2000 Ford F-150 Base Review

Ford Motor Company has made billions of dollars of profit by providing a pickup truck truck for every conceivable family, recreational and commercial use, with the broadest possible spectrum of models. Over the years, Ford has continued to lead the pack in overall design, with more and more passenger car features folded into the truck mix every year until it's hard to distinguish between the two from the inside.

For 2000, Ford carries on the tradition. Changes include a more comfortable flip-up 40/60 rear seat and an improved 18-degree rear seating angle in the F-150 SuperCab. A new overhead console and left- and right-side visor vanity mirrors are standard on XLT and Lariat F-150 pickups, optional on XL models. A driver's-side keypad entry system is available on Lariat models. Chromed steel wheels and 17-inch tires, previously available on 4x4 models only, are available on 4x2 models as well. New colors are Island Blue Clearcoat Metallic and Chestnut Clearcoat Metallic. Functions previously handled by the under-8500 GVW F-250 pickups now go to a new F-150 7700 payload group with all of the attributes of the F-250, including heavier frame, larger brakes, higher-capacity wheels and 8,800 pounds towing capability.
Like its worthy competitors, the Ford F-series is offered in an astonishing array of models, with a standard 4.2-liter V6 engine, an optional 4.6-liter V-8, and an optional 5.4-liter V8. F-250 models also offer a 6.8-liter V10 engine and a Power Stroke diesel V8. Aside from engines, there are 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic transmissions, short and long cargo beds, standard and four-door SuperCab extended cabs, flat (Styleside) and fendered (Flareside) bed styles, two- and four-wheel drive models, and four trim levels: Work, XL, XLT, and Lariat. That means, with colors and options thrown in, it's easy to order a truck that only a few others will have, because the model matrix is so huge.

Our test truck was a standard cab two-wheel-drive F-150 with a Flareside bed, the optional 4.6-liter V-8 engine, automatic transmission, and the XLT package. The near-luxury XLT offers the buyer chrome front and rear bumpers, color-keyed door handles, a chrome grille, chrome aerodynamic power mirrors, color-keyed wheel openings, standard pickup truck bed tie-down hooks, a cargo box light, a removable tailgate panel, an underhood lamp and polished aluminum wheels with chrome hubs.

This is a very pretty truck, with much more attention paid to aerodynamic performance than either the Dodge or GM pickups. It is rounder, friendlier and much more like a car than the competition. That may be part of the reason it outsells all other pickup truck trucks by a considerable margin. The new Chevrolet and GMC trucks are only a year old, but they already look a bit dated next to the Ford, which was mildly restyled last year. The Dodge Ram has lost its luster, too, compared to the slick F-150.