Well I have had my new 04 silver supercab stx 4x4 4.6 liter for exactly one week and have put 764 miles on it. Here is my honest thoughts on this truck after one week. I have broken my thoughts down into different areas as follows:

Interior:

Since my previous 4 vehicles were xlts (ranger, f150, superduty and explorer) I was not looking forward to stepping down to the stx...but I could not have been more wrong. The stx has everything that you really need with out being bare bones. The seats are comfortable...but take a little to get used to. They are stiff from the factory but have broken in a bit. I am 6' and weight about 220# and they offer more support than the buckets in my explorer (01 4 door) did. My wife at this point doesn't really care for the seats..but she is only a little over 110#. A couple of my friends have ridden with me and they really like the seats...but they are bigger (over 200#).

This thing has cup holders every where. There are 6 for the front and I believe 4 for the back, but not sure. The door mounted cup holder is perfect for 20 oz colas but can be a bit of a reach until you get used to it. The ones on the floor are great for my travel mug and the ones in the flip down seat seem to be good for cans...but haven't used them.

The radio was upgraded to a dual media sigle disk player. The radio is easy to use and sounds pretty good. If you really liked playing music really loud you probably want to upgrade though .

The dash is nice but I miss not having a tach, compass and more importantly the outside temp. Those I will have to get used too. The truck is equiped with rubber floors and I LOVE it. I really don't worry about ruining the carpet anymore. I am glad that I got this.

Exterior:

I really love the looks of this truck and have had allot of people ask me about it (people at the gas station super market etc). The front is very cool looking as is the side..but I am still trying to get used to the back....those couple of extra inches do make it look different...as does the huge blue oval in the tale gate...I like this but would have prefered this to be like the old trucks with the raised stamped letters F O R D on it those were cool. Biggest draw back was the shock I got when I picked it up and it has General Ameritrac TR tires on it...WHat the heck kind of tire is that? I thought for sure I would see either BF or Goodyear rubber on it, probably should have done better research.

The tailgate assist is really cool. It is very light and you would be supprised about how many people have heard about this and want to try it. The lights and fog lights work pretty well. Manual mirrors are actually pretty nice and give a great view.

Driving Impressions:

The first thing that you notice when you drive this vehicle is the lack of sound.....It is very quiet...hardly any road or wind noise and it seems to glide over the road...not really floating....but just smooth...The steering if very percise and doesn't seem to have any wander to it. The first 450 miles were a mix of highway and city driving. I took care not to gun it or run at any given speed for too long. The first tank of gas averaged just under 16 miles per gallon (but I'm not sure how full the dealer had it) with some idleing time to warm everything up on some cold mornings (about 27 degrees f). At about 450 miles I had to tow a 3 place enclosed snowmoble trailer with it. It towed the trailer and sleds without a problem. I really didn't push it hard due to the fact that I was still breaking it in. This truck is really hard to tell when it shifts (especially with out the tach)...definately very smooth.

Engine/tranny

The 4.6 so far has done pretty well. It seems to be getting more horsepower as it is breaking in. The 290 miles of trailer towing didn't seem to bother it and the tranny didn't seem to hunt for gears like my 98 4.6 f150 did. The drive by wire is a little different to get used to...can't explain it but it is different (could be the way the computer shifts the tranny now?) The truck got just under 16 mpg this tank with 290 miles of towing. I haven't filled up on this last tank...but it seems to be getting better mileage (maybe 17-18 now but won't know until the fillup).

Likes:

quiet interior
materials seem to be quality
good fit and finish
nice seats
nice radio
tail gate assist
good light
great ride

Dislikes:

General tires
not enough crome (I know its and stx)
stationary rear windows
no tach
no options for compass, temp etc


Over all I really like this truck. Everything has the appearance/feel of being stronger than the last model and alot closer to the superduties in ability. Ford seems to have a winner on thier hands.

 

Mylo,

Great to hear that you like your truck. Keep us up to date. I can wait for mine to roll into the dealership. Hopefully just a few more weeks.

 

I am glad you are happy with your truck. Not to argue with you, but there is no way you got 16 mpg towing a 3 place enclosed snowmobile trailer over 290 miles. I have towed a two place enclosed snowmobile trailer over 4000 miles. On my 97 150 with a 4.6 I never got better than 12 mpg and averaged around 11. With my 04 Screw with a 5.4 I averaged right at 12 mpg for a 1000 mile trip from NY to Quebec.

 

Mylo,

I'm glad to here this. Your truck is identical to my truck I ordered. Same package and color. Now I'm just waiting for the phone call when it comes in. This is my first 4x4 and 3rd F150....can't wait.

 

Well Today is also my first week to the day. I only have put 210 miles on mine though. Briefly the way I would have to evaluate my truck is as follows. Design is great, comfort is great, power is good so far, but yet to be tested. I really like the stereo, and I like to turn it off to hear the sounds of nothingness too.
My only concerns is the 42-45 mph vibration.

 

However, I'm not as cool as you guys! I got the '04 Heritage Supercab 4 door version so that I could keep my standard transmission. Situation was, I just got divorced last month, was awarded the 2002 F150 Reg cab XL that my (now ex) husband and I had cosigned on and, well, I really didn't need any more ties to that b###ard so I went back to the same dealership I got the other one at to trade it in. I was originally looking for something used (can't STAND depreciation) but really liked this one that the dealer showed me.

So: I'm slowly working my way up as I have upgraded from the above vehicle to a 2004 F-150 XL STX (Whatever the hell that is since I thought they were either one or the other!!! I think I got some mutant truck)... Things I really like about my new truck that I didn't have on the other one are the larger wheels and tires (275x70R17 All season OWLS v. crappy *** skidding 235x somethingR16's), the overhead console that tells me temp and has a compass (although I haven't figured out anything to put in the thing lol), my running boards, bug deflector, locking tailgate, 4 doors, cruise control, rather good CD player that doesn't skip like the other started doing just recently....oh and the fog lights! I think one I get a tonneau, alarm, and probably put a lift on it, it'll look really nice. The color is true blue, which is nice, except in the sun at an angle it takes on a purplish tinge (which I find ironic, given the color's name) and I don't really like that. Also at first it seemed a little sluggish compared to the last one, but I'm thinking that has to do with the fact that I have the same engine (V6) and tranny (5-speed manual) moving a bigger vehicle compared to what I was used to before. Seems to be getting a little more power with each day though. Hoping the fuel efficiency will improve also, since I'm averaging about 3mpg less than the last truck....

SUMMARY:

I love:
the look (fog lights, bigger tires, etc)
the little perks (overhead console, cruise, etc)
how well the tires and overall vehicle handles in the REALLY bad rain we had today!!!

Don't love:
the fact that the cab started leaking while it was raining today (sigh) so I'm gonna need to take it in to get fixed... weirdest thing of all, it was leaking from the (please forgive me as I can't think of the right word right now, although my brother refers to them as the "oh-sh#t" handles) handles that are right beside the doors for you to hold on to (leaking on driver side).

 

Thanks for the positive comments. So far so good with the truck. RX-1 liter: I checked my mileage again and it adds up to just under 16, not sure if it was because I babied it or not but it definately did better than my exporer (usually gets 12 miles towing). Also I take it that you have the yamaha RX-1...how do you like it? I am in the market for a new sled. Thanks

 

I have recieved similar mileage results, and have been very impressed. I think Ford has improved the engine, transmission, exhaust system, etc over the years to give the 2004 good numbers.

By the way Mylo, if you are curious what speed your engine is running, start the truck while pressing down on the trip/reset button, and repeatedly press it passed the guage sweep until the display shows "TACH". There you have it - a tachometer! I like to impress people with this feature LOL.

Hope you like the STX, I sure do!

 

far as i am concerned ford screwed up large time by not putting a tach in the STX, or at least making the tach part of an expensive option. (no need to say part of a cheap option as that wont happen )

 

bigwtx: Thanks for the tach idea...that is very cool. Is there any other features like that? By the way your truck is the spitting image of mine except mine is 4x4...very cool. I saw that you had troubles with your truck. Did they get it fixed? Thanks

 

Thats cool that I have a twin! I wish I had 4x4 though!!

When you start the truck while pushing that button, it starts with a function that puts all your gauges at full, which is neat. Also in there is an electronic speedometer, and whether your seat belt is attached, as well as some other things - I can't remember them off the top of my head. Oh BTW, I don't know if it was clear that the tach stays on and is constistant with the RPMs as you drive around. I didn't want you to think that it only worked while starting the truck.

As for the problem, my throttle position sensor was defective, and I believe that is the part that is being recalled. It didn't inconvinence me that much, considering I got a loaded 03 Explorer as a loaner. Since the repair, the truck has ran great, and I have no regrets.

 

mylo,

I have the 03 and after making some modifications I really like the sled. Yam made vast improvements in the handling on the 04 and now that the 05 is out I would highly recommend the RX-1. I went to the show in Batavia, NY to see them last week and the new Monoshock rear suspension is amazing. You could adjust it from so stiff that it barely budges when you sit on it to so soft that it darn near bottoms out when you sit on it (230 lbs). Yam has no interest and no payments until March 2005 plus $800 in accessories if you order before Marh 31st. I put on 3300 miles last year and another 2000 this season. I have rode Rev's, Cats, and Poos and they all have their pros, but the smoothness of that 1000 cc Genesis 4 stroke just cannot be matched now that it has a rear suspension that looks like it will be one of the best out there. In over 5000 miles the only problem I had was two idler wheel bearings go bad. I average between 14-15 mpg on the trail and you only have to change oil once a season. You won't be dissapointed with a 2005 RX-1.

Where do you ride? I am in western NY near Jamestown.