The legendary Ford F-Series has been around through 14 generations and it’s been assembled in Australia or imported in the past in various different guises. Now, in a global first, the current Ford F-150 is being imported in left-hand drive from Detroit to Melbourne, where it goes through a factory-authorised conversion to right-hand drive. This is happening because there’s enough of a market here opened up by the RAM 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado for Ford Australia to chase, but not enough volume for the Blue Oval to justify a factory RHD program in the USA. So just how competitive is the Aussie F-150? We’ve now driven the biggest-selling pick-up truck of them on local soil, and it’s clear that this is a quality new addition to the genre.
How much does the Ford F-150 Lariat cost?
There are four models in the locally ‘remanufactured’ 2023 Ford F-150 full-size pick-up line-up of ladder-frame 4×4 dual-cabs that launches in Australia in November.
XLT and Lariat are the two equipment levels and both are available with either a short wheelbase (SWB) or long wheelbase (LWB). Mind you, the SWB is 3694mm and the LWB 3994mm. So it’s more like gargantuan and gargantuan-plus.
Ford forecasts the Lariat will account for 65 per cent of sales and the SWB 60 per cent, so we’ve combined the most popular combo for this first drive.
The Lariat SWB is priced at $139,950 plus on-road costs, making it the second most expensive vehicle in the line-up, just $995 less expensive than the Lariat LWB.
The XLT SWB is priced from $106,950 and the XLT LWB starts at $107,945 (both plus ORCs).
In terms of competition, the Lariat SWB is most closely priced against the RAM 1500 Laramie Sport (from $136,950 plus ORCs). The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ (from $121,000) is logical competition because of its similar intended use as a towing rig and tourer. The Silverado ZR2 comes a bit closer on price at $124,000 plus ORCs, but it’s really aimed at more serious off-roading.
What equipment comes with the Ford F-150 Lariat?
One of the proud boasts of the team developing the 2023 Ford F-150 for Australia is it loses no equipment compared to the US donor vehicle. In some ways, its standard equipment list is better.
The Lariat is easy to pick from the XLT because it’s the one with lashings of exterior chrome rather than blacked pack. Shiny stuff includes the 20-inch alloy wheels (fitted with Pirelli Scorpion rubber), the grille, door handles, mirrors, running boards and an exhaust extension that juts out like a bazooka behind the right-rear wheel.
Externally, the Lariat also gets zone lighting and a bunch of features for its load bed including a spray-in liner and a lockable power tailgate with a pop-out step and work surface including a ruler.
Inside, there are again some clear distinctions compared to the XLT. The gear shifter is a T-bar between the seats rather than column-mounted. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped and the seats are leather-trimmed.
Both front seats have 12-way power with lumbar adjust, heating and ventilation. The driver also gets memory settings for the seat, steering column, exterior mirrors and power-adjustable pedals.
Remote keyless entry/start, a huge sunroof, a power sliding rear window, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, outboard rear-seat heating and a centre bin lid that folds over to form a handy work table between the front seats are also standard.
The F-150 comes with an 18-inch spare tyre that Ford calls a dissimilar spare. It has a 113km/h maximum speed.
The F-150 range is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and 15,000km/12-month service intervals. The cost of capped price servicing is $429 per service for the first four years or 60,000km.
Both the RAM 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado have shorter three-year/100,000km warranties. Service intervals are 12 months/12,000km for the Chev and six months/10,000km for the RAM. Neither offer capped-price servicing.
How safe is the Ford F-150 Lariat?
The 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat comes without an ANCAP rating and is highly unlikely to get one.
That’s because ANCAP has no plan to institute a traditional crash-test program for these vehicles. However, it is expected to introduce an assessment of driver assist and vulnerable road user protection and award colour ratings the same way it does for vans.
In the US, full-size pick-ups are tested by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The left-hand drive F-150 has been given the approval of both.
It’s also important to note that in the conversion process to right-hand drive the F-150 has retained its suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
These include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centring, lane keeping with driver alert, evasive steering assist, intersection assist, blind spot monitoring with cross traffic alert and trailer coverage, speed sign recognition and reverse braking assist.
