Ford F-150 Overview

Test driving the most popular model of the best-selling full-size pickups is a piece of cake ... sort of. In evaluating the latest edition of the Ford F-150, there can be a tendency to overlook its many assets because they are so familiar. Also, there can be a tendency to overlook the refining and honing that have been applied to make a good pickup even better.

We tried the 1994 Ford Flareside SuperCab F-150 in the 4x4 version and fell into the trap of taking the familiar for granted. It was predictable in doing what Ford pickups have been doing since they took over full-size sales leadership 16 years ago-satisfying their owners by performing well, handling nicely and delivering great value in a lasting, reliable manner. But we got a wake-up call when we used our F-150 to pick up a piece of furniture: The men at the loading dock went bonkers over our truck.

So we stepped back and tried to look at the F-150 with fresh eyes. It was difficult because we kept slipping into a "that's the way it's supposed to be" frame of mind. But we recalled the enthusiasm of the guys on the loading dock and tried anew to appreciate fully this pickup.