mine has more *****. I can usually hit 90+ after passing one vehicle, and today passing 2 with the 16 I barely hit 80. It also downshifted going up a slight incline, where mine would just stay in top gear and pull like a locomotive. Just not impressed with the V8 other than it sounds like a V8. I do miss the turbo sound though, love that whine as its pulling.

That damned deer has cost me $300 in rental fees so far, in addition to the deductible. I hate deer.

Jack-Daniel

Good review. I'm keeping an eye on the market for a 2014.

acdii

Now that I have my truck back, I can confirm the cab is larger, however, the seats are the same size. The Center console takes up the extra space, and the pull handles on the doors intrude into the seating area. There is a clear difference between the two. Also the dash is further forward on the 16, Ford pushed it forward more and extended the door frames to match the more sloped windshield. These two alone give the cab a bigger feel, more so than it actually is. Interesting how something like this is perceived in ones eyes. Its this forward dash and sloped A pillars that gave me parking issues, the pillars in mine are pretty much vertical where the 15+ are angled inward, which is why I think the truck is straight between the lines, when in fact it is on an angle.

Glad to have mine back though, what a difference is was between them. First thing I noticed this morning was the dash and windshield are much closer to me, and thats when I went, AHA, thats the difference!

Spamfritter

I drove a 2014 and a 2015 back to back when I bought my truck. The interior quality of the 2014 was underwhelming to me compared to the 2015. I used to prefer the exterior styling of the 2014 to the 2015, but the interior on the latter and the increased performance due to the weight savings sold me on the newer truck. I also owned a 2008 prior to buying the 2015. I can agree that the center console and door handles do contribute to the newer truck feeling more cramped despite the increased width. I love the new dash design, I thought it was worlds nicer than the outgoing model. I will say that the head light controls and a few other things are placed better on the older model.

2015PlatMag

The new truck is better than the old in almost every way. I really get a kick out of the " glad I bought the old model cuz the new model sux" comments. More like I'm still trying to convince my self that I still like my old truck even though I really like the new one better. It happens w every brand every model change for the last 100 years. Where would we be if every time something new came out it was worse than what camebefore? We would be back to driving covered wagons by now lol