Agreed, they will all kiss your hiney to make the sale and get paid.

The FX4 and Lariat question is pretty common on here. A full dressed FX4 and Lariat are both extremely well and similarly equipped. The FX4 offers no chrome which is a huge plus for some, the lariat is well clad with chrome which also is appealing to many.

To me, the nod comes for the FX4 due to the locking rear 3.73.1 axle. If at some point in the future the F-150 should move in the direction of the Superduty and offer the locker in all trims, then I would be a happy camper.

Well, as the name emplies, the FX4 Off Road is made for minor offroading and the suspension is a little bit more stiffer. I rode in a 2009 FX4 Crew Cab and the ride didn't seem anymore rough on my unpaved road than in my new 2010 XLT Super Crew so either one would work. Both the FX4 and Lariat have the full center console. Heated/cooled leather seats are optional on FX4 and Lariat but leather is standard on Lariat. Whatever you choose, at least you'll be in a new FORD.

It's almost a guarantee that the new 2011 F-150 will have an available 3:73 locking rear differential on all models. Just so you know.

I think heated/cooled seats are only available on the Lariat, the FX4 can only get heated. (At least, all the window stickers I've seen seem to indicate it) I'm debating between the two myself, I prefer the no-chrome look of the FX4, but want the cooled seats. Ah, decisions, decisions...

chairs
 

For me it cam down to not wanting as mutch glitz and I really did not want leather. I live in Florida and even cooled leather doesn't do it for me. Also for longevity cloth is better. Start out with seat covers and forget about them. Leather takes to much babying.

e locker is available with new "off road" pkg and you can get it on a lariat, but not with the 6.2L.

I agree with phill1060 on the leather. I live in the other extreme of the country (No. Indiana) and leather was a PITA for me as well. I have two vehicles with leather and do not like the extra maintenance. The 01 beater Sable the seats look terrible compared to any of the cloth seats I've had. I also prefer less chrome. But the high end FX4 is going to cost close to the price of a Lariat, so it becomes a matter of taste preference.

For me, leather doesn't hold dust and grease wipes off...

X2

Leather is by far the most durable and easiest to take care of. I keep a container of baby wipes in the back and every time I wash the truck I wipe down the interior (seats and all) with them. Get the kine with Aloe. They do a fantastic job of keeping everything nice and clean w/o any chemicals. My 01 excursion has leather and I've been taking care of the seats this way since new. Why anyone would think cloth is better is beyond me. Cloth stains, holds odors, wears like crap, and just plain doesn't look as nice as leather.

Since I Scotchguarded the cloth seats in my 06 they don't stain. I haven't had any odor retention problems, especially since I quit smoking cigars, drinking beer, and eating pickled eggs in the truck. It's wearing very good, in fact much better than unmaintained leather. But I must agree that Ford cloth interiors are butt ugly and have been since the mid 90's. And on the new trucks the color selection sucks.

There's the key to anything. If you don't take care of it, it will go to sh!#.

I just purchased an '09 FX4 with the black leather interior, and I love it. My previous truck was an '03 King Ranch, and I will never own another one. Don't get me wrong, the KR leather looks great when new, but the sun cooks it, and it stains very easily.

I owned an '00 F250 with leather before the KR, and that was my first experience with a leather interior. Aside from getting really hot in the sun, and really cold during the winter, there really isn't a bad thing to say about the non KR leather in Fords. I purchased my wife a new '03 Expy with leather, and neither one of us want to ever go back to cloth.

My wife doesn't care for the black interior of the FX4 due to it getting so hot, so I put a black towel in the console that she can use to sit on until the truck cools down. I have the heated seats, but not A/C. If you have small kids that eat and drink in the truck, the leather is a MUST!!!!

Just my .02!!!

chose the Lariat
 

I liked the chrome grille of the Lariat. Also, because I may use 4x4 less than 10 times a year, I wasn't too worried about the rear locker loss. I also preferred the gearing for better gas mileage (we'll see if that pans out).

Like someone mentioned, the dealer wants to sell what is on the lot, and the Lariat had everything I wanted (leather, 4wd, heated seats, power seats, sync) and I saved about $3k over the in-stock FX4 with back up camera, captain chairs, and sunroof.