When the demands of family life outweigh the number of seats in your regular cab pickup what can you do? TRADE UP!!! This is my second ford truck. In fact I would say that this is close to my dream truck. My wife and I looked at the Taurus Wagon, the Volvo Wagons, Ford Explorer, Subaru Wagon and a few minivans. Our main goal was to get a roomy car for long trips and to have a second car that could hold two child car seats and two more adults. A secondary issue was replacing my truck which is a 1997 F-150 regular cab (I also wrote review on that truck). My wife was leaning toward the Volvo and I of course wanted more truck.

After shopping around, I went on a test drive with the salesman. In the middle of the drive I called my wife and we stopped by to get her and my two boys. So, during the test drive we had two large male adults (me and the salesman both 250 lbs.), my wife and two car seats with the boys, riding comfortably. My wife was really amazed at the space in the cab, with the bonus of having a truck bed.

Let me describe my truck. It is a silver 2003 F-150 Supercrew XLT 4x4, 4.6 V-8, with the Class III towing package option and ABS all around. It also includes cruise control, AC, 17-inch wheels w/OWL tires, 3.73 rear axle an in dash single CD player, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, fog lights and a Ford bed liner. For all those with kids, there are tether anchors in the rear.

During the first week I had the truck, I put approx. 1000 miles on it doing my work commute and routine errand running. My initial impression is that Ford really softened the ride so that you don't get that jarring truck feel when going over bumps. No mistaking, it doesn't equal a car's ride, but it rides like a very smooth truck. In addition Ford fixed the issue that I had with my 1997 F-150, by moving the exhaust pipe to exit behind the rear wheel. The rear seats fold down to provide dry storage inside of the cab. It is a split bench in the rear, so I can still fold down 1/3 of the seat and have the two car seats in the back. In the front, you can also ride three adults comfortably, so it really is 6 passenger seating. This car is perfect for our 4 member family and is a great utility for us as homeowners. Before we started our search I thought we would have to forsake the utility of a truck. However the Super Crew (and other four door trucks) covers a lot of bases.

Some of the other things I have noticed about the truck are that the driver has excellent visibility of the road around him/her. This truck has large mirrors and the hood drops away so that the driver can see what is immediately in front of the truck. The factory radio is decent but is easily drowned out when you have the windows down. The over head console has a compass and outside temperature, but no other information. I would like to see maybe distance to empty, gas mileage etc. The electronic odometer has a trip computer. The gauges on the truck show speed, tachometer, oil pressure, system charge, coolant temperature. The middle seat in the front folds down to be a storage compartment and has two cup holders. There are also two cup holders in the rear. I also have two outlets in the front (radar detector and cell phone) and an outlet in the rear located in the seatbelt anchor. This outlet in the back is perfect for cell phones and laptops. My wife likes the under seat storage in the rear also. Behind the rear seats are storage compartments and one of them holds the jack and tire iron for the truck. The truck came with floor mats and treated upholstery (something similar to scotch guard).

So far the drawbacks are pretty standard. The gas mileage is an issue but is to be expected with a large truck that is V-8 powered. The other issue is that the brakes, while adequate, feel a little mushy. The 4.6 V-8 also only rates in my opinion as adequate. I have learned not to drive a truck like a car, so this isn't a big issue to me. The tires that came with the truck are Goodyear Wranglers. I don't have any complaints so far on the tires, but I like the Dunlop Rover LT's which are excellent in the rain. I will let you know how the Wrangler's do.

2500 Mile Update:
This truck has done pretty well during the break-in period. One minor issue is the adjustable pedals (gas & brake), there is a switch on the dash for moving them and it is NOT deactivated while the truck is in motion. I sometimes nudge the buttons with my knee. Towing: I towed a 88 Ford Crown Victoria to the auction (on an auto transport trailer) (30 miles). The 4.6 V-8 was adequate task but could really use more power when towing something that large (like the 5.4L v-8!!). With the overdrive disabled, the truck would really lug going up hills with the added weight. Other than that the engine is more than adequate for family hauling and highway cruising. I was able to 4x4 with a full load of wood with no problem in wet muddy terrain. With regards to gas mileage, (I monitor with trip computer and gas receipts), I am getting 17 mpg on highway and 14 in the city. My initial mileage (first 1000 miles) was around 14Hwy/12City. (If we can put a man on the moon, we can make a light duty, 4x4, V-8, funtional truck that gets 18 MPG city and 22 MPG HWY)
Family Duty is where the truck really shines. Trips to Sam's Club with the family are a breeze with plenty of room for bulk paper towels, bulk food and other gargantuan grocery list items :-) !! At highway speeds the truck has very little wind noise in the cabin (compared to my 97 truck). Also when the truck has a few hundred pounds in the bed and 4-5 people in the cab, it rides like a luxury car. When the bed is empty and you are by yourself, prepare to bounce over every bump (price you pay for HD suspension and having a truck). All in all I am very satisfied with my purchase at this point. My wife also really likes the truck now. We have to fight for the keys!! She feels very comfortable driving it (good visibility), she likes the functional privacy glass in the rear to keep sun off the kids, the child locks in the rear are a plus and so far her only issue is getting used to climbing up into the truck.

96,000 Mile Update: 12/26
This truck has been extremely reliable. Family trips are still comfortable the main consumables are gas, tires and oil. I do all of my oil changes and I have been using Mobil 1 5w-20 synthetic for the last couple of years. After the second oil and filter change with full synthetic, the truck burns roughly 1 quart of oil between oil changes (~7500 miles oil & filter). My assessment of gas mileage is roughly 16 MPG city and if I set the cruise on 65 (rarely), I can get 19 MPG on the highway when traveling with the family. I think that switching to the full synthetic oil has improved my gas mileage. No mechanical issues have been encountered.

Amount Paid (US$): 28,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: XLT 4dr 4X4, 4.6 V-8, Class III options, 17in Wheels, CD Player,bedlin