I traded in a 2018 Lariat 502A 3.5EB for a 2023 New to me Lariat 501A 3.5EB. The 2023 has only 16,000 miles. We drove from NW PA to New Jersey to pick it up. Some of the things I have noticed. The '23 is quieter and rides nicer. Both had the 20" tires. The '23 has the FX-4 package. It seems the bumps are muted compared to the 2018. I can even tolerate the 20s on the '23. The '23 seems to accelerate faster than the '18. I have no data to substantiate that claim, just seat of the pants feel. I am getting about 1-2 miles better per gallon with the '23 also. I have run 87 in both trucks. There is no start up noise like the 2048. I had the cam phasers done but it was never as quiet as the '23. The transmission is buttery smooth on the '23. The 2018 did have the rebuild but still wasn't as smooth as the '23. The brakes are touchier in the 2023. I did have the original front brakes on the 2048 when I traded it in with 81,000 miles. I thought the rears were the original also, but the carfax the dealership pulled showed the first set being replaced at 25,000 miles.
Some other things I have noticed: I can have the sunroof open with all the windows closed. If I did that on the 2018, it created a horrible cavitation type sound. The headlights on the 2018 were superior to the ones on the 501A. I thought they were halogen at first, but they are led. The light coming out isn't a bright white like the 2018. I am looking for suggestions to upgrade them to something brighter. I can take or leave the power tail gate. I am glad that I can turn that off because I can then open it when I am pulling the camper. The tongue jack would get in the way. The power tail gate sensed that and would not open. I am also glad I can turn off and turn on the driver safety features like the adaptive cruise. One big plus is the 360 camera system. That is so helpful. I like the bigger screen. I also like how it doesn't take long to change the cabin filter. Just remove the glove box and it's right there. No removing trim or any screws. All in all, a nice upgrade. I hope it is more reliable than the '18. I did buy the Ford ESP just in case though. The one for the '18 more than paid for itself.

 

Something I just noticed also. On the 2018, which did not have adaptive cruise, when you went down a hill causing acceleration, the transmission would downshift to keep you from speeding up too much. The '23 must apply the brakes to keep you at speed. I would rather it downshift. Not sure if I don't use adaptive cruise, if it will revert to down shifting.

 

I drove a 2020 and waited for the better riding 2021 before jumping. 2021 gen adaptive cruise will apply brakes if the difference in speed is sufficient.