This is a tale of how a simple trip to visit our 23-year old daughter in upstate New York turned into dreams of a new pick-up truck for my wife and me... Of how the "best laid plans" of one coastal Maine family actually did go awry (as they usually do when we plan anything), leading us to spend five days in transportation heaven.

Monday before Thanksgiving 2000 (November 20th): preparation day for our previously planned trip to Saratoga Springs, New York. Our plan is this: my wife and our son will ride the 445 miles from our home in mid-coast Maine to New York in our 1991 Honda Accord. I will accompany them in our 1999 Ford Ranger pick-up truck, which will have our luggage and daughter’s Christmas presents on board. My wife has already finished packing (we’re not leaving until Wednesday, 2 days hence). As is our practice before long trips, we take both vehicles to our local garage for servicing and a pre-trip inspection.

Tuesday (November 21st, 5:15 p.m.) We get a call from our local garage: the truck is serviced, but our Honda won’t be ready by Wednesday. The car needs a complete brake job, the exhaust system needs to be replaced, and the mechanic has somehow managed to strip the threads off two of the four lug studs on the left rear wheel! &*%$#@!!! Looks like we may have have to cancel our trip!!

Wednesday (November 22nd, 8:30 a.m.) I call our local car rental agency just on the off chance they might still have something we could rent for the trip. "Yes, we do," intones the rental agent. "A 2001 Ford F150 SuperCrew." Without blinking an eye, I ask for him to reserve the vehicle. My wife and I go immediately to pick it up.

We leave for New York at noon on Wednesday, with all our luggage and our daughter’s Christmas presents (including a large antique desk) on board. It immediately becomes evident to us that we've made an excellent decision in renting the Ford F150 SuperCrew. This is a full-size pick-up truck with an extended cab, four full-sized doors, 4-wheel drive, XLT package, and a load of other excellent features. It’s not just a pleasure to drive... it’s F-U-N!! It has wonderful road "manners" and is robust to the point of muscularity, while at the same time offering driver and passengers alike tremendous comfort and convenience.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS:

Bearing in mind that we only had this vehicle for five days and 1,200 miles, it’s impossible for me to give you a highly detailed, blow-by-blow description of the inner workings of the Ford F150 SuperCrew. I can, however, offer you my initial impressions, based on our excellent experiences with this well-built, fun-to-drive pick-up truck.

Here are some of the features we liked best:

Powertrain: Our rental truck came with a 4.6 liter V8 engine which was powerful, responsive, and whisper-quiet. The engine seemed perfectly matched to the truck’s body weight with regards to power. It effortlessly pushed the large and heavy F150 down the highway at 70-plus MPH; the truck climbed hills with no strain and passed other vehicles quickly and responsively. (I suspect that drivers who plan to use this truck for hauling heavy trailers or other large loads would be better served by choosing the optional 5.4 liter V8 or larger engine.) The engine was reasonably fuel efficient; over the 5 days we rented it, we averaged about 17 MPG combined city and highway driving.

The 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission was excellent. It shifted through the gears with silky-smooth precision; shifting points were barely perceptible under normal driving conditions.

Handling: The truck handled very well in every situation we put it in. The suspension was very comfortable, much like a large luxury car, but with perhaps a slightly stiffer feel to it. There was no doubt we were riding in a truck with a "car-like" feel, but that was a good thing. The power steering was quick and responsive, with almost no play in the steering wheel. Even on snowy and icy roads, (we hit a very slippery 5-mile stretch of Interstate 87 near Albany, NY), the truck steered straight and true (naturally, under appropriately reduced speeds). The power brakes were excellent, with no side-to-side pull at all.

Comfort and Convenience: Ford Motor Company really seemed to pull out all the stops incorporating comfort and convenience features into this truck! It seemed to have most of the accouterments of a large luxury car.

The most noticeable first impression was the commanding view of the road from the cockpit. Because this vehicle has 4-wheel drive, the body sits higher off the road than nearly all cars and most 2-wheel drive pick-ups. That higher perspective makes the driving experience much more pleasurable, and, in my considered opinion, safer. The only down side to this is the vehicle’s overall higher center of gravity, which means the driver has to exercise much more care in ensuring the truck doesn’t end up rolling over in a crash.

The truck’s interior was very nicely designed and constructed. Our rental had 60/40 split bench seats in front, and a full-size standard bench seat in back. Upholstery was of excellent quality and had sufficient firmness to support the driver's and passengers' lumbar regions over a long haul. (The driver’s seat had a manual lumbar support to it, which wasn’t very good. I adjusted it totally out of my way, and was actually more comfortable than with it working.)

Entry and exit from all four of the truck’s doors was nearly effortless. At first, it seemed like a bit of a steep climb up into the cab for my wife and son, but certainly nothing to complain about. Once inside, we found the amount of headroom and legroom to be phenomenal! With the driver’s seat adjusted all the way back, my feet couldn’t even reach the pedals unless I adjusted them all the way forward with the electronic pedal adjuster. (I am 6’3" tall and 240 pounds.) There were several inches of space between the top of my head and the roof of the cab.

Other Features/Ergonomics: The cab demonstrated a well thought out, consumer-friendly design. Instrument panel gages were large and very easy to read. Our rental had a large analog speedometer, tachometer, and temperature, oil, battery, and fuel gages (which I much prefer over the more traditional "idiot lights.") For some strange reason, however, the odometer was digital, with large green digits that my wife and I both found very distracting. Also, there was no trip odometer, a feature I find extremely useful for trip planning and calculating miles per gallon during a long trip. The truck’s clock also incorporated a thermometer which sensed outdoor temperature.

The environmental system (heater/defroster/air conditioner) was excellent. The defroster was especially quick at clearing early morning frost from the windshield on the inside. Controls - in the form of large rotary switches - were conveniently placed and had easy to read labels.

The 4-speaker stereo AM-FM radio with single CD changer was good, but not the best I’ve ever heard. (I found the one in my 1999 Ford Ranger to be far superior.) All frequencies of our musical selections came through loud and clear, even at high speeds. One minor annoyance: a couple of the CD changer/radio controls are small, hard to reach, probably should not be adjusted by the driver while underway. Ford should redesign the sound system’s front panel to make it more convenient for drivers.

Overall Impressions and Conclusions: The Ford F-150 SuperCrew’s construction is of very high quality, with a solid, durable feel. There are no squeaks, rattles or other annoying noises to contend with. Over the long run, I believe this truck would turn out to be immensely practical for my purposes - general cargo hauling, yard work, and other around-the-house chores. Although I don’t see any particular need to include 4-wheel drive at this time, it certainly might prove beneficial later, should I decide to change occupations or go into business for myself.

Would I recommend one of these vehicles to other prospective buyers? Absolutely, without reservation...as long as you can afford the rather steep initial price tag. (The one I rented comes in at a hefty $29,995.00.) The 2001 Ford F-150 SuperCrew is an outstanding vehicle combining excellent power, tremendous comfort, and maximum convenience.

We’re now making plans to buy one sometime next year...