Backcountry Vehicles

[Artemus]

Quoting this for emphasis.

I think I bought a Ford today. And I LOVE it.

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What!!!! That is not what we talked about! Full details please. Smokestacks?

 

[Nick]

What!!!! That is not what we talked about! Full details please. Smokestacks?

It's a 3.5L Ecoboost. And holy shiznackle does it move!! Especially in 'sport mode'. Like throw you back in your seat and take your breath away. It's a Lariat supercrew about as loaded as I think it can get for that trim. I've been frustrated with Toyota and lack of availability so today I went and drove a Chevy, and then a Ford. The Chevy was pretty meh. Some cool features that Tundra doesn't have but overall not that impressed. The F-150 blew me away though. Any gripes I ever had with the exterior appearance were quickly resolved by the abundance of awesomeness in features and feel. I'm really impressed. And the technology in this thing is nuts. It practically drives itself. It watches the lines on the freeway and tries to keep me in them. And when I put it in cruise it lets me set a following distance and then it just keeps to that. Even if someone gets in between me and the next car it will adjust and I don't have to do anything. Seriously not far from autonomous vehicles.

As for it's backcountry cred, it does have their off road package but also has 20" wheels. I know 18's would be better for off roading but the 20's look sooo nice. And it has 360˚ cameras so you can see what's over the hood when you're in steep off road conditions. Hell, you can see what's on the sides too. It gives you an overhead look so you can navigate in tight settings. It's pretty wild.

I didn't intend to buy today, but after driving one, I knew I couldn't get another Tundra. I had to get home to feed the dogs but they let me take it home for the weekend to play with. If negotiations go well I'll sign the papers and make it official on Monday. Still kind of shocked how much I like a Ford.

 

[Nanda]

April 1st is still few months away.

 

[steve]

That ecoboost is an incredible motor. You'll love it even more once you tow with it.

 

[slc_dan]

Quoting this for emphasis.

I think I bought a Ford today. And I LOVE it.

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WOAH! what?!?

 

[Jackson]

And the technology in this thing is nuts. It practically drives itself. It watches the lines on the freeway and tries to keep me in them. And when I put it in cruise it lets me set a following distance and then it just keeps to that. Even if someone gets in between me and the next car it will adjust and I don't have to do anything. Seriously not far from autonomous vehicles.

I test drove an Outback with those same cruise control features recently. I thought they'd just be something fancy that I wouldn't really want/need, but I was blown away by how awesome it made the driving experience. We'll be getting a new vehicle sometime soon, and I reeeally want it to have that kind of cruise control.

 

[Nick]

I test drove an Outback with those same cruise control features recently. I thought they'd just be something fancy that I wouldn't really want/need, but I was blown away by how awesome it made the driving experience. We'll be getting a new vehicle sometime soon, and I reeeally want it to have that kind of cruise control.

I really put them to the test today. I'm quite sure I could make it from SLC to Wendover without needing to touch the wheel, gas or brakes after setting the cruise. Today on the freeway I could let go and the truck would just bounce back and forth within my lane. No hands on the wheel. INSANE.

 

[Artemus]

... Today on the freeway I could let go and the truck would just bounce back and forth within my lane. No hands on the wheel....

Define bounce please.

My next vehicle will have adaptive or dynamic cruise control. I've read that some manufacturer's implementations, them all being first generation, were half-baked and that the cruise kept dropping out or emergency braking or .... I am very curious about your specific experience with that system.

 

[River]

What happens when the striping gets faint?

 

[Artemus]

What happens when the striping gets faint?

This.... variable road condition quality makes me nervous re: expert systems that are using a view of the road. In the early days they proposed putting wires in the road bed to have an electromagnetic path for the wayfinding. Society couldn't afford to retrofit the interstate highway system.

 

[Nick]

Define bounce please.

When it starts to get too close to the line, it corrects the steering just a tiny bit and the truck starts moving back toward the middle of the lane. If uncorrected, it will eventually reach the other line and do the same.

If I have my hand on the wheel and drift over the line, I can feel it gently nudge back but if I want to keep going across the line it is easy. It is certainly a good reminder to use your blinker when changing lanes.

What happens when the striping gets faint?

I read recently that faint lines aren't bad but faint lines on concrete when the sun is setting or rising is a problem. That was specifically for true self-driving cars though. I got the impression that was one of the last big hurdles for autonomous vehicles.

I'm also really liking the 360˚ camera system. I don't know how it gets the side views, but it makes it so you can see what is basically a bird's eye view from directly above the truck. Awesome for tight spaces. This is of it parked in my driveway with the front-facing camera active on the left and the 360˚ bird's eye on the right. I can't wait to try that when I'm off road, trying to turn around and not hit bushes, rocks, etc. Works in forward and reverse.



So yeah, I'm keeping it. Going to make it official tomorrow. A few more pics in the daylight today:

 

[Artemus]

I'm also really liking the 360˚ camera system. I don't know how it gets the side views, but it makes it so you can see what is basically a bird's eye view from directly above the truck. Awesome for tight spaces. This is of it parked in my driveway with the front-facing camera active on the left and the 360˚ bird's eye on the right. I can't wait to try that when I'm off road, trying to turn around and not hit bushes, rocks, etc. Works in forward and reverse.

wOOt! I want a ride! Beauty. Does it have the "flow through" console?

The 360 degree camera view is intriguing. Is it at all useful at night? My backup cameras have been decent due to the backup light. How many lenses do you have to keep clean? 4?

Course you could get the same result from your unmanned, gps-stabilized arial camera platform, no?

 

[Artemus]

When it starts to get too close to the line, it corrects the steering just a tiny bit and the truck starts moving back toward the middle of the lane. If uncorrected, it will eventually reach the other line and do the same.

Some of the impetus and the general cause of the industry to move to steer by wire so now the computer can control.

 

[Artemus]

This is of it parked in my driveway with the front-facing camera active

Can you switch which camera is active instead of front? Can you turn on the display while you are moving?

 

[Nick]

wOOt! I want a ride! Beauty. Does it have the "flow through" console?

Yes sir! Sage would have loved a bench seat but that's just not gonna happen.

The 360 degree camera view is intriguing. Is it at all useful at night? My backup cameras have been decent due to the backup light. How many lenses do you have to keep clean? 4?

It works well at night. There is full perimeter LED lighting. There's even some on the side mirrors that are almost like little spotlights. You can turn them on while you're driving. Could be really handy when you're looking for a campsite or turnoff at night on a dirt road.

So far I've only found three cameras. One in the grille, one on the tailgate and one behind the rear view that handles lane assist. I'm not sure about the rear camera lens, but the front one has a spray nozzle above it and gets blasted with wiper fluid every time you wash your windshield!

Can you switch which camera is active instead of front? Can you turn on the display while you are moving?

Yes, you can turn it on while you're moving, but I think only at slow speeds. You can switch between different camera angles but not between rear and front from what I can tell. When you're in park or drive you can toggle a couple front angles and bird's eye. In reverse you have the same options for the back.

 

[Nick]

Apparently there are 5 cameras, 4 outside. They are hiding under the mirrors.

 

[Bob]

Pretty pimped out.........
I think to many things to distract you tho

 

[DAA]

I think the F-150 is the best half ton for most buyers needs these days. It wasn't for mine, but I do believe it is for most. Good choice!

- DAA

 

[Jen]

WTF how did i miss this?!? i cannot believe you bought a ford. the real question is, however, how does it haul/stop the boat?

 

[Bob]

Makes are all about the same.....just what you need and or like. I've always had Nissans, wanted a larger truck, the Titans sucked.....Fords and Toys were too much $ for what the are, they were nice though, didn't like how the Dodges drove...ended up with a Chevy......Its been fine, towing, snow, mileage, comfort...and a decent price....