mocad

Looking for some advice. I'm currently in a '14 Lariat (original window sticker attached) thinking about moving up to a '17 F-150 for a variety of reasons. The price of a Lariat now is quite a bit more than I paid for my '14 so I'm looking at a loaded XLT instead. Here are my questions:

1. For anyone out there who did the same (09-14 Lariat for 15+ XLT), what do you regret / miss the most?

2. Are there any treads on swapping out the 'regular' (non-tow) power mirrors for regular (non-tow) power folding mirrors? I can find threads on stepping up to the full-on power fold, telescoping tow mirrors, but all I need is just power fold regular for my garage.

3. When you load out an XLT and get Sync 3, do you also get climate control?

4. How is the stereo in an XLT (w and w/o the sub)? Sony in my '14 is one of the best factory stereos I've ever had.

5. Any thoughts / insights / negotiation advice on why dealers (not counting factory discounts even) discount the XLTs so much more than the Lariats? Even just on principle this makes me want to go w/ XLT. I don't know why a more expensive truck has a lower % discount... makes no sense to me unless it's something really special like a Raptor. All I can think is Ford must have more dealer incentives on XLTs.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks!

Probity

Current Lariat owners will have to comment on all your points. My $0.02 on XLT stuff:

3. My '16 302a XLT has manual climate control. Don't think it's an XLT option.
5. Many more XLT's out there so supply and demand regards pricing, incentives. Many posts on Lariats costing more overall as a % of MSRP.

jmslf150

I think I can help with this one a little, and have a decently similar reference point. I came from a Jeep Overland Summit (now the wife's) and a Titan SL.

I just purchased a FX4 XLT, and pretty much had the exact same concerns you listed. Here is where I land, 3 weeks in to my purchase:

I don't really regret not having leather, or miss it. It's been years since I had a cloth vehicle, but mine has the brown cloth and I think it's pretty high quality. The big selling point for me was the FX4 package has the center console and sync 3, felt more upscale than the base xlt with the middle seat folded down, now that there's anything wrong with that either, just my preference to have a true center console.

I think i got so used to just walking up to my vehicles, pulling the handle because it recognized the remote in my pocket, and pushing the button that i still am little annoyed with fumbling with the key and fob. I know that sounds really dumb, and it's not the end of the world but it is weird lol.

The sync 3 is amazing, really.

The audio is awful. No bass, forget even playing siruis on it. Actually this morning i was reviewing the forums on the Kicker system, just don't really want to drop 1500 after install on it, but audio is top on my list needs upgraded for sure. I had the rockford fosgate in my titan and i miss it so much.

Overall, I say if you find the color you like, go with XLT. I've yet to go wow i wish i got the lariat, mostly because i wanted the blue flame metallic.

Hope this helps,

F150kang

Word. The smart key is the only thing I wish my XLT 303A had.

MNWILKO

You'll find a lot of similar threads and info on this in the forum. A lot of us were in the same boat. I was either going to order a 500 pack lariat or take a 302a XLT and after I weighed the pros and cons and saw how much better the XLT incentives were it was a no brainier. Mine also has the console and sync 3. I put $650 Katskinz leather seats in mine and couldn't be happier with the truck.

J15

jms - You can get 40/console/40 (no folding middle seat) without FX4 FYI.

I own a 2015 XLT with 300A (base package). To answer your questions...

Cloth seats:

Ford cloth seats are perfectly good quality. If you don't like them, you can have Katzkin leather installed for about $1000 and it's widely regarded as comparable or superior to factory leather when installed properly.

Stereo:

The factory sound system is absolute garbage. If you use the stereo often, you'll lose your mind unless you upgrade with an amplified system. No bass, poor clarity... it sounds like a cheap battery powered boom box. I installed new speakers in the doors, added a JL 5-channel amplifier, and put a 12" shallow mount subwoofer under the back seat. While I had the doors ripped apart, I installed sound deadener to eliminate vibration and quiet down the road noise. Worth every penny.

Mirrors:

Mirror installation is mainly driven by the type of wiring harness that came with your truck. There's a triangle shaped trim panel on your front doors. Pop this off to reveal the door harness connector for your mirrors. If it's an 8-pin (relatively square) harness, you're probably going to need to rewire your doors, which is a major pain in the ***. If it's a 22-pin harness (rectangular), you can likely do the swap you want. As a rule of thumb, you can generally retain any features you already have from the factory. If you want more features, you may need to change your wiring and program the door modules. Having gone from the crappy 300A standard mirrors to the high end tow mirrors, I can tell you from experience to buy the truck you want from the factory and skip the misery and expense of adding mirrors after the fact.

As for Lariat pricing, the XLT is Ford's high value trim level. This is what the average Joe buys when they don't want a work truck (XL). For that reason, it's the highest volume trim level and that gives Ford room to offer price breaks. That doesn't mean you have to pay a premium for the Lariat. When negotiating for your truck, a competitive offer would start at invoice price, then subtract holdback and rebates. You can also play games with financing to save an additional $1000-$1500 in rebates. Take the Ford Credit financing offer with a high interest rate to qualify for the rebate, then immediately pay it off with cash or refinance with your local bank/credit union. You may be surprised to see where you land. The rule of thumb for XLT trim is that you can likely negotiate to 75% of sticker all said and done. When picking dealers to work with, the high volume guys will make it easier to get the price you want. Small dealers will be less flexible unless they have a can do attitude.

fordtrks4ever

I think one of the biggest differences you will notice is the lighting. Your 14' has HID the XLT will have halogen which as noted in many various posts are not the best. The Lariat 502a and above will have LED which are great.

webby150

I just spent over a month researching both the XLT and lariat, as this is my first truck purchase. I drive a lot for work so I wanted all the creature comforts of a luxury car, and the Lariat ticked all the boxes. The stereo alone is worth it. Get a base lariat instead of a loaded XLT and the price differential is not that much.

Nighthawk87

My thoughts:

I kind of miss my standard key on the xlt. Something about turning a truck over I like.

I find I'm less likely to use remote start if I otherwise don't need to take the key out.

I love the auto side mirrors, memory seats, and dash stiching which I almost always get - "wow this is nice"

Keep in mind a xlt with options is still just an xlt. A lariat with no options is still a lariat. Your resell value will be better with a lariat vs the xlt with lots of options.

Sgb020

Really the resell between the two is not a big deal if you keep it more then a couple of years