The King Ranch is designed to be the industry standard for toughness, strength, safety, interior spaciousness, refinement, driving dynamics, stability, functionality, cargo capacity, comfort and style
By: Mike Blake
In 1900, Henry Ford built his third vehicle, a truck, and Ford trucks have been a staple on American highways ever since.
When Ford Motor Co. introduced its first all-new post-war line of vehicles in 1948, the F-Series was born ranging from the half-ton F-1 to the 3-ton F-8. And in 1975, the first F-150 made its mark on America’s consciousness; the 4×4 super cab model followed in 1988.
In the century that followed that first Ford truck, the genre was always built to be tough, hard-working, reliable vehicles that handle with aplomb, dirt, mud and heavy chores. Well, that’s the truck of the past, and today’s top-of-the-line truck must do all of that and be able to double as a luxury ride as well.
If lavishness fits into your version of the dependable truck and you are looking for a tough, yet luxurious 4×4, then Ford has this niche firmly in tow. The 2007 Ford F-150 Super Crew 4×4 King Ranch is capable of putting tough and luxury in the same sentence describing the same truck. And it pays attention to environmental concerns as well.
The Ford F-Series, America’s best-selling full-size pickup for 29 years, is the industry’s icon for toughness. The 2007 model is the culmination of nearly 60 years of Built Ford Tough reliability, power and presence. The King Ranch is designed to be the industry standard for toughness, strength, safety, interior spaciousness, refinement, driving dynamics, stability, functionality, cargo capacity, comfort and style.
My test vehicle came in the cool Lariat trim with a Forest Green topcoat, and this all-American icon was built in Kansas City.
Weighing in at a robust 5,849 pounds, you need power to move this mountain down the highway and also to live up to its 8,300-pound tow rating. FoMoCo accomplished both tasks with a muscular 5.4-liter V-8 Triton flex-fuel engine that accepts regular gasoline or ethanol (E-85). Now, this powerplant is only rated at 14 mpg in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway using full gasoline. My weeklong trips, tests, on- and off-road jaunts and s-curve examinations yielded about 15.7 mpg. You should expect even lower gas mileage from an E-85 mix, and there isn’t an abundance of E-85 gas stations around, but Ford IS making the effort, and you CAN fill your 30-gallon tank with much less straight fossil fuel than most of the competition.
The engine produces 300 horsepower and 365 pounds-feet of torque, enabling you to haul heavy cargo, drive yourself out of mud and off-road situations and get you passing-gear speed whenever you ask for it.
During my swerve tests and pavement-to-dirt or pavement-to-grass runs, I was concerned about some slide and yaw, as well as the vehicle’s high center of gravity with an empty truck bed. As this version of the F-150 is wider and higher than in straight Ford trucks, the center of gravity offers wobble during quick moves, and driving requires more finesse and less-abrupt hairpins in slick conditions. However, the King Ranch’s change-on-the-fly from two-wheel-drive to four-wheel-drive and the excellent suspension in four-wheel makes this one very good work truck, off-road vehicle and daily driver, with that one extra component seldom found in such a rugged automotive offering, the presence of indulgent luxury. Something to note is that with a full truck bed, the center of gravity lowers to a safe and effective level.
Inside, you get the idea that this IS a luxury vehicle. Tan leather captain’s chairs in front, and bench seats in the roomy second cabin look and feel as though they should be used and worn as bomber jackets.
The one concession to an extended cab is the shortening of the bed from a true-working-truck’s 8-foot box to a 5.5-foot bed.
Standard interior accouterments include cruise control, tilt wheel, electric auto temp controls, heated driver and passenger seats, the King Ranch leather captain’s chairs, flow-through console with floor shift, and outside temperature and compass display.
Safety is attended to via standard four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, driver and front passenger air bags and a keyless entry pad.
The King Ranch’s base price of $38,365 offers some lavishness, but for those who prefer a "Texas Cadillac" in deference to Ford, though, we’ll call this a "Texas Lincoln" you can add the indulgences my test vehicle came with that picked up the sticker to a price-as-tested $44,945.
Those options included: touch-screen navigation system that doesn’t always pick up the quickest routes on the highway ($1,995); power moonroof ($995); 20-inch aluminum wheels (upgrading the standard 18-inchers) covered by all-terrain Pirelli Scorpion ATRs ($895); audiophile six-CD sound system upgrade ($550); a trailer/tow package ($350) and various smaller-ticket items (ranging from $120 to $250) that consist of power adjustable pedals, skid plates, power sliding rear window, universal garage door opener, reverse sensing system that works exceedingly well and a no-charge option of Sirius satellite radio.
It took Ford 107 years to provide this much toughness with this much luxury. To many, it is worth the wait.
Visit www.carlisleevents.com for more on the automotive hobby. Mike Blake, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He’s been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.

