The 2011 Ford F-150 Truck with Eco-Boost

This truck is not what I expected when I went to test drive it. I was looking for a regular cab 4x4 with a V-8. But, that seems to be a custom item. So, I settled (or so I thought) for the super cab 4x4 with the V-6 and Eco-boost. My first thought was; "A V-6 in a truck? You have got to be kidding." Boy, was I wrong.

This particular V-6 is 3.5L of torque and power that comes from the twin turbos. When you step on the gas it goes, really goes. As tested it features a 6.5 foot bed, the extended cab '" with full length seats in the back (more about that later). It features the Sync System, and the 4.2 in Productivity screen, with all the controls mounted on the steering wheel.

The engine, with it's turbo-chargers (two of them) is the single most impressive part of this vehicle. The advertisements say that it gives you all the power of a V-8 with the fuel economy of a V-6. It gets up and goes on the highway, and when you step on it, it sets you back in the seat. The listed gas mileage is 18 city and 23 highway, which is pretty good for a full-size truck (my 2002 Explorer Sport gets 19 city and 25 highway and it's about half the size of this truck). When you open the hood of the F-150 you see a massive, well organized engine. Everything you need to check or change is within reach, even for 5 foot 4 inch me, including the fuse box, which is right up front instead of up under the dash board. The twin turbos get their air from the large nose-piece and impressive grille. But they are cooled not only with air and oil, but water (a new idea for turbo-chargers). Another innovation for this truck is the electric power steering, this removes one belt from the engine, thus giving it that extra bit of power; which a V-6 needs.

The bed of the truck is impressive, it's 6.5 feet of cargo space, with four cargo tie downs. The tailgate has a lock, and the hinges help to raise it. This is a strange feeling, it's very heavy going down, but because of the special hinges, it is much lighter going up. This is a great help for a smaller person. The one feature that the truck, as tested, didn't have, but is available, that may have been cool, is the tailgate step. A step hides out inside the tailgate. This and the integrated grab bar, help when you have to crawl up in the back of the truck to load stuff, without this, you have to hoist yourself up on the tailgate or over the rails.

Moving around to the side of the truck you notice that it has round chrome running boards (nerf bars). These make it very easy to get in and out of the truck, especially when you use the grab bars that are also standard equipment. The back doors, the little half doors that allow access to the back seats in the Super Cab, are big enough to allow a human to get in. Although, the back seats are cramped for an adult, dogs, kids and camping gear would be right at home. The front with the standard 40/20/40 seats gives you enough room for your feet and anything else you might want to put on the floorboard. I always put my laptop in it's case and a small cooler on the floorboard, there would be no problem for this and more in the F-150. The center seat, is not necessarily a seat, so much as a storage console with room for just about everything you want to carry in your center console. There is even a space for your cellphone, or i-pod, right there on the console. There are three nooks in the dash as well for storing everything from cellphones to wallets. There are 8 cup holders and three 12v outlets. The center console also has a very large flat surface, which would be very useful for filling out deposit slips, and any other writing you would be doing in your vehicle.

The dashboard features illuminated gauges and the 4.2 inch productivity screen. The gauges light up blue, and the productivity screen has so much information that you could get lost just reading all the information. This is the one major drawback to this truck. There are so many gadgets and features, your attention can wander from the road with disastrous consequences.

Turn on the truck and it is so very quiet, you barely notice that it's running. Push the gas and it goes, that is the best thing about the truck. It goes, fast. It is billed as the fastest F-150 ever. I can't vouch for that, but as tested, it is very fast, and very powerful.

It has the trailer towing package that includes a Class IV hitch on the rear and an innovative anti-sway system that balances and turns off and on the brakes on one side of the truck, then the other and if necessary, the brakes on the trailer to keep it from swaying. I could not test this, but I would imagine it would be disconcerting the first time, but a great help once you get used to it.

There are a lot of things about this truck, that are very un-truck-like. It rides like a car, with seats that are more comfortable than my couch. There is room to spare in the cab, and power to spare under the hood (surprising for a V-6). All of the gadgets and electronic goodies, will take some practice using and time to get used to. But all in all, it's a great truck and was a pleasure to drive.

The price for this truck as tested was $37,897.95.

Power is what you want a truck for, this truck has it in spades! Ford has outdone themselves with this one.