Ford F-150 reviews

2000 Ford F-150 Interior Features

We find the Ford F-150 interior superior in flavor to the GM and Dodge competition. The F-150 takes its interior design cues from the company's successful passenger cars, such as the Ford Taurus and Lincoln Continental. The designers adapted these cues to the pickup's large cab. The curves, surfaces, textures, instrumentation and graphics inside the Ford F-150 are more adventurous, more modern, and better executed than the competition, big and bold but not outsized for a big vehicle.

The F-150 XLT has dual air bags with a passenger-side deactivation switch. It comes with air conditioning, a back panel cover and rear storage tray, dual map lights, map pockets, an upper vinyl applique, courtesy lamps, color-keyed carpeting and headliner, complete instrumentation including a tachometer, an auxiliary 12-volt power point, power windows and locks, an electronic AM/FM stereo cassette system with four speakers, cloth split bench seats with recliners, armrests, and manual lumbar support on the driver's side, speed control, tilt steering wheel, cloth-covered visors, and speed-dependent interval windshield wipers.

Compared to full-sized cars, pickup trucks come with ample amounts of head, leg, hip and shoulder room. They offer a lot of interior space for the money. Even in this F-150 XLT standard cab, which comes without the rear seats and without the extra rear doors, there is plenty of room to stretch out. The XLT has new seats this year with cloth covering, a recline feature and a lumbar support on the driver's side for even more driving comfort.

Obviously, all standard pickups share another trait: a relatively high ride height, even on 2x4 models. That can be a blessing when you're trying to see out over the traffic ahead and a curse if you're trying to go around corners at high rates of speed. But since we do a lot more of the former and very little of the latter, we like the high ride. We especially like the Ford F-150 because, unlike the Dodge, Chevrolet or GMC, the aerodynamic hood falls away very rapidly from the base of the windshield so it's easier to see what's immediately in front of the truck; that's handy for maneuvering and parking as well as dealing with traffic ahead.