I have the same "problem" now. Originally I wanted an F250 6.2L Lariat or KR, but the `17 will come too late for me, so I have to buy an F150.

I had KR in my mind first, but the Lariat has everything I need for less price.

I took a `15 F150 Lariat for a testdrive the other day with the 3.5L EB and I`m impressed. My "problem" is, that I don`t really like the bright red trim on the Special Edition leather seats. I checked the XLT Special Edition ( with Sport Package ) online and I like that one better. But if I go for the XLT than I loose:

- leather seats
- power telescopic towing mirrors
- 360 camera ( this is not a really big loss )
- Push button start

One thing I don`t really know: what is the quality of those SE cloth seats? I like the leather what was in the Lariat, but maybe the cloth is just as fine.

 

i have truck in sig
seats are better than my 11 150 kr

 

If Ford uses similar cloth to their older trucks I would not hesitate to get cloth. My '03 Ranger has 181K miles on it and the seats clean up to look like new when I spend the time to do it. I currently on the hunt for a FX4 or a Sport with the cloth.

On a side note... Do you realize how hard it is to find a truck with cloth seats and sunroof? So far I've found 2 in 8 months of casually searching.

 

Good to know, pretty pleased with the cloth so far in mine.

On a side note… In the northeast there seem to be a lot of XLTs with sunroof when I was searching for my truck. Most were in magnetic or in white 302A w/ 3.5L Eco, NAV and trailer tow and/or FX4. Online/after rebates prices were north of $47k

 

We got the XLT, and the dealer added leather seats (all around) for $950. I like them better than the factory ones.

 

All right, so the cloth seats in the XLT SE must be fine, I trust all your votes.

The other thing was the telescopic power tow mirror. On the XLT that is not available. I will miss that, and also the push button start, but the price is about 10k less on the XLT compare to the Lariat.
Also, the XLT I built online has the remote start, so I can use that as a push button start. Kinda cheating, but works

 

There are some companies offering really nice leather for the F150. I will keep the truck for 10+ years, so if anything happens to the cloth, I can still upgrade to leather in the future. It looks like everyone is happy with the factory cloth, so I give it a try.

There is only one more thing that I`m thinking about: the moonroof. My girlfriend`s Benz has it, my old Durango had it, but for $1750... I`m not sure the F150 will have it.

 

I'm really uncomfortable with the idea of having a hole in the roof. We have had one car in the past with a moonroof, and when the gasket started leaking, it was like the least favorite thing in my world.

 

I also agree the seats aren't a big deal. You can always do leather in the aftermarket. The dual climate control is probably the deal breaker for me. And the power tow mirrors. Not sure it's worth trying to save $3000-4000 for an XLT when I'm spending almost $50k anyway.

 

I wish is was only 3-4k, but it is 10k between the Lariat and the XLT with the specs I need.

For 10k I will loose power telescopic mirrors, push button start and leather seats. ( and some more but I don`t care about those like the dual climate control )

Keep it this way: the XLT is already a lot of money and the Lariat is 10k more on top of that.

I will ask my bank soon, see what kind of deal they can offer me.

 

I was looking at packages with Build & Price on the Ford Canada site and with similar (SCREW, 5.0L, 4x4, 6.5' bed) XLT and Lariat trucks I could not get the Heavy-Duty (HD) payload package to appear on the Lariat, although in the HD Payload details it includes "XLT/LARIAT: 18” Silver Heavy-Duty Payload Pkg. wheels" and "LT275/65R18C OWL A/T tires (XLT/LARIAT only)". The HD wheels don't appear on the Lariat choices, although the LT275/65R18C ties are there.

I have had XLTs (2001 and 2010, both SCABs) and would like to move up to some of the Lariat features but would also like to keep the HD payload. With my 2010 (SCAB / 8') the HD package provided a noticeably higher payload, not quite Super Duty but close. I don't haul that much that often but would much rather have the extra capacity for when it is needed.

Does anyone know (a) is there such a thing as a Lariat with the HD Payload package, and (b) what is the difference in payload between HD and non-HD in 2016 a 4x4 SCREW?

 

Answering one of my own questions: according to the payload specifications the payload on a 5.0L 4x4 SCREW is 2100 lbs, with the HD payload package (18" wheels) the payload is 2660 lbs.

So quite a bit more payload with the HD package, yes the ride is rougher but it is a truck not a sedan .

 

Just curious where you are getting the 10k difference. I'm looking at a Supercrew 4x4 with 6.5' bed and Ecoboost. The base XLT cost is 43140 and the Lariat is 47610. And the Lariat has more options included that are not in the XLT.

 

It _CAN_ be done. If you go into the Ford configuration tool, and push the payload/towing bars up to 2660, and 11,700 respectively, it still shows Lariat as an option. See below.

 

You can get a Lariat with the HD Payload but are VERY limited in the options you can add in. Things like Navigation etc are not allowed. And I don't believe any have actually been built.