Tow test: Ford F-150 Lariat SWB review over 3000km

After three long previous tows, it was time Tim told us what he thought of the recently launched Ford F-150 Lariat SWB when hitched up.

The most important details of the new Ford F-150 Lariat SWB (short wheelbase) are two numbers, the gross combined mass (GCM) and gross vehicle mass (GVM) as the GCM limits your load in the vehicle and what it is towing and the GVM is the mass limit of your vehicle alone.

The Lariat SWB has a GVM of 3220kg and a kerb weight of 2535kg leading to a low-for-a-ute payload capacity of only 685kg. That is comparable to a top-spec LandcCruiser but miles off a Ford Ranger or Isuzu D-MAX which can have more than 1000kg in most 4WD models.

So, you need to be careful when loading the gargantuan tub and back seats and be wary of the weight of any aftermarket gear like frontal protection or bigger wheels and tyres. So that’s not great but what of the GCM?

With a GCM of 7720kg in Lariat SWB spec, the claimed maximum braked tow capacity of 4500kg is real and it is doable with the vehicle at its GVM limit — you will need to subtract ball weight off your GVM, however.

It might have a low GVM, but it can realistically tow 4500kg albeit likely with only a few hundred kilograms in the cabin and tub. Compared to a lot of popular utes, that’s not bad.

For a refresher on key tow numbers, have a read of our GCM, GVM and upgrades feature.

What does the F-150 Lariat SWB cost?

It depends on where you live as local taxes make a difference. Here in Melbourne, the driveaway price point is a touch over $150,500 or around $10,000–$15,000 more than a Sahara VX LandCruiser.

You can build and price your own F-150 at Ford Australia’s website, here.

If you wanted to save a few pennies, get a marginally better GVM and still have the power, torque and comfort of an F-150, Ford is doing a runout on the F-150 XLT with pricing (when published) of a pint of beer under $107,000 driveaway in Melbourne.

If you want to read about the Ford F-150 XLT, the lower-specification in the F-150 range, have a read of Tony O’Kane’s in-depth review here.

Towing fuel economy

In my first tow with a Ford F-150, I saw fuel burn per 100km travelled around 20L. That was with a light road-bias van of mauve 2600kg. It should be noted that the drive was limited to mainly 80km/h and entirely flat.

In my second, longer and more undulating drive, we took an XLT for nearly 600km along the Great Ocean Road with a 2800kg Jayco Silverline in tow, there we saw around 22–23L/100km and for my third and biggest tow, we saw about the same over around 3000km and 12 days.

The last drive, where the pictures and video you see here came from, was a run up from Adelaide, into and through the Flinders Range before a dash back to Melbourne. On the open country roads, we sat at the speed limit and saw early to mid-20s. In the dirt and hills of Flinders, that jumped into the mid to high 20s.

To put that in perspective, the Landcruiser 300 Series I reviewed used more fuel and it was a diesel. Looking to Ford’s arch-rivals, the GMSV 1500 Chevy Silverado, in my testing, used a touch more fuel and the RAM is known to use closer to 30L/100km when hauling a big van. The incoming Toyota Tundra might trump the Ford with its mild hybrid engine but right now, the F-150 is impressively good on fuel, generally speaking, and best in class.

What engine does Australia get in the F-150 Lariat?

Right now, we only get the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, a twin-turbo petrol engine with 298kW

and 678Nm running through a 10-speed automatic gearbox and 2-speed transfer case for 4WD.

In the States, where the F-150 is the most popular passenger vehicle sold (more than 650,000 in 2023), the F-150 can be had with a smaller V6, a naturally aspirated V8 and a supercharged V8.

The V6 EcoBoost is priced higher and has better specs than the naturally aspirated V8. It has oodles more torque (678Nm at 3100rpm) and better fuel economy so if you miss the idea of a V8, know the V6 EcoBoost is a better engine.

How comfortable is it?

About as good as it gets, and part of the reason is that low GVM. The rear suspension of the F-150 features leaf springs (cart springs to some) which are more durable and typically more progressive in their rates than coil springs. You would expect with leaf-springs that the F-150 would have a crashy, hard ride quality but it has the opposite. I believe the rear springs in the Lariat are the softest I’ve driven on.

Now a bit of a tangent, if you are thinking what I am thinking — replace the springs with something stiffer and raise the GVM — you are onto a good idea, just know that the rear axle has a load limit of 1882kg and the front 1633kg so there is not a lot in it before you need to upgrade the axle housing. Kits are coming to the market now with GVM increases from +200kg to near +1000kg.

Back to comfort. I said in my video above that driving the F-150 in Lariat’s guise is like sitting in your grandad’s La-Z-Boy. The height of the seat from the floor, the depth of the seat padding and the placement of the armrests are near perfect. Add in that the seats are both heated and ventilated and you’ll understand why these are so popular as daily driven vehicles. But there is one more catch for those that tow.

Steering wheel, digital instrument cluster and infotainment system, complete with wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto

Original road tyres versus light truck tyres

When I put the idea of taking a F-150 Lariat on a 3000km trek with a big van in tow, Ford was happy and obliging to loan me the truck, but then I told them where I was going and the terrain we’d see. “That's fine,” they said but they missed the point. The Flinders is known for being hard on tyres, especially on the tracks leading up and around the epic hills. I had to swap the original Pirelli Scorpion road-bias tyres out for something with tougher sidewalls and a thicker tread or risk the chance of being stranded. In stepped our mates at Bob Jane T-marts with a set of Kumho Road Venture AT52s. The AT52s are an all-terrain light truck tyre which in our sizing of 275/60/R20 had a load rating of 115 (1250kg), perfect for a long haul and some light track work.

They have a much stiffer (and thicker) sidewall than the Pirelli’s, a squarer tread block, much more depth in the tread and a tread pattern that looks like it shouldn’t be noisy or terrible in the wet and that’s exactly what we experienced.

Kumho Road Venture AT52 tyres

The team at Bob Jane T-Marts Port Melbourne transferred the tyre pressure monitor system (TPMS) sensors into the new tyres and sent me on my way a day before my un-hitched run to Adelaide. The tyres were as quiet as OE tyres and offered just as much grip and once hooked up, with some air out (down to around 25psi) the combo towed exceptionally well. It should be noted that the Kumho’s didn't impact fuel economy either, something that is common in swapping to aggressive tyres.

For some tips on driving offroad, read this article from Ian Bellert with support from Bob Jane T-Marts.

Towing a Wonderland in the outback

There is nothing to it with the F-150 Lariat. The Wonderland RV Amaroo 2100 we hauled weighed in around its ATM (its aggregate trailer mass, or its maximum load) of 3500kg when we loaded it up with food and water, but it never fussed the Lariat. With its ball weight of around 180kg, I had around 400kg spare in the tub and cabin after I took the seat. I likely never got near that as I loaded the van with our camera and camping gear as we did not have a cover on the tub.

We watched tyre temps and pressures on the in-dash TPMS and regularly checked the tyres on the van. For the rest, the mirrors could be better in that with a full width of 2.48m (8ft 1in) and the trailer's overall length of 8.6m (28ft 2in), which mean that sight down the sides of the van is limited with the factory mirrors. My hope is MSA bring out a set of compact towing mirrors for the F-150 as the factory housings do not accept our other favourite mirrors, the Milenco clip-ons.

We would see 500km to a tank of fuel (138L capacity) which is ideal, I feel. We carried a pair of jerry cans of unleaded as outback, premium fuel can be hard to find, but never needed them.

I used tow/haul mode and entered the van’s key specs into the dash (an excellent system by the way) and left the transfer case in auto four-wheel drive (4A). Traction was never an issue with the weight on the rear and the upgraded tyres.

Display of the tow/haul mode

Reversing camera in use

The wrap

Do I think the F-150 Lariat is the best in its class? Right now, yes but it will not have it easy for long. The incoming Toyota factory-backed Tundra lands with a bit more power and torque and similar weight specs while the RAM is due for a facelift and introduction of its own petrol-turbo in the Hurricane 3.0L inline engine. The GM Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has an aural tone the others cannot match but it does not feel as well built or capable as the Ford.

If you tow, or are looking to tow, a full weight 3500kg van and need some capacity for gear, the Ford F-150 Lariat is the one to have. If you occasionally tow 4000–4500kg, it’s still a good pick, just be wary of your ball weight and how it impacts the low GVM.

FORD F-150 LARIAT SWB SPECS

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

DRIVETRAIN

GENERAL

Ford F-150 Lariat SWB price from $149,863

OPTIONS FITTED

• Premium paint

Ford F-150 Lariat SWB price as shown $150,584

More information

Ford Australia

P: 13 3673

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