I think it may hurt truck guys more than someone like me.. I simply dont care if its considered a "real" truck or a crossover, or a ElCamino lol... all I really want is a vehicle that gets decent MPG, is AWD, can seat adults(dont care about kids at mid 50's), and has places to store things i carry for what I do INSIDE(or in a trunk) where it can be out of the elements and locked and most of all not take up seat space// but yet have the great versatility and convenience of having the bed for stuff you either cant do or wouldn't want to do with a small SUV...( can carry bags or eredrock from lowes in the back but its either a multi trip deal AND expensive.. when for a fraction of that I can go to the one gravelpit and instead of buying 15 bags of redrocks for the driveway I can get a bed full for 1/2 less... cant do that with a SUV, I can take my spring brush/shrub cleanup stuff to the Township building and drop off for free...sure I can jam all that crap in the back of the Forester after cleaning out the back.. and then also be picking spiders,bugs,sticks,twigs and bark out of the interior for the next month or 3...

We looked at a picnic table last year when we were traveling it was one of those outdoor ones made from resin or something...was the guys last one.. it was a relatively big one and great quality.. guy wanted $250 id gladly pay it and had taken it on spot(our old wood one rotted away to nothing finally got that the last time I had a truck a Nissan Frontier) but couldnt no way to get it home in a Forester...

But i think you get what im looking for.. and to fords credit their F150 2.7 makes the cut because its MPG doesnt suck..but I dont care what people call it..its not a thing for me .. I heard something on star trek once makes me think of this so I will change it a bit... "You forget Jim im not a truck guy I have no Truck guy ego to bruise"


so for me none of that matters or what people think it is or isnt its how useful it is lol.

 

I could and probably would end up doing so or even a cap.. but it would have to be one of those hard locking ones and then id need to find something to put the stuff in so Its not rolling around back there lol. All my trucks(ive driven plenty of trucks as a Driver for a dealership but ive never lived with a FULL size one full time just the small and mid size ones.) but all mine always had the tonneau if anything just for MPG sake.

 

Nor should you care.
Since AWD is a requirement, that pretty much narrows it down as AWD is not an option on any F150. The closest thing is auto 4wd which isnt the same.

 

I almost had one back in the day that Diesel was LESS than regular gas(im not exactly sure when that changed but I remember for a fact it was cheaper back when I got out of the military in 1990 because I almost ended up with a diesel then best of both worlds back then cheaper cost than 87 octane AND better MPG..what wasnt to like..

Deal ended up falling through though when the guy I was buying off ended up with his 3rd SWI and went to jail....Truck just sat(nice truck not a spot of rust on it when I almost bought it) and ended up never driven again and rusted to death, still there today...

 

They are not the same correct but provides the same for me so id take either ive had both and have no preference as long as the AWD system is good and the 4x4 system works lol. Either or I like both and living in the north east wouldnt be without AWD or 4x4.

 

Oh, ok. As a reminder you cant use 4x4 on dry pavement. Since either is acceptable I would revert back to my comment of which one you like driving better, and that the RL is a mid size versus F150 being full size.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0sou7CAmPc

 

@CBennett047 , be aware that you must buy Lariat trim or higher to get the "4A" ("Torque On Demand", aka "TOD") transfer case on a 2021-2024 (Gen 14) F150; XL & XLT trims have the different "ESOF" transfer case which does not offer the "4A" setting; Only "4A" can be used full-time on any road surface / any road condition / any speed like the RL AWD (and as mentioned even Ford 4A is not as sophisticated and competent as Honda AWD). I've owned the RL with AWD and currently own a Lariat with 4A.

Note also that starting in model year 2024 you cannot get the 2.7 engine on Lariat and higher trims (so no 4A with 2.7 engine starting in 2024); you can only get that combination on the Lariat trim from 2021-2023 Gen 14 F150 (higher than Lariat trims have never offered the 2.7 engine in Gen 14). Just pointing out your field of choices is very limited for the 2.7 engine with 4A whether shopping new or used.

Having followed all of your posts I really think the RL fits all of your wants and needs to a "T", just as it comes off the factory floor.
.

• No, it cannot offer the towing capacity of an F150, but that higher-weight towing capacity does not appear on your lists of wants / needs.
• The sticker payload rating of the AWD RL (on the order of ~1600#) equals or exceeds that of many F150's.
• There's no way to approach the RL's IRS day-to-day ride comfort without F150 suspension mods, and they still won't match the RL in that respect.
• You can't achieve the RL's weather-tight storage options / capacity (that amazing trunk) without modifying / accessorizing an F150 (and achieving a bed as assuredly and consistently weather tight as the RL's generous trunk with any a bed cover / tonneau is a sporting proposition).
• The RL will more than accommodate all of the people and 'stuff'-hauling' scenario's you have described.
• The RL will more consistently achieve equal or better MPG than even a 2.7 EB
• IME RL owners find the 2-way tailgate an incredibly wonderful feature, usually much more than they anticipated; loading anything that fits completely within the bed with no dropped-tailgate to reach / slide over is just great.
• When needing to load long / wide items (e.g. a sheet of plywood) the RL bed offers a flat 50" between the wheel wells and the lowered tailgate works for support just like an F150. BTW, the RL wheel wells are much lower to the bed floor, intruding much less in the bed than an F150's wheel wells.
• The RL's composite bed with no painted surfaces is truly rugged - no need to consider a bed liner of any sort to maintain a scratch-free good-looking bed over time and use of any sort.

No vehicle is 100% 'perfect' for any owner, and the RL isn't for everyone, but based on your posts I strongly suspect that if you step back and compile an objective prioritized ranking of each of your wants and needs, you'll find that the RL is the clear and best choice for you.

Good Luck, Happy Shopping!

 

The Ridgeline bed in composite material is brilliant!!! Not sure why Ford doesn't do that!!
The in bed storage trunk is also great and its waterproof!

And Honda gets a 10 out of 10 for their dual functioning tailgate!
No gimmicks, no weird set up and no steps, lights, speakers...

Juast a simple swing out...or fold down!
Wish my truck had that!!

 

Do you remember where you saw Ford stating using this updated drum in production? I haven't been able to verify the date for productions trucks- though I am aware they started providing the updated part for repair around this time as well.

Thanks!