2015 F-150 King Ranch Review

So the R63 sold?

docwyte said:

So the R63 sold?

Nope. He loves it but he has the opposite problem as me. He's space limited so he needs the Swiss Army usefulness/luxury of the KR. It's been fun to test for both of us and I think we both have a better idea of what we like and why. It's still for sale though I'm still not making an actual effort to sell it. 

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

I'll give you $2018 for it   

The first time I saw a newer King Ranch without the saddle leather interior I was disappointed, it was my favorite part of that package.

Deucekid#2 asked why it was poo colored inside. Better than black, but not my favorite.

A few more notes as I sit in the school line. The R63 seats are WAY better. To the point where I have a hard time thinking of this truck as any sort of luxury vehicle at all. 

I thought the automatic running boards were dumb because I've always found running boards useless. The cool thing about these is that they can stick out way further than normal bolt on boards and they're useful. I love them.

Power running boards are cool to me. I HATE HATE HATE static running boards basically as much as i hate the thought of admitting myself so feeble that i need help getting in or out of a stock truck. You could say that makes me a little judgmentally entitled as to my physical wellness, but the other side is that i consciously treasure it and won't give up on 'stupid little things' like muscling off tight jar lids and hopping up and down out of trucks until i really have to. I've grown out of the stuff that's truly dangerous, but too many little decisions to make things easy for yourself lead to my next point..

Which is that for people that 'just happen' to be very much larger than they probably should be, that space from the r63 to a full size truck is part of the luxury.  

Vigo said:

Power running boards are cool to me.

Power running boards are indeed pretty cool and make a lot of sense. The problem with them is, and this is likely not an issue down where you guys are, but in the salt belt the wheels kick sand and salt and slush up onto the running boards. Happens a lot on GMs, the salt corrodes up the aluminum brackets and seizes the things and then the motor burns itself out trying to open it up. Overhauled a set a couple years ago for a customer and between the motors and brackets and labor, it came out to something like $4k.

I have a question: What in the world is the King Ranch whoop-dee-doo logo supposed to be? Cow's udders?

NickD said:

I have a question: What in the world is the King Ranch whoop-dee-doo logo supposed to be? Cow's udders?

It's the brand that has been used @ the actual King Ranch for over a century, but Nobody really knows the meaning of the "running W".

King Ranch is a brand, a product, in similar vein to Eddie Bauer logoed  vehicles. 

Wiki

King Ranch, located in South Texas between Corpus Christi and Brownsville near Kingsville, is the largest ranch in Texas

 In 1869, the ranch registered its "Running W" brand, which remains the King Ranch's official mark today

Websitr

Well, I like my "Cow's udders" theory better

In reply to ebonyandivory :

That console flips up and you can seat three across.  I never have in mine. But I do lift it up once in a while because there is additional storage underneath 

frenchyd said:

In reply to ebonyandivory :

That console flips up and you can seat three across.  I never have in mine. But I do lift it up once in a while because there is additional storage underneath 

It depends on the year and how it was optioned. Some trucks have the fold down center console, but some are bucket seats with a fixed console that runs into the dash like a Camry. Looking at new F150s in '17 I started out thinking I wanted the flip/bench but after sitting in a few of the full console trucks I changed my mind. The amount of storage in the full console is so much more than the bench that I would be willing to trade the seating for it. I've rented apartments smaller than the center console in a modern bucket-seat pickup.

NickD said:

Well, I like my "Cow's udders" theory better

Whenever I see a King Ranch logo, all I can think of is Stargate SG-1:

(yes, I know it's different...)

frenchyd said:

In reply to ebonyandivory :

That console flips up and you can seat three across.  I never have in mine. But I do lift it up once in a while because there is additional storage underneath 

It does depend on the truck. This truck has the shifter built into the console, it does not flip up. The last time I looked, all of the half ton trucks abandoned the front bench above the lowest trim levels. Even in 2007 I had to search for one because there weren't any on a dealer lot of 150 trucks. As near as I can tell, no KR trucks have ever seated six.

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

OK but I know Ford still puts a bench seat in their trucks. My 2016 is pretty well loaded and has a bench seat in it. It just looks like a pair of buckets and a big console. 

You could get it up through the XLT trim level, but the Platinum and King Ranch were console only, I think. 

For the Challenge I rented an F-250 Superduty crew cab. It didn't have any running boards and had a 32" step up height. If I were to buy such a beast the powered running boards would be nice, but as stated earlier, they'll corrode pretty quickly here in Michigan. Bolt on running boards would be an absolute necessity for my 5 foot tall spouse. Curious to know what the step up height is on the King Ranch. Subjectively, I think GM  4wd trucks appear to be lower than their Ford counterparts and therefore  would be more appealing to me.

mazdeuce - Seth said:

frenchyd said:

In reply to ebonyandivory :

That console flips up and you can seat three across.  I never have in mine. But I do lift it up once in a while because there is additional storage underneath 

It does depend on the truck. This truck has the shifter built into the console, it does not flip up. The last time I looked, all of the half ton trucks abandoned the front bench above the lowest trim levels. Even in 2007 I had to search for one because there weren't any on a dealer lot of 150 trucks. As near as I can tell, no KR trucks have ever seated six.

I had a 2011 FX4 that came with buckets up front. I specifically didn't want the front bench, as the backrest folds to be a console but the overall height was a bit higher and I found it not as comfortable as an armrest. The gigantic center storage bin/cupholders/cubby space that came with the bucket seat models was super useful, although everything gets lost in the storage bin.

DeadSkunk said:

For the Challenge I rented an F-250 Superduty crew cab. It didn't have any running boards and had a 32" step up height. If I were to buy such a beast the powered running boards would be nice, but as stated earlier, they'll corrode pretty quickly here in Michigan. Bolt on running boards would be an absolute necessity for my 5 foot tall spouse. Curious to know what the step up height is on the King Ranch. 

I would like to know why manufacturers think that trucks need to be so damn *tall* these days. My '96 4wd is easy to get into and out of.  New tricks need to be sold with step ladders. It used to be possible to make even heavy-duty trucks at a reasonable height. It's like the OEMs are trying to put the lift kit manufacturers out of business or something. 

In reply to snailmont5oh :

I think some of the height is to clear taller tires (due to higher load capacity) as truck payload ratings have gone up.  Making them ride higher also gives more suspension travel so they can soften things up a bit for comfort.  

New F-150's actually have a step ladder that folds off the tailgate to get in.  Cool, but I agree, they are way too tall these days.  Putting something in the bed is a pain actually.

rslifkin said:

In reply to snailmont5oh :

I think some of the height is to clear taller tires (due to higher load capacity) as truck payload ratings have gone up.  Making them ride higher also gives more suspension travel so they can soften things up a bit for comfort.  

Those are all valid reasons, but I honestly think they mostly do it for looks.

Tom_Spangler said:

rslifkin said:

In reply to snailmont5oh :

I think some of the height is to clear taller tires (due to higher load capacity) as truck payload ratings have gone up.  Making them ride higher also gives more suspension travel so they can soften things up a bit for comfort.  

Those are all valid reasons, but I honestly think they mostly do it for looks.

I concur. 

I like to sit on my tailgate sometimes, and you can't even come close to that with a new truck. And putting something almost too heavy to pick up is an extreme pain in the ass (well, shoulders).

So,

I have a 2014 f150 xlt eco boost.  I love it for truck stuff, like pulling 4 cu yds of dirt in a dump trailer.  

Highway I get 23 mpg on long trips. Daily city driving is around 17 to 18 mpg. 

Recently we rented a 15 seater transit 350.   The driving position was not optimal (less room for the driver than the f150).   But for swallowing up a E36 M3 load of things, it wins hands down.  18 mpg on the highway doing 80 to Atlanta and back.  I really liked the utility of it.  I think they make a 12 seater though I think it is the same van with just one less seat in it. I have no idea if it had an ecoboost motor but I doubt the rental xlt had one it sounded like a v8 motor.  it is a very big vehicle. Easily several feet longer than the truck you are testing.

I'm intrigued by the smaller diesel Ford is coming out next year for the F150.. Ill take a crew cab work truck trim 6 speed manual please (they don't do manuals anymore but a guy can dream)...