
Ford Unveils 2013 F-150 Limited
Range-topping pickup gets luxe materials, lots of standard features and all sorts of high-tech goodies.
Fans of Ford's best-selling F-150 pickup now have a new halo vehicle to lust after: The Blue Oval has unveiled its range-topping F-150 Limited luxury trim for the 2013 model year. Yes, that means that the Harley-Davidson, Lariat, King Ranch and even Platinum-edition F-150s are now all vying for second-best.By the way, Ford says luxury trim levels account for more than 30 percent of its pickup sales, so don't roll your eyes at the fact that the Limited edition of the entry-level F-150 will top the Platinum's starting price of $44,635 (specific pricing has yet to be announced).
Under the hood will be Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, putting out 365 horsepower while achieving 22 mpg highway. HID headlamps, PowerFold heated side mirrors, rain-sensing wipers and 22-inch polished aluminum wheels are standard. The interior gets full-grain leather offset by real aluminum and piano black finishes, heated/cooled front seats with memory function (the rear seats are heated as well) and ambient lighting with five accent colors. It's also a tech-heavy truck, offering standard Sync with MyFord Touch and Sirius Travel Link on a centrally mounted 8-inch LCD screen, plus power-sliding rear windows with privacy tint and defrost.
The F-150 comes in three special-edition exterior colors: Ruby Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat, Tuxedo Black Metallic and White Platinum Metallic Tri-Coat. The truck, which will arrive at dealerships this fall, is offered only in SuperCrew 4-door cab configuration.[Source: Ford.]
I have owned 6 ford trucks over 30 years and have loved them all. The last one I purchased (and still have) is a 2001 F350 crew cab dually 4x4 Lariat. The sticker price (which I also have) was $35,692.00. The exact same truck 11 years later (minus the 7.3 diesel) has a sticker price over $60,000. I earn a pretty good salary, however it has not come close to doubling the last 11 years. I think alot of people older than 35 will agree that these prices have skyrocketed way too high. Looks like Ford and all the other U.S. auto manufacturers lost my business as far as purchasing new items from them. The manufacturers (and banks) once offered up to 48 months for financing a vehicle, then 60 months, and now it is up to 84 months. People who buy a new vehicle based on monthly payment are getting screwed. The vehicle won't last as long as your payment runs and you will never be out of "transportation" debt. There is absolutely no reason to charge as much as they do. I'm not paying $8000 to provide for a workers pension. They can get a 401k like the rest of us or invest wisely like I have the last 30 years.
Just like when the price of diesel shot past the price of gas in 2005, you can now purchase a luxurious and loaded Audi A6, BMW 5 series or Mercedes E350 for less than a new U.S. truck.......REDICULOUS!
Take all that crap out and give me my truck back. Nice seats with half those options on the inside and bring back a $30K truck that Americans can afford. Take off those 22" wheels and put regular 18"-20" wheels and mpg will go from 22mpg to 28mpg (highway.
What happened to the real reason people buy, own and use trucks?
If you want a Mercedes go buy a Mercedes but if you want a truck don't insist on all the options of a Mercedes so the price goes through the roof for everyone.
America bring back our trucks!
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