I still have less than 100 miles, but here's what I've found so far, the good and the bad. The truck is an XLT Supercab with the FX4 and trailer tow packages. I also got $1250 in rebates!

The good:
Lotsa power. No complaints here. This truck really goes. I live in the mountains and commonly drive a freeway with 6% grades. I can easily cruise uphill at 80 in high gear, the engine running at about 2200 rpm. For comparison, my 2004 Ranger with a 4 liter will downshift whenever the grade becomes steep.

The ride seems fine to me. When I first took delivery the truck was jiggling over every small bump and bouncing on the bigger bumps. I got home and checked the tire pressure and it was 50 psi !!!. After lowering it to the specified 30 psi the truck rides smoother than my 2004 and my Fiesta ST. I've seen posts of people complaining that the FX4 rides hard, but I think it rides just fine. Just be sure to check the tire pressures.

The transmission; Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of auto- trannys, with their slow shifting and slipping clutches, so I didn't know what to expect with the 10-speed, but I think I like it. This one shifts swiftly and positively, and there is a gear for any situation! Under light loads, the trans will commonly skip a few gears but it's impossible to keep count with so many gears available.

The bad:
For anyone unfamiliar with all the electronics in new vehicles, this is a going to be a steep learning curve. My XLT doesn't have the touch-screen, so that is a big PLUS. But there are still a number of menus to navigate for all your personal preferences. Since I got used to a lot of this with the Fiesta, it hasn't been too bad for me, but be forewarned.

The owners manual sucks. There are so many WARNING! paragraphs that it can be difficult to find the real information, and they have info on any particular subject scattered all over the manual in different places, along with information completely unrelated to our vehicle (like diesel and manual trans info). On the other hand, since I actually do read the manual, I'm probably not a normal user.

Although the truck handles ok, it could definitely use a stiffer anti-sway bar for whenever you start pushing it around corners. This is definitely a step down from the Fiesta ST handling.

For all the snowbirds who chain up when the going gets rough, be aware that I had to sign a paper at the dealer warning that chains are not allowed. I can understand this on the front because there isn't enough room between the tire and the suspension to fit your fingers. There should be no problem in the rear from what I can see.

That's all for now. I still have to crawl underneath to explore there!

 

Thanks for posting. What you have is what I've been thinking of, looking forward to hear what you think once you've had it a bit longer. Any photos?

 

If I'm not mistaken, Ford doesn't want chains on the front of the F-150's either mainly due to the vacuum lines feeding the IWE's.

 

My dealer said that by the time ours comes in there might be something.

 

I did some crawling around underneath today and found more interesting features (remember, this is an FX4):

I found out that there is a sway bar installed on the front. My disappointment with the handling probably comes from having driven the Fiesta ST too much.

• The tailgate, front fenders, and hood are all non-magnetic (aluminum, I assume).
• The bed is about 3 1/2" deeper than my 2004.
• The driveshaft is two-piece (my 2004 is one piece).
• The transmission oil pan is plastic (!!!). I'm not sure if this is good or bad...
• Although the skid plates under the engine and tranny are steel, the skid plate on the fuel tank is plastic. Again, I'm not sure if this is good or bad...
• It took me twenty minutes to find the oil filter. It's buried beneath the steering wheel shaft and is inaccessible (literally) from the top and from the bottom. The only place you can get at it is from the driver's side wheel well. There is a rubber splash guard in the well that needs to be removed for this access. Thoughtfully, Ford has installed a plastic drip catch under the filter so that the draining oil will run back and drip elsewhere. It's a good thing, too, because the filter is mounted sideways.
• Unfortunately, Ford wasn't as thoughtful about the oil drain. When you drain the engine oil, it will drain onto the engine skid plate unless you remove it or provide some alternate path for the oil to flow. I plan to get an oil drain valve with a hose attachment. I have one of these on my 2004 and it works great.https://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com
• As noted, there are splash guards in the wheel wells, something lacking on my 2004. I had to buy and install the splash guards on the 2004 to keep 40 pounds of mud from packing the inside of the fenders.

I'll post more if I find something interesting.