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I ended up with a Platinum after contemplating KR or Lariat Ultimate. They made me a deal that was too hard to pass up.
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The LED Headlights, Power Running Boards, Massage Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, are all worth the price of admission.
The last 2 KR models I had the leather seat finish wore of on them prematurely as well as on the steering wheel, my last KR was a 2013, hopefully the leather dye process is better now.
I can’t really compare since my this is my first truck, but I looked at everything Lariat and up and went with a loaded Lariat with a camel interior. I didn’t like the interior colors or motifs in either the KR or the Platinum and I really don’t like the metal plate on the tailgate (though IIRC, it’s an option to not get that)?
I’ve got a camel-like interior in my daily driver and yeah, denim transfer is a thing. I don’t really care...I prefer lighter interiors and wear jeans. Every few months I condition the leather and the blue dye is basically gone. Even if it wasn’t...it’s just a car to me.
I contemplated a KR but decided on a XLT.... haha just joking. Those trim levels are nice in these trucks. The one thing i wish i could have from the upper trim levels is the LED light package. I came from a 14 Jeep srt8 with every option and decided that i didn't want to throw 70+ at a truck and went with what met my needs. Happy trucking with whatever you go with!
Thanks for the feed back. I'm flying back to the states this morning and will spend Monday visiting the 5 or 6 dealerships around the Norfolk, VA area doing a few test drives and seeing them in person. I've been in Belgium for the past 3 years and there are exactly zero 2017 and up SD's running the roads around here or anywhere in Europe as far as I can tell.
I considered the Platinum with Marsala leather and honestly, in specing the trucks as identical as I can get them, the KR is slightly higher than the Platinum. I'm avoiding the sunroof due to my height, but I will double check the available head clearance on Monday with some seat time. Without the sunroof, that eliminates the massaging seats in the KR and I really don't need or would likely use either. I have sunroofs in my two other vehicles and can count on one hand how many times a year I might open it, usually just to see if the load I have lashed above is still there.
Also, since I'm going mono-tone Stone Gray, that forces me into the chrome package on the KR which drives the cost up another $1000 or so over the Lariat to make the overall difference about $5K. The MSRP on the spec'd Lariat Ultimate is $74,720 and on the spec'd KR it is $79,680.
As mentioned above, Option 3 is to go with Camel and replace with some nice Katzskins a few years down the road....nice first world problems to have.
I can’t really compare since my this is my first truck, but I looked at everything Lariat and up and went with a loaded Lariat with a camel interior. I didn’t like the interior colors or motifs in either the KR or the Platinum and I really don’t like the metal plate on the tailgate (though IIRC, it’s an option to not get that)?
I’ve got a camel-like interior in my daily driver and yeah, denim transfer is a thing. I don’t really care...I prefer lighter interiors and wear jeans. Every few months I condition the leather and the blue dye is basically gone. Even if it wasn’t...it’s just a car to me.
I'm with you on the Camel. Black interiors are depressing and ugly to me. My current truck is all black inside. I bought it off the lot and nothing I would order, just not my taste, but 5k under invoice was the reason. Hopefully, there are new colors and packages available in 2020.
If not Camel, Id love a much brighter blue exterior with a very light gray interior.
I went with the KR for all the amenities, but specified no pnororamic roof (read too many horror stories about them). If you consider resale value down the road, I found the following from KBB to be interesting when I looked up mine after a year of ownership.
King Ranch sounds like a brothel in Nevada, Platinum sounds like a topless bar in the hood and the Limited is only Limited to the number they can sell. Having said that I went KR and don't regret it one bit.
Platinum Brunell interior is where its at! super classy
But seriously I went through the same. I originally said NO FRILLS. Till I drove a Platinum. I scoffed at all the options until I got to use them. The running boards are great. The whole fame loves the pano/moon roof. My wife and I love the massaging seats. The LED package is totally awesome. I plan on driving this one to the ground so it was worth it to me. Only things I don't like are the 20" trims, which go away this upcoming week!
As a follow up, I visited half a dozen dealerships in one day and did several test drives. One test drive was in a Camel Lariat long bed with 18's and the truck rode and drove great. It was a soggy day and even with only 13 miles on the ODO, the kick plates were already pretty dirty and scuffed. The rear seat had some hand smudges on them as well. Very bright and nice interior, but I don't want to be constantly cleaning the inside (or outside) of the truck. The salesman mentioned that blue jeans transfer was an issue and required cleaning from time to time to remove the stains.
Next up was a KR short bed on 20's. This truck did not ride nearly as nice as the long bed on 18's. Not even close, but to be fair, I have no idea what the tire pressure was in either truck. Still a nice truck, but the KR seats did not feel as comfortable and slightly less supportive than the Lariat seats. It wasn't night and day different, but just different. The interior, being dark brown, is not nearly as bright as the Camel, but it would hide dirt and scuffs much much better. The emblem on the console didn't seem to bother me and I was wearing a short sleeve shirt during that test drive.
What did surprise me was the deployable running boards. Open, they are about 3 inches lower and at a much more comfortable height for getting into and out of the truck. I'll be adding that option to the truck. I wish the boards came in an extended length, but I'll go with them nonetheless.
Also, the sunroof was a surprise. Like others have reported, there is plenty of clearance for taller passengers and the roof area looks much more finished with a sunroof vs. the all the interior contours you can see without a sunroof. The extra light is nice and the view from the back seat is great. My kids would probably like it too.
I really didn't care for the massaging seats. Perhaps it's something to get used to, but in my short test drive, it was more annoying than anything else.
So the bottom line is that I'm leaning toward the KR truck with the Ultimate package. It only adds about $1000 to the cost of the truck I've optioned which didn't have the Ultimate package. When compared to a similar Lariat Ultimate, the cost of a KR is right at $4,000 more. The KR truck would look a little more classy and unique so that is likely what I'll get. The Stone Gray was a great color so that piece of the puzzle is settled.
Also, from the 3 or 4 salesmen I quizzed about price, they all said they could beat invoice plus any available incentives.
Thanks again for your recommendations and comments above.
As a follow up, I visited half a dozen dealerships in one day and did several test drives. One test drive was in a Camel Lariat long bed with 18's and the truck rode and drove great. It was a soggy day and even with only 13 miles on the ODO, the kick plates were already pretty dirty and scuffed. The rear seat had some hand smudges on them as well. Very bright and nice interior, but I don't want to be constantly cleaning the inside (or outside) of the truck. The salesman mentioned that blue jeans transfer was an issue and required cleaning from time to time to remove the stains.
Next up was a KR short bed on 20's. This truck did not ride nearly as nice as the long bed on 18's. Not even close, but to be fair, I have no idea what the tire pressure was in either truck. Still a nice truck, but the KR seats did not feel as comfortable and slightly less supportive than the Lariat seats. It wasn't night and day different, but just different. The interior, being dark brown, is not nearly as bright as the Camel, but it would hide dirt and scuffs much much better. The emblem on the console didn't seem to bother me and I was wearing a short sleeve shirt during that test drive.
What did surprise me was the deployable running boards. Open, they are about 3 inches lower and at a much more comfortable height for getting into and out of the truck. I'll be adding that option to the truck. I wish the boards came in an extended length, but I'll go with them nonetheless.
Also, the sunroof was a surprise. Like others have reported, there is plenty of clearance for taller passengers and the roof area looks much more finished with a sunroof vs. the all the interior contours you can see without a sunroof. The extra light is nice and the view from the back seat is great. My kids would probably like it too.
I really didn't care for the massaging seats. Perhaps it's something to get used to, but in my short test drive, it was more annoying than anything else.
So the bottom line is that I'm leaning toward the KR truck with the Ultimate package. It only adds about $1000 to the cost of the truck I've optioned which didn't have the Ultimate package. When compared to a similar Lariat Ultimate, the cost of a KR is right at $4,000 more. The KR truck would look a little more classy and unique so that is likely what I'll get. The Stone Gray was a great color so that piece of the puzzle is settled.
Also, from the 3 or 4 salesmen I quizzed about price, they all said they could beat invoice plus any available incentives.
Thanks again for your recommendations and comments above.
Adam
Just want to say I love my Lariat Ultimate - not really worried about trading it as it will be my "last one" Ordered right (no chrome, platium white, power steps, moon roof and 360 cameras with 20" wheels ) it can look pretty classy and the power steps are awesome.
