6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
SUV? Pickup? or Minivan?
Date of Review: Feb 25, 2003
The Bottom Line: Great rig for the family that occasionally needs to haul stuff. Who doesn't?
Sometimes I wonder why it took auto manufacturers so long to figure out that there was a great market for pickup trucks that can double as a family car. The Ford F-150 Supercrew is certainly that. The 4X4 model is both a heavy-duty pickup and a family vehicle for us that will comfortably seat 5 or uncomfortably seat a sixth person when necessary.
We made the transition to the F-150 from Chrysler products. We had been Caravan owners since 1989 when we bought our first new Caravan. After owning 4 Caravans during the intervening years, we owned a 2000 Caravan that was plagued with steering box and front-end problems. Not wanting to deal with repeated trips to the dealer trying to get this straightened out, we traded into a Dodge Dakota 4 door pickup, only to find the brand truck had an engine seal problem from the factory. We said goodbye to Chrysler and traded up to the 2002 Ford F-150 Supercrew.
So far, we have very good luck with the Ford. We've done the scheduled maintenance and been trouble free since buying it. This vehicle serves as our primary family vehicle for our family of 6, and it does the job well. It is nice to have a family vehicle that is comfortable and can still be used to haul a load to the dump. Now on to the specifics.
Performance: As I said the F-150 has been trouble free since we bought it. The 4.6 liter Triton V-8 is not the most fuel-efficient in the world, but it does deliver plenty of power without being a total gas hog. We seem to average about 15 MPG, which is not bad for a vehicle as large as this. I would definitely recommend the V-8 over the V-6, because I suspect the V-6 would have to work a lot harder, making any improvement in fuel economy negligible. The suspension is certainly heavy-duty enough to handle most towing you would be likely to do, although I'm not sure it would handle a large fifth wheel. The engine runs quietly, and the transmission shifts smoothly through its automatic 4 speeds. The ride is a bit stiff, but this is a 4X4, so that would seem natural. Handling is easy. My wife is only 5'4", and she drives the truck all the time, and loves it.
Comfort: The interior comes with many standard appointments to make this a great rig for traveling. It comes standard with a 4-speaker AM/FM Stereo with single CD, (which incidentally does not play CDRW's), which sounds great. There are plenty of cup holders, electrical plugs and compartments for personal stuff to be stowed in. Air-conditioning is also standard.
Cargo: Obviously, to gain all this extra cab space, cargo bed space will have to be sacrificed. The cargo bed on the F-150 Supercrew holds 44.2 Cu. Ft., which is not bad. Obviously, if it's cargo capacity you are looking for, this may not be the vehicle for you, but if you just want to haul a little furniture occasionally, the bed is big enough. We were able to fit my wife's motorcycle in the back and still close the tailgate, for example.
All in all, this vehicle is a good compromise between the minivan, pickup, and SUV.
It gives you the space and comfort needed for a family car, while still providing the open cargo space that most of us still need from time to time.
