2018 Ford F-150 Pros and Cons

The Ford F-150 is the best selling vehicle in the United States and has been for a while.

Coming off from being crowned AutoGuide.com’s 2018 Truck of the Year, Ford’s ubiquitous F-150 is a smart, hard-working, and capable truck that has proven its worth. Apart from being the best selling pickup truck in America for more than 40 years, it has for well over 30 years also been the best-selling vehicle in the United States period. This truck is currently in its 13th generation, and that kind of longevity says a lot about how popular this truck is.

“The rig that simply does more things for a greater diversity of customers is the heavily updated F-150,” said Craig Cole, AutoGuide.com‘s Detroit Bureau Editor. “While not a perfect pickup, it’s still an impressive piece of engineering that once again elevates the truck standard.”

ALSO SEE: 2018 Ford F-150 Review

We have already had some substantial seat time in this capable pickup truck and there are unique qualities that set this pickup truck apart from the rest of the others in the segment. Here are some pros and cons of the 2018 Ford F-150:

Powertrain Options Galore: The F-150 can be outfitted with a ton of engine options stopping short of a hybrid version (which is actually coming in the near future). Base models come with the 3.3-liter V6 putting out 290 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque, while the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 and 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 versions have 325 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque and 370 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque, respectively. An available 5.0-liter V8 engine puts out 395 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, and for diesel aficionados, the new 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel should suffice. The base models have a six-speed automatic, while the rest of the range get the new 10-speed automatic.

Revolutionary New Transmission: The recently introduced 10-speed automatic transmission brings unexpected improvements to the driving character of this pickup truck. Despite having so many gears to play with, the transmission consistently delivers seamless and intuitive shifts and provides sufficient torque off the line. These characteristics play an important role when towing and also increasing fuel economy.

Great Driving Dynamics: “This truck drives the lightest of the half-ton bunch, with the ability to tuck into a corner and feel nimble, at least as trucks go,” said Stephen Elmer of AutoGuide.com in his full review of the F-150.

Innovative Driving Aids: In a segment that can be slow to adopt advanced driver assist features in vehicles, this pickup bucks that trend and comes with some smart tech. Pro Trailer Backup Assist gives an overhead rear view to help with proper trailer alignment. For 2018, it even gets better with an available adaptive cruise system with stop-and-go and a pedestrian detection collision feature.

Thirsty: The V6 engines collectively post an average fuel economy of 20 mpg combined. With the V8, it even gets worse and dips to below 20 mpg at 19 mpg combined. Hopefully, the upcoming 3.0-liter turbodiesel with a 25 mpg combined fuel rating brings some relief to your wallet regarding fuel costs. The ongoing joke about EcoBoost engines is that you can have “Eco” or “Boost” but not both.

Hit and Miss Driver Assist Features: Although the stop-and-go functionality feature worked smoothly in traffic during a test for AutoGuide.com, the lane keep assist was a little too abrupt and overly sensitive to the yellow lines on the road. Luckily, Ford lets you turn the system off should you desire.

Poor Stock Tires: The stock tires offered on the F-150 didn’t perform well in the snow, so a dedicated set of winter tires will be necessary for those who have to deal with messy winters.