FX4 Package - Worth it?
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FX4 Package - Worth it?
Getting ready to order a Lariat with the sport appearance package. I am upgrading from my 2018 XLT in order to get 4x4 and more bells and whistles. I don't currently tow any trailers and don't expect to do any off roading. I expect to keep this truck for many years hence the bells and whistles. Interested in opinions if I should still consider adding the FX4 package? The X-Plan cost is $923.
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From: Livonia, MI
There is a giant thread on this already, with a few pages of updates.
The result if you don't want to read it all is, it depends. I got it on my '19, and ordered it on my '21. It was harder to check the box on the '21 because I ordered the PowerBoost which comes with the locking rear. Also if you get the Max Trailer Tow, it comes with the locking rear. In those two cases, it becomes a tougher sell.
The flip side of it is, you get the tray liners (which can be bought aftermarket obviously), the skid plates, which people like to call weak, even though those same people aren't taking their '21 F-150s into serious off-road that would challenge even the OEM ones. They still offer good protection for what someone is likely to take a $50k+ truck into and you don't have to climb under to install them. The aftermarket skid plates are up to $500+, so already a good portion of the FX4 cost without even accounting for your time or expense to install. All to have skid plates that may offer better protection on a truck you aren't rock crawling to begin with.
It gives you hill descent control, which I found useful in my '19 while traveling around northern MI. In the previous gen and maybe this one, you could add that even on a non-FX4 using FORSCAN and buying the button and taking apart part of your dash.
Basically, if you read the above, it comes down to this.
If you aren't getting either a PowerBoost or Max Tow, the FX4 is in my view a no-brainer for the rear locker and other features. (unless maybe you live in California or Florida and don't go off-road at all, in which case short of launching a boat, even 4x4 may be an expense worth reconsidering.)
If you already have a package with the rear locker, it becomes a tougher sell, because you can add most everything else aftermarket. But if you add that stuff, you end up paying close to the MSRP of FX4, plus have to install the parts or pay someone to do it. Plus, nobody pays MSRP for their truck. My FX4 actually cost me in the neighborhood of $600 if I adjust for A-Plan and a portion of my rebates (taken as a percentage of FX4 vs overall truck MSRP). $600 is around the cost for just skid plates plus tax shipped, not even getting into $200+ for full tray liners, module to use FORSCAN plus the button plus your time installing it, etc. In that respect, I think it's still worth it.
It is NOT worth it if you never take your truck even on a dirt road, prefer carpeted floor mats, or have had F-150s with hill descent and that and never used it.
In the end, I think even with lower cost and everything aside, that sticker seems to be more attractive on resale. Not necessarily getting you more money, but if selling private party it may be easier to get someone to buy, and maybe even be willing to pay a bit more. While hardly anybody is seriously offroading a brand new truck, once it get sold in three years or so, the odds go up of someone with interest in that buying it. And that sticker can potentially bring some people in.
So, that's the picture from my view and from what others have said. Some adamantly say it isn't worth it and as I said wave away the cost and time required to add the parts after the fact, and that's fine. Not my truck or problem. But I think some people are in it more for the enjoyment they get on modding their truck. I don't like messing with dash clips and that, and the $600 or even $1005 isn't worth stressing about.
The result if you don't want to read it all is, it depends. I got it on my '19, and ordered it on my '21. It was harder to check the box on the '21 because I ordered the PowerBoost which comes with the locking rear. Also if you get the Max Trailer Tow, it comes with the locking rear. In those two cases, it becomes a tougher sell.
The flip side of it is, you get the tray liners (which can be bought aftermarket obviously), the skid plates, which people like to call weak, even though those same people aren't taking their '21 F-150s into serious off-road that would challenge even the OEM ones. They still offer good protection for what someone is likely to take a $50k+ truck into and you don't have to climb under to install them. The aftermarket skid plates are up to $500+, so already a good portion of the FX4 cost without even accounting for your time or expense to install. All to have skid plates that may offer better protection on a truck you aren't rock crawling to begin with.
It gives you hill descent control, which I found useful in my '19 while traveling around northern MI. In the previous gen and maybe this one, you could add that even on a non-FX4 using FORSCAN and buying the button and taking apart part of your dash.
Basically, if you read the above, it comes down to this.
If you aren't getting either a PowerBoost or Max Tow, the FX4 is in my view a no-brainer for the rear locker and other features. (unless maybe you live in California or Florida and don't go off-road at all, in which case short of launching a boat, even 4x4 may be an expense worth reconsidering.)
If you already have a package with the rear locker, it becomes a tougher sell, because you can add most everything else aftermarket. But if you add that stuff, you end up paying close to the MSRP of FX4, plus have to install the parts or pay someone to do it. Plus, nobody pays MSRP for their truck. My FX4 actually cost me in the neighborhood of $600 if I adjust for A-Plan and a portion of my rebates (taken as a percentage of FX4 vs overall truck MSRP). $600 is around the cost for just skid plates plus tax shipped, not even getting into $200+ for full tray liners, module to use FORSCAN plus the button plus your time installing it, etc. In that respect, I think it's still worth it.
It is NOT worth it if you never take your truck even on a dirt road, prefer carpeted floor mats, or have had F-150s with hill descent and that and never used it.
In the end, I think even with lower cost and everything aside, that sticker seems to be more attractive on resale. Not necessarily getting you more money, but if selling private party it may be easier to get someone to buy, and maybe even be willing to pay a bit more. While hardly anybody is seriously offroading a brand new truck, once it get sold in three years or so, the odds go up of someone with interest in that buying it. And that sticker can potentially bring some people in.
So, that's the picture from my view and from what others have said. Some adamantly say it isn't worth it and as I said wave away the cost and time required to add the parts after the fact, and that's fine. Not my truck or problem. But I think some people are in it more for the enjoyment they get on modding their truck. I don't like messing with dash clips and that, and the $600 or even $1005 isn't worth stressing about.
Last edited by vulnox; Mar 14, 2021 at 01:35 PM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 10
Likes: 4
There is a giant thread on this already, with a few pages of updates.
The result if you don't want to read it all is, it depends. I got it on my '19, and ordered it on my '21. It was harder to check the box on the '21 because I ordered the PowerBoost which comes with the locking rear. Also if you get the Max Trailer Tow, it comes with the locking rear. In those two cases, it becomes a tougher sell.
The flip side of it is, you get the tray liners (which can be bought aftermarket obviously), the skid plates, which people like to call weak, even though those same people aren't taking their '21 F-150s into serious off-road that would challenge even the OEM ones. They still offer good protection for what someone is likely to take a $50k+ truck into and you don't have to climb under to install them. The aftermarket skid plates are up to $500+, so already a good portion of the FX4 cost without even accounting for your time or expense to install. All to have skid plates that may offer better protection on a truck you aren't rock crawling to begin with.
It gives you hill descent control, which I found useful in my '19 while traveling around northern MI. In the previous gen and maybe this one, you could add that even on a non-FX4 using FORSCAN and buying the button and taking apart part of your dash.
Basically, if you read the above, it comes down to this.
If you aren't getting either a PowerBoost or Max Tow, the FX4 is in my view a no-brainer for the rear locker and other features. (unless maybe you live in California or Florida and don't go off-road at all, in which case short of launching a boat, even 4x4 may be an expense worth reconsidering.)
If you already have a package with the rear locker, it becomes a tougher sell, because you can add most everything else aftermarket. But if you add that stuff, you end up paying close to the MSRP of FX4, plus have to install the parts or pay someone to do it. Plus, nobody pays MSRP for their truck. My FX4 actually cost me in the neighborhood of $600 if I adjust for A-Plan and a portion of my rebates (taken as a percentage of FX4 vs overall truck MSRP). $600 is around the cost for just skid plates plus tax shipped, not even getting into $200+ for full tray liners, module to use FORSCAN plus the button plus your time installing it, etc. In that respect, I think it's still worth it.
It is NOT worth it if you never take your truck even on a dirt road, prefer carpeted floor mats, or have had F-150s with hill descent and that and never used it.
In the end, I think even with lower cost and everything aside, that sticker seems to be more attractive on resale. Not necessarily getting you more money, but if selling private party it may be easier to get someone to buy, and maybe even be willing to pay a bit more. While hardly anybody is seriously offroading a brand new truck, once it get sold in three years or so, the odds go up of someone with interest in that buying it. And that sticker can potentially bring some people in.
So, that's the picture from my view and from what others have said. Some adamantly say it isn't worth it and as I said wave away the cost and time required to add the parts after the fact, and that's fine. Not my truck or problem. But I think some people are in it more for the enjoyment they get on modding their truck. I don't like messing with dash clips and that, and the $600 or even $1005 isn't worth stressing about.
The result if you don't want to read it all is, it depends. I got it on my '19, and ordered it on my '21. It was harder to check the box on the '21 because I ordered the PowerBoost which comes with the locking rear. Also if you get the Max Trailer Tow, it comes with the locking rear. In those two cases, it becomes a tougher sell.
The flip side of it is, you get the tray liners (which can be bought aftermarket obviously), the skid plates, which people like to call weak, even though those same people aren't taking their '21 F-150s into serious off-road that would challenge even the OEM ones. They still offer good protection for what someone is likely to take a $50k+ truck into and you don't have to climb under to install them. The aftermarket skid plates are up to $500+, so already a good portion of the FX4 cost without even accounting for your time or expense to install. All to have skid plates that may offer better protection on a truck you aren't rock crawling to begin with.
It gives you hill descent control, which I found useful in my '19 while traveling around northern MI. In the previous gen and maybe this one, you could add that even on a non-FX4 using FORSCAN and buying the button and taking apart part of your dash.
Basically, if you read the above, it comes down to this.
If you aren't getting either a PowerBoost or Max Tow, the FX4 is in my view a no-brainer for the rear locker and other features. (unless maybe you live in California or Florida and don't go off-road at all, in which case short of launching a boat, even 4x4 may be an expense worth reconsidering.)
If you already have a package with the rear locker, it becomes a tougher sell, because you can add most everything else aftermarket. But if you add that stuff, you end up paying close to the MSRP of FX4, plus have to install the parts or pay someone to do it. Plus, nobody pays MSRP for their truck. My FX4 actually cost me in the neighborhood of $600 if I adjust for A-Plan and a portion of my rebates (taken as a percentage of FX4 vs overall truck MSRP). $600 is around the cost for just skid plates plus tax shipped, not even getting into $200+ for full tray liners, module to use FORSCAN plus the button plus your time installing it, etc. In that respect, I think it's still worth it.
It is NOT worth it if you never take your truck even on a dirt road, prefer carpeted floor mats, or have had F-150s with hill descent and that and never used it.
In the end, I think even with lower cost and everything aside, that sticker seems to be more attractive on resale. Not necessarily getting you more money, but if selling private party it may be easier to get someone to buy, and maybe even be willing to pay a bit more. While hardly anybody is seriously offroading a brand new truck, once it get sold in three years or so, the odds go up of someone with interest in that buying it. And that sticker can potentially bring some people in.
So, that's the picture from my view and from what others have said. Some adamantly say it isn't worth it and as I said wave away the cost and time required to add the parts after the fact, and that's fine. Not my truck or problem. But I think some people are in it more for the enjoyment they get on modding their truck. I don't like messing with dash clips and that, and the $600 or even $1005 isn't worth stressing about.
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From: Maine
Vulnox summarized it well IMO. If one is planning on getting the locking rear axle and tray liners (I was), the actual extra cost for the FX4 package vs adding those two items separately becomes around $350. For that extra $350, you get the OEM skid plates, different front shocks, hill descent, and the FX4 badges. Easy decision for me to include it on my 501a order.
