Serious question. I will be ordering a new truck in a few months and am torn between going with a Camel color Lariat or springing for the KR. I am not a fan of black interiors so those are out. With equally outfitted trucks, the KR is a $5000 upgrade. I keep my vehicles for a long time, have 3 kids, and really like the idea of full leather seats as I would think they would hold up better. The seats in my wife's LandCruiser (of 19 years) are holding up very well, but the camel leather in that vehicle does begin to look dingy after 14 years of children abusing them.

I also like the lighter color and brighter feel of the camel interior, but the KR with premium vinyl flooring would probably last longer and not show the scuffs and wear the children bring with them.

Either way, both vehicles would be equally outfitted. No sunroof and no need for massaging seats so the only real difference would be the dark brown KR or Lariat Camel interior. What would you do?

Thanks!

 

Purely from a resale standpoint the KR is going to be worth more down the road and the acquisition costs of the Lariat enter the KR price range quickly if you add any accessories. That is the dilemma I found myself in a few months ago. I wanted the LED lights, power running boards and surround view cameras. To get those in a Lariat it pushed the price around 70 and I got a Platinum for 71. I think we can all agree that the Lariat is about 10-15k less value regardless of the acquisition price in terms of resale value if you need to unload it later. Life happens so I always consider this when buying anything.
Just my .02. I'm not a fan of the KR leather colors in the 18 and up models. The older ones are awesome but the embossing on the armrest will be something you'll have to get your elbow used to as others have noted.
I liked the interior of the Lariat the best of all of them and it rode the best. I replaced my factory shocks with Fox 2.0 and it greatly improved the ride. The factory shocks were too mushy where the Lariat was not. I'm not sure if it was just the one Lariat I test drove or what but it handled the best of all the trucks I drove new. The plat leather seats are much nicer and will likely hold up better over time. I didn't care for the massaging seats but it won major points with my wife and she uses hers every single time she gets in the truck. Lol.
My only other comment is that darker interiors are much less prone to show child wear in my experience but to be fair I don't have kids so my experience has been with hauling other adults, dogs and my nieces, nephews and neighbor kids around which I do way more than you'd think. Lol.

 

Two words - Massage seats.

 

I second this!

 

It is tricky as price goes. My '18 Lariat stickered for just shy of $76k. That's right in KR territory and was $2-3K shy of comparable Platinum. I had a strong dislike of the KR seat color. I wanted silver exterior, so that left Platinum or Lariat. I did not want power running boards as I use them all the time when working to get in truck box. And I don't care for the massive metal look plastic Platinum tailgate piece. Just have to buy what turns your crank.

 

 

Are KR seats the same as the platinum? My brother found his platinum seats uncomfortable on trips vs my Lariat seats.

 

You can go with the cheaper option and get seat covers and floor mats, but, you won't have massage seats

 

They are not. Personally, I found the KR seats much more comfortable than the platinum.

 

 

The Tailgate Appliqué on K/R, Platinum and Limited Trucks are Aluminum. Ford began adding the Tailgate Appliqué in 1967 to identify their Upper Trim level Trucks. Color matching Trim and Chrome accents have identified the Premium over Base Model Ford Trucks since the original 1951 F1, Deluxe 5 Star Extra Cab.

 

I didn't have the choice. I didn't want the crew cab and it turns out KR wasn't available in the SuperCab configuration. I've loaded up my 2019 4x4,6.2l gas Lariat with every option except the 360 trailer cameras and it's stickered at 56K. I'm getting the Magma Red with tan leather interior.

 

Go platinum. Do not look back. You will be forever wishing you went higher up, to get whatever option you will be jealous of.

 

Ill jump in, I just ordered a Lariat loaded with every option I could check simply because I wanted an Oxford White truck. My neighbor has a Platinum and gave me all the tips on what option groups based on his truck and I think it will turn out well. Didn't want the tailgate stuff, the massage seats sounded fun but really figured the rest of the stuff was more important. I think Ford made some goofy decisions on what options you can pair together I would have gladly bought a Platinum if I could have got it in the color I wanted. I work in construction and whole whole fleet of 300 F series trucks are Oxford, so I would have looked odd with some other color. Plus it matches my trailer! The other thing about seats are they are really just one stop from a upholstery shop from being what ever you would like. I think ill be adding alcantara to a few of the wear spots down the road, but first the steering wheel!

 

Then why not get the Limited?