Superman The Ride: Ford F150 (2001)

The relationship was a fitful affair. It was intense at times, and quite uneventful at others. Nonetheless, we were impressed by our involvement with a Ford F150 Flareside about two years ago, when we took it for a one-week stand. Reminded by the immense power and torque of its 4.2-liter V6 engine, we again set out on a journey to find out if there is something more powerful than the self-proclaimed ‘beast’ of pick-ups.

We thought: there must be something more indestructible, more masculine and well, more F150 than the F150. The answer comes in a more sensible, more powerful, and unfortunately more expensive package: the Ford F150 SuperCrew. This is the 4-door F150, built for easier ingress/egress and a substantial increase in cabin space.

Though the SuperCrew longed to go swimming in the crater of Mount Pinatubo, this didn’t seem practical. When we saw the Ford’s beige leather upholstery and fully-dressed interior, we thought that Mount Pinatubo wasn’t deadly enough. We decided to subject it to a harsher environment, where buyers tend to take this monster ninety-nine percent of the time: Manila roads.

Ulysses: Friday, September 28 2001(Afternoon)

The adventure started halfway to Ford Alabang, where we were scheduled to pick-up the SuperCrew for a weekend fling. Traffic was agonizingly slow from C5 all the way to the Alabang exit. Sitting in the backseat (for once, we had a driver because we didn’t want to drive a manual through three hours of hell), I felt like a little kid anxious to receive a new toy. It felt like a personal rewards of sorts, especially after trekking the mountains of Atimonan, Quezon in a rickety jeepney a few weeks earlier.

When we arrived at the dealer, I kept looking at the parking garage, trying to scope out what the SuperCrew looked like. (This was the first time I’d ever get to see it in person.) It wasn’t difficult to spot. In fact, the SuperCrew stuck out in the midst of Expeditions and Explorer Sport Tracs because of its high stature.

Saying that the SuperCrew is tall is an understatement; a skyscraper is more like it. With a height 200 mm taller than the Explorer Sport Trac and around 50 mm taller than the regular F150, the SuperCrew measures in at a high 1918 mm. Comparatively, the Honda Civic checks in at 1455 mm, nearly half a meter shorter!

When we took a closer look, it became clear that the SuperCrew wasn’t just about height. It was about all the three dimensions. For those living in Mars who haven’t seen an F150 up close, imagine this: take a regular Japanese pick-up, pump it up with lots of air (ala Looney Tunes) and deliberately switch the fuel from unleaded gasoline to pure anabolic steroids.

The SuperCrew has a lot in common with the 4×4 Flareside Lariat in terms of the exterior. In fact, from the front, the SuperCrew can easily be mistaken for a two-door F150 (or even an Expedition if your eyes aren’t keen enough). However, the difference is immediately apparent when looking at the three-quarters front. The most obvious change is a stretched passenger cabin, now with four independently-opening doors, and a smaller pick-up bed. In addition, gone are the huge rear-wheel-arch flares, replaced by smaller arches that aren’t as prominent.

Some friends commented that some of the outright masculinity is lost in the transformation to SuperCrew. I would have to disagree. The overall design changes contributed to just a one percent drop in the testosterone meter. In fact, the SuperCrew looks better balanced from the side especially with the extended passenger cabin and the reduced length of the pickup bed. Not to mention, the additional creature space contributes to better weight distribution especially with no payload on the pickup bed.

Rugged as it is on the outside, the SuperCrew is all about comfort inside. The differences from its Flareside brother are obvious, as the SuperCrew gains 305 mm, most of it going to the much-improved rear seats; it’s no longer the sardine can that it was before. Even without a tape measure, one can observe that the SuperCrew gains Expedition-like passenger space. Three abreast at the rear is not a problem anymore for the SuperCrew. In addition, the front seats are well-bolstered and wide giving them almost armchair-like comfort. The leather sewn on these seats are Jaguar-level in quality, surpassing the likes of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, Honda Accord and even Nissan Cefiro Brougham. One unique feature is the power-adjustable pedal cluster, which can move the brake and accelerator towards or away from the driver. Whether your arms are too short or legs are too long, you won’t have to suffer an ape-like driving position anymore.

After staring in awe for a few seconds, I closed my gaping mouth and set off for Manila proper from Alabang. Climbing aboard the F150 required a step on the side board; failure to do so would mean a pulled muscle. Starting the 4.6-liter V8 was less of an event that I thought it would be. Although the sound did suggest that 220-bhp was indeed available on tap, the thick insulation inside the cabin made it almost inaudible. The growl is different from the Japanese multi-valve engines. Low-end torque, high displacement and a bulldog-like growl is America’s engine specialty, and no one does it better than Ford.

Rolling off the dealership’s driveway, the F150’s initial driving behavior left much to be desired. The F150 felt every bit like a truck and then some. The increased ride height and thinner tires compared to the F150 Flareside we previously tested (which were owner-modified) meant that the SuperCrew nervously wobbled around. A few flicks to the right or to the left would make the driver and passengers uneasy since the body roll was quite pronounced. To make matters worse, the steering felt numb thanks to over assistance by the power steering mechanism.

Moreover, although the brakes did work, they did not bite with enough ferocity to make any late-braking maneuver a confidence-inspiring endeavor. Nonetheless, if pressed hard and long enough, the four-wheel disc brakes acted well with the standard anti-lock braking system, making this 2309-kilogram vehicle stop dead effectively.

We picked up the F150 just before lunch and by the time we reached Libis in Quezon City we were famished. After driving this truck only one meal could be considered appropriate—so we looked for the biggest, juiciest steak we could find.

Jason: Friday, September 28 2001 (Night)

After spending practically the whole day in motor vehicles, either as driver or front passenger, I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to drive the SuperCrew from the east end of Metro Manila, Marikina, to its north end, Balintawak, just short of entering the North Expressway. After all, Friday night deserves its reputation as the most traffic-plagued time of the week.

I soon discovered that my fears of driving this particularly humungous vehicle in heavy Manila traffic were unfounded. Effort-wise—steering and pedals—the SuperCrew was as easy to drive as a Camry. Perhaps more relaxing, because of its towering eye height and growlingly responsive V8 engine. Seeing above cars and even other trucks allowed me to anticipate traffic and pick out the best lanes to maneuver the 5740 mm-long beast.

No amount of anticipating, though, could help once I reached EDSA near the North Expressway. Traffic going to the tollway clogged all the lanes, and even if I wasn’t going to enter the tollway, I was just as stuck. At times like these, you don’t need a Juicy Fruit; you need a great stereo. Once again, although I didn’t expect it, the SuperCrew delivered. The Corrs were singing live somewhere in Cubao that night, but I could easily pretend that Caroline, Sharon, and Andrea (in that order) were right there in the back seat—good for three, right? Sorry, Jim—you can ride shotgun. The bass was pleasingly loud, and you could actually hear every change of modulation in Andrea’s voice.

While the CD player kept me from going mad in the traffic, I slowly eased the truck forward, using the F150’s bulk and height to block other traffic and prevent them from encroaching on my lane. (“Intimidate,” as the brochure suggested.) Apparently, cars and smaller pickups don’t even try to muscle near the F150, but delivery trucks and buses couldn’t care less. Still, we were in a large, comfortable cocoon of a vehicle, and the traffic didn’t bother us as much. As a final touch to dispel our impatience, we opened the moon roof to get a view of the smog…er, stars, rather.

Jason: Saturday, September 29 2001

For our first full day with the SuperCrew we decided to test it as its four doors and five full-sized seats suggested: as family transport. We first went on a breakfast run to Starbucks Shangri-la. The roads were practically empty at 7 am and the SuperCrew had no problem thundering its way across craters and canals in the road that would have upset even a RAV4. One thing we noticed was that while the pickup was impervious to cat’s eyes, potholes and dips in the road, wide objects that protruded such as humps caused undulating motions that upset the truck’s composure.

Otherwise, the ride is smooth and comfortable. The truck still had a tendency to feel floaty and disconnected from the road, but less so that the 4×2 Flareside, probably because of the increased weight on top of the chassis’ frame. Engine and road noise are very well suppressed, making the truck much quieter than a Honda Accord. The assembly quality of the interior seemed to have improved also, as we didn’t hear any squeaks from the seats or other cabin parts.

Increasing the displacement from a 4.2 V6 to a 4.6 V8 may not seem like much when pulling two metric tons of truck, but the upgraded engine made quick work of overcoming any inertia. 398 Nm of torque was enough to make accelerating brisk. Throttle response was nearly instantaneous, and was a great help in making the truck more maneuverable around town, particularly when changing lanes or merging.

Parking in Shangri-la’s open-air lot was no problem—mainly because there were practically no other cars. The SuperCrew barely fit into one slot, its width nearly encroaching on the adjacent space, and its length nearly slicing a coconut tree as we backed it up. Later in the day, we tried the basement of the nearby hotel as well. This was rather more challenging. We descended the ramp without any trouble, but we always felt like ducking whenever we neared a beam or overhead pipe. However, the height-clearance bar at the parking entrance was accurate, and we cleared all the obstacles. When we got down, we saw just how close the car’s roof was to the ceiling—barely a hands’ width away!

We rejoined the streets after a hearty lunch only to find that Saturday afternoon was rapidly turned into Saturday night! Not by the BeeGees, but by rain clouds that came from nowhere and dumped a torrent of rain. Visibility soon dropped to less than two meters, and the roads started sloshing water. We were driving in Marikina when this Noah’s Ark-type rain began. Well, we didn’t have a single cubit of wood handy, but then we were driving the next best thing to the Ark.

Where I would normally be quaking in my bucket seat, I felt challenged instead: floods are not uncommon in the Metro but this time we were ready. Puddles soon gave way to streams, and streams to street-wide rivers as the rain continued unabated. Cars and even compact pickups soon gave up and turned back. Not this pickup. As the water continued to rise, we shifted to 4×4 mode, eventually stopping and engaging 4×4 Low. The 4×4 Low Mode was geared just right to take us safely through the thigh-deep flood. The pickup didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the floodwater, and we plowed through the water to our destination.

We were even able to play superhero of sorts by picking up a friend who had been wading through the flood on foot. More than any other capability of the F150, this nonchalant wading through otherwise impassable floodwater impressed me the most. Always wanted to do that!

ason: Sunday, September 30 2001

Today we were supposed to test the F150’s highway and country-road capabilities but unfortunately our co-editor ended up with a bout of indigestion. We instead decided to explore further the F150 for typical Sunday activities, like going for a round of badminton.

One glaring inadequacy of the F150, even in SuperCrew guise, is the lack of a separate luggage space. Of course there is a huge (1707 mm length x 1270 mm width) pickup bed, but it’s exposed to the elements, both natural and the undesirable-people type. The optional hard plastic bed cover would solve this, as it’s lockable and waterproof. We folded down the rear seats instead, and plopped our bags on top. As for additional stuff, there’s the large space between the front passengers’ legs, the center console bin, and two storage bins behind the rear seats, accessible by folding the seats.

A wagon or SUV would still be more practical than the F150 when it comes to storing and carrying things like the groceries, backpacks or electrical appliances. However, you can’t exactly hose down the luggage bay of an SUV. The F seems quite well suited to a farm or country environment, where one would regularly transport materials like animal feed (or even animals!) or marine plywood that won’t fit in a wagon, and wouldn’t do the cleanliness or aroma of an SUV interior any favors.

Ulysses: Monday, October 01 2001

Having my fellow editor drive for the past two days meant that I had the privilege of driving this huge beast during the final day of its stay with us.

During the morning, I decided to take the SuperCrew to do a bit of mudslinging—not the heavy stuff, just your typical gravel and sand terrain. Finding such surfaces isn’t too hard in Manila: one just has to go the Ateneo de Manila parking lot.

Being there early morning meant that I had the chance to take the SuperCrew gravel and mud-style off-roading. Surprisingly, this heavy truck easily lost grip especially at its rear drive wheels in two-wheel drive mode. The torque was just too much to handle, that even a light tap on the throttle could sent the F150’s wheels and literally digging into the gravel.

Switching to four-wheel drive high mode, the same is true—except now all four wheels have the tendency to torque spin, even with the standard limited slip differential fitted on the SuperCrew. Hypothetically, there could be two reasons for this: either the OEM tires were just too slippery to handle off-roading or that the unladed pick-up bed affected the SuperCrew’s balance so much that a good weight distribution couldn’t be established.

However, once the four-wheel drive low mode is engaged, the F150 turns into a gravel-chomping moon rover. Suddenly, the F150 found all the lacking traction and grip, making it glide across any kind of possible parking lot terrain: gravel, mud, caked dirt, loose sand—you name it, the F150 goes through it like a hot knife through butter. The Triton V8 suddenly worked in cohesion with the transmission, giving this truck tons of grip. In short, the F150 did what it was supposedly designed for—and in complete style to boot.

Trading my hiking boots (a.k.a. school shoes) for conventional ones, it was about time we headed back to Ford Alabang. Along the way, the behavior of the SuperCrew suddenly felt less wobbly. After driving it for three days, I began to adjust to the truck’s towering height and driving characteristics making the vehicle more manageable than I once thought.

Nonetheless, there are some trade offs that wouldn’t be eliminated even with ten years of driving the SuperCrew. First, and the most obvious, is the high gasoline consumption. During the weekend, we managed to consume PHP 1,000 (approximately USD 20) of fuel, nearly three-fourths the 95 liter tank. It managed a lowly 3.6 kilometers per liter (8.46 mpg US, or 27.78 liters/100 km). Second is the bulk of the vehicle itself. It was almost impossible to find the right parking space for it, whether in Ateneo de Manila or the Shangri-La basement parking lot. In addition, squeezing along Quezon Avenue isn’t that easy especially when you’re against the likes of Tamaraw FXs, buses and jeepneys (when was the last time one of these vehicles ever gave way?) Lastly, it’s a complete log to drive: it responds well but you feel absolutely isolated from the road.

Then we thought about the Lincoln-quality cabin and huge pickup bed. We also found the SuperCrew easy and comfortable to drive in light traffic, even in situations that a normal vehicle would not be able to cope with. Despite its faults, the F150 has come closer to making the large pickup a useful all-around vehicle.

The Ford F150 SuperCrew is a jack-of-all-trades, an all-in-one, a Swiss Army Knife. Whatever the environment hurls your way: mud, rain, showers, gravel, floods—this is perhaps one of the few vehicles that could very much cope with all of these while maintaining a sense of poise and power. It can do everything with the greatest of ease…except when you’re trying to parallel park.

motioncars.com would like to thank

Ford Motors Philippines Incorporated
for letting us test drive the Ford F150 SuperCrew for a weekend.

By Jason Ang & Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang and Jason Ang
Originally Published in the October 2001 Issue