Quick Tour: 2015 Ford F150 Lariat

Thursday of the L.A Auto Show Press Days was also Green Car Ride and Drive.  That's where you get to sign up and drive the greenest of the new cars out there in production or concept form.  I wasn't all that surprised when I saw that the Ford F150 with the Ecoboost 2.7l V6 was among the test options for us.

By now we've heard all the significant details, military grade aluminum brought about some 700 lbs weight reduction that allowed the use of newer, smaller engines for better fuel economy and less green house emissions.  Yeah.  Sounds like a win...and it is.

Pictured here is the mid-level Lariat with the standard SuperCab set up.  Super comfortable seating for 5.  Easy access to the rear via suicide doors.  Its trimmed better than many so called luxury cars of 5-10 years ago, gorgeous leather, soft touch materials.  Very much the class act and it starts at 38.7K.

This truck was loaded with technology, lastest MyFordTouch with navigation, blind spot monitoring, trailer, 8" productivity screen nestled with the gauges, power sliding rear window with privacy glass and more goodies than I can mention in this one post.  Want to build your own?  Visit FORD HERE.

Driving this truck was about exceeding expectations. The 2.7l V6 Ecoboost has ample power to zip around city traffic. Wait, I said zip?  Yes, the weight loss and changes to suspension and the power of this tiny (recall the Pinto back in the day had 2.8l V6 available which had nowhere near the power) Ecoboost makes for a truck that handles more like a large car than trucks of yore.  Its really quite composed over the the potholed streets of Los Angeles around the Convention Center, no shake and shudder, quiet and doesn't pitch and yaw going into turns.  Very untrucklike.

An interesting feature on this truck is the stop-start feature that stops the engine when conditions are appropriate like at stoplights, rail crossings etc.,.  This allows you to eke out an few extra MPG's in both city and Highway driving.  I do have to say its among the best applications of the stop-start in any nonhybrid I've driven yet.

I get to spend a bit more time with this truck at a Ford Open House in a few weeks.  A full review and driving impressions will follow...along with a video and MPG round up over my tried and true 20 Mile loop through the South Bay.

More pics from the 2014 L.A. Auto Show HERE.

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