Oman motoring: Beauty and a beast — the Ford F150 Lariat

Lifestyle Sunday 15/January/2017 17:19 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman motoring: Beauty and a beast — the Ford F150 Lariat

The Ford F150 is absolutely designed and built for hardcore conditions, whether rock climbing, for which it has greater torque with the 3.5L V6 Ecoboost than it did with previous V8 conventional engine, or playing in the sand dunes, for which it has a great new feature ‘neutral tow mode’ that allows a driver to completely deactivate the automatic transition in situations in which the truck needs to be pulled, thereby protecting the transmission from damage. It also has an anti-overheating technology, which cuts the A/C and reduces the number of active cylinders in the case of a hot engine or transmission so the driver can safely make it to a service station, even if he or she is out in the middle of nowhere.

We thankfully didn’t need to make use of those particular safety features on our test drive which included a 1,000km road trip over long desert highways, up rocky inclines, and over sandy beaches. After testing this beast on the road, I can confidently report that the F150 can handle anything you care to throw at it, on or off road. This did not come as a total shock, considering the company is well-known for building powerful, rugged vehicles. What was surprising, however, was just how comfortable it was.

We were fortunate enough to enjoy driving the Lariat trim, a fully-loaded option that included the trappings of a premium vehicle, from heated and cooled multi-adjustable seats (and pedals and steering wheel) to a fantastic entertainment system and driver assistance technology. Inside, it felt like driving a luxury sedan. Well, a luxury sedan with more muscle than almost any other vehicle on the road. The second row seats are more spacious that those in the second row of most cars and also include comforts like heated seats and climate control. If you don’t have any passengers, the seats fold flat against the back wall of the truck, providing a huge bonus of in-cab storage for your luggage, leaving the bed empty for your camping or barbeque gear.

The little things, like comfortable seats and booming speakers and all the cup holders and storage compartments your heart could desire, is what makes all the difference on a long-haul drive. With a cool box in the centre console, iced coffee in my cup holder, a heated seat relaxing my back muscles, and great music vibrating around me, I barely felt the 12 hours of continuous driving we undertook to get down to Masirah Island, which was truly remarkable.

On the freeways, we enjoyed the smooth ride and in-cabin amenities, but once we arrived on the remote island, it was time for the muscle of this machine to take centre stage. We began the off-road portion of our trip with a turn off the main highway and onto the beach. Cruising over the pitted, well-worn tyre tracks was about as smooth as driving on the highway. We continued on, alternating between the solitary paved road that runs along the coast of the entire island and gravel goat paths that lead us to rocky ledges overlooking the crashing waves.

Barely a grumble, and no tyre stipage, even on steep inclines. Then we diverted back to the beach, onto an abandoned stretch of sand between the jagged mountains and the sea. It was almost too easy as the truck climbed effortlessly, so we decided to try to push the limits a bit, accelerating hard and attempting to drift through banks of soft-packed sand. We simply plowed right through.

Even with our taxing antics, the entire journey required less than a tank each way, thanks to the ecoboost engine. That’s quite an achievement for a massive vehicle packing this much power. While the size might seem intimidating at first (it does tower above the rest), once inside the cushy cocoon of the interior, you’ll soon forget about everything else.

2016 Ford F150 Lariat

Authorised Oman Dealer:
Arabian Car Marketing
Ford Showroom, Wattayah
+968 2457 9719

Highlights:
Available Trims: F150 XLT and Lariat (reviewed)
Engine: 3.5L V6 EcoBoost
385 HP @ 5000 rpm, 464 lb-ft @ 2750 rpm

Transmission:
Automatic 6-speed with tow/haul mode
4x4 Electronic-shift-on-the-fly (ESOF)
Neutral Towing capability (so you don’t spoil your automatic transmission if you need to be pulled)
AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control (RSC)
Alluminum body (military grade, super-strong body that is rust-resistant and lighter than steel)
20” Chrome wheels
Foldable pick-up box extender (easy to use and folds away into the side of the truck bed when not in use)
Twin Panel Moonroof
Heated steering wheel with power tilt and telescope
Leather, heated, cooled 10-way power seats.
Remote Start and remote tailgate release system
Auto high beam and rain sensing wipers (the former came in really handy on the back roads of Sharqiyah)
Super sound system
Great-looking led lights
360 degree cameras
More cup-holders and around-seat storage than you’ll known what to do with (our mini-cooler fit INSIDE the centre console. Totally awesome.)
Great ground clearance that absolutely dominated every terrain we took it on without so much as a whimper
Great gas mileage (we went about 500 km on less than one tank of petrol)

Starting Price: OMR 15,400

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