Ford F-150 Lariat SWB 2023 Review

There are four models in the locally ‘remanufactured’ 2023 Ford F-150 full-size pick-up line-up of ladder-frame 4x4 dual-cabs that launches in Australia in November.

XLT and Lariat are the two equipment levels and both are available with either a short wheelbase (SWB) or long wheelbase (LWB). Mind you, the SWB is 3694mm and the LWB 3994mm. So it’s more like gargantuan and gargantuan-plus.

Ford forecasts the Lariat will account for 65 per cent of sales and the SWB 60 per cent, so we’ve combined the most popular combo for this first drive.

The Lariat SWB is priced at $139,950 plus on-road costs, making it the second most expensive vehicle in the line-up, just $995 less expensive than the Lariat LWB.

The XLT SWB is priced from $106,950 and the XLT LWB starts at $107,945 (both plus ORCs).

In terms of competition, the Lariat SWB is most closely priced against the RAM 1500 Laramie Sport (from $136,950 plus ORCs). The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ (from $121,000) is logical competition because of its similar intended use as a towing rig and tourer. The Silverado ZR2 comes a bit closer on price at $124,000 plus ORCs, but it’s really aimed at more serious off-roading.

One of the proud boasts of the team developing the 2023 Ford F-150 for Australia is it loses no equipment compared to the US donor vehicle. In some ways, its standard equipment list is better.

The Lariat is easy to pick from the XLT because it’s the one with lashings of exterior chrome rather than blacked pack. Shiny stuff includes the 20-inch alloy wheels (fitted with Pirelli Scorpion rubber), the grille, door handles, mirrors, running boards and an exhaust extension that juts out like a bazooka behind the right-rear wheel.

Externally, the Lariat also gets zone lighting and a bunch of features for its load bed including a spray-in liner and a lockable power tailgate with a pop-out step and work surface including a ruler.

Inside, there are again some clear distinctions compared to the XLT. The gear shifter is a T-bar between the seats rather than column-mounted. The steering wheel is leather-wrapped and the seats are leather-trimmed.

Both front seats have 12-way power with lumbar adjust, heating and ventilation. The driver also gets memory settings for the seat, steering column, exterior mirrors and power-adjustable pedals.

Remote keyless entry/start, a huge sunroof, a power sliding rear window, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, outboard rear-seat heating and a centre bin lid that folds over to form a handy work table between the front seats are also standard.

The F-150 comes with an 18-inch spare tyre that Ford calls a dissimilar spare. It has a 113km/h maximum speed.

The F-150 range is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and 15,000km/12-month service intervals. The cost of capped price servicing is $429 per service for the first four years or 60,000km.

Both the RAM 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado have shorter three-year/100,000km warranties. Service intervals are 12 months/12,000km for the Chev and six months/10,000km for the RAM. Neither offer capped-price servicing.

The 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat comes without an ANCAP rating and is highly unlikely to get one.

That’s because ANCAP has no plan to institute a traditional crash-test program for these vehicles. However, it is expected to introduce an assessment of driver assist and vulnerable road user protection and award colour ratings the same way it does for vans.

In the US, full-size pick-ups are tested by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The left-hand drive F-150 has been given the approval of both.

It’s also important to note that in the conversion process to right-hand drive the F-150 has retained its suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

These include autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centring, lane keeping with driver alert, evasive steering assist, intersection assist, blind spot monitoring with cross traffic alert and trailer coverage, speed sign recognition and reverse braking assist.

Unlike some of these systems these days, the F-150’s ADAS are supportive rather than so egregiously intrusive it demands to be switched off.

Other safety features the F-150 Lariat comes with include six airbags, a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring and rollover mitigation. There are three child seat upper anchorage points.

A dial on the centre console accesses a trailer-specific steering system call Pro-Trailer Back-Up Assist that aids reversing. Unlike the steering wheel, you turn the dial the direction you want the trailer to go, not opposite.

The F-150 range also includes keypad entry mounted on the B-pillar on the passenger’s side.

US full-size pick-ups are depicted as being old-school and basic, but there’s no shortage of tech in the 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat.

A 12-inch touch-screen dominates the dashboard and a 12-inch digital instrument cluster sits in front of the driver.

Running via Ford’s SYNC 4 operating system, the Lariat includes cabled Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connection, Bluetooth steaming, AM/FM and DAB digital radio and embedded sat-nav with one year of connected navigation included. Audio booms out via an 18-speaker B&O sound system.

There are no less than eight USB-A and USB-C connectors in the cabin, while a wireless charging pad is recessed at the bottom of the centre stack.

The F-150 also gets a built-in modem that enables FordPass Connect and its bevy of smartphone-based services including remote start and fuel level checking.

Unlike its V8-powerd rivals from RAM and Chevrolet, the 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat employs a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine that makes 298kW at 6000rpm and a class-leading 678Nm at 3100rpm.

The intercooled 60-degree V6 comprises an aluminium block and heads, employs port and direct injection, double overhead camshafts and 24 valves, and a timing chain rather than belt.

It mates with a 10-speed automatic transmission and a permanent 4x4 system with an auto mode that enables all-wheel drive running on bitumen. There’s also low range and a locking rear diff. The cheaper XLT gets a less sophisticated part-time 4x4 system.

Annoyingly, gears can only be shifted manually via buttons on the side of the gear lever. There is a group of selectable drive modes including Sport, Eco, Tow/Haul, Normal, Slippery, Deep Snow/Sand and Mud Ruts.

The modes offer adjustment of powertrain, transmission and 4x4 system and exhaust as well as steering and driver assist features such as stability and traction control. The dampers are passive.

The claimed combined-cycle fuel economy of the entire range including the 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat is 12.5L/100km, which is pretty decent for a vehicle so potent, that weighs in beyond 2.5 tonnes and is nearly six metres long.

On test, on a combination of primarily open country roads without carrying a load, it averaged slightly under the claim at 12L/100km.

More good news is the F-150 will run on 91 RON regular unleaded fuel, and because it comes standard with the Max Towing pack, it has a 136-litre fuel tank that will deliver a long range between refuelling.

Back-to-back testing of the RAM 1500 Laramie and Chevrolet Silverado LTZ in 2022 by carsales produced real-world consumption figures of 15L/100km and 14.7L/100km respectively.

While there’s been millions and millions of dollars spent on the process of turning the 2023 Ford F-150 into a right-hooker, the actual mechanical package mostly stays unchanged.

That’s great news when it comes to the engine because this is a strong and smooth unit which really grapples mightily with the weight of the F-150 Lariat SWB. It’s almost unbelievable how quickly it responds when the throttle is pressed. It really gets boogying.

It also makes a likeable artificial growl when accelerating, although not as evocative as the RAM and Chev V8s. If you’re cruising, the F-150 is an impressively quiet place to reside.

The drive modes do vary the engine and transmission from pretty docile in Eco to pretty energetic in Sport. As you proceed through the modes the big screen gives a graphic update of what’s being impacted, including cycling from 4x2 to 4x4 and back again.

One aspect of the driving package that has changed for Australia is the steering, which borrows the rack from the Ford Ranger Raptor.

Ford engineers reckon it’s a better solution than the left-hand drive original. For a truck of this size it is pretty manoeuvrable, but it still feels big to turn and corner. We’ve previously drilled into some of the key changes made to the F-150 for Australia.

Size is the crux of the drive experience. For all its power and comfort and able steering the F-150 is huge even in short-wheelbase form. It’s not great for urban and suburban duties, which is why Ford presumably avoided such places on the launch drive.

When in a tight spot you do have to plan your manoeuvres carefully. Happily, the variety of wide and narrow views from the cameras surrounding the car provide high-quality informative vision.

The Lariat is at its best stretching its legs out on the open road and felt good doing it. Even then it was wise to be wary of its substantial 5884mm length and 2030mm width.

Without a load the F-150 is surprisingly cushioned in its ride. The long wheelbase of this ‘SWB’ model also helps settle things down. There is only a little of that chassis shake that a ladder frame, a live axle and rear leaf springs can produce.

That’s even with the heavy-duty springs and reinforced frame that comes with the Max Towing Pack.

Speaking of which, we gained a brief drive towing both a 3.0-tonne (approx) caravan and a digger on a flat road and that just proved the F-150 can cope with such challenges.

But a much more extensive tow test is required to deliver a definitive verdict. That would mean getting to grips with Pro Trailer Assist, which seems to offer the potential to reduce the anxiety of reversing a trailer.

However, it was weird turning the dial one way while the steering wheel spun the other. Also, judging where you’re going via the screen proved a bit difficult.

Despite its 4x4 system and 239mm ground clearance, we took the 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat no further off-road than a gravel road. There, it behaved without drama.

We had no desire to test it further off-road. From previous experience we know they are too big and too long to successively navigate tight, winding tracks or get over molehills – let alone mountains – without dinging side steps or under-spoilers.

We await the remanufactured Ford F-150 Tremor and Raptor!

The 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat is yet another example of the false promise US full-size pick-ups make when it comes to carrying capability.

Like other examples of the breed, all F-150s can tow 4500kg braked when using a 70mm tow ball.

But an undersized maximum payload means carrying capacity is limited when towing heavy payloads.

In the case of the Lariat SWB it has a 685kg payload that translates to just 235kg when the 450kg tow ball download is taken into account. Even when towing at 3000kg, payload only comes up to 385kg.

Other key Lariat SWB numbers are its 2535kg kerb weight, 3220kg gross vehicle mass (GVM) and 7720kg gross combined mass (GCM).

We’ve gone into it all in more detail in a separate news story.

The first of the local converters who addresses this deficiency – maybe it will be Toyota with its forthcoming Tundra – is going to garner a significant audience.

In terms of actual size, the Lariat SWB’s tray – sorry, Style Side Box – measures up at 1705mm long, 1656mm wide (1531mm at the opening), 1285mm wide between the wheel-arches and 543mm high from the load floor to the top of the box.

There’s a 921mm gap from the ground up to the box, making the pop-out step appreciated. No corner steps like the Ranger, though.

Sitting in the driver’s seat of the 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat, you wouldn’t know this is a local conversion job. It really is high quality and well stitched together with no obvious patches or covers.

However, the test vehicles were among the first production-spec examples to roll off the Mickleham assembly line, and there were some squeaks and rattles from the cabin on rougher surfaces.

Everything in the cabin is big. The driver sits on a huge bucket seat, grasps a sizeable steering wheel and looks at an instrument console displaying giant numerals that would do a pensioner’s smartphone proud.

Unlike Ranger, the instrument cluster comes with a distinct tacho (redline 6300rpm) and speedo (200km/h). It also has the option to display or swap the position of things like the fuel economy average and off-road info (that graphic still shows the steering wheel on the left – which will annoy the conversion team) and minor gauges including water temperature and oil pressure.

The central infotainment touch-screen has clear graphics and views and a myriad of functions to scroll through including trip computer, off-road, zone lighting, cameras, audio, phone, nav and so on. Button and dial controls are available for audio and the climate-control system.

The flip-top table between the front seats is really useful and easy to set up once you figure out how to fold the gear lever out of the way (by pressing a button). Definitely a handy place to work or eat.

It’s in the rear seat where these full-size utes really have an advantage over mid-size staples like the Toyota HiLux and Ford’s own Ranger. There’s comfortable sprawling space for adults back here.

It’s easy to envision four substantial blokes making a long trip in this cabin – as long as they aren’t towing too much or intending to go seriously off-road.

In both rows there is a substantial amount of generous storage for all sorts of stuff. Lower door bins are partitioned into four sections, and if that is not enough space, there are upper door bins as well. There is also two gloveboxes.

The rear seat offers seat-back pockets, controllable air vents, cup holders and USB connectors. Flip up the rear floor and you’ll find a handy storage partition you can set up to stop loose items wandering about the cabin.

There are pillar grabs to help haul yourself up into the cabin, but no overhead grabs for when you’ve settled in.

The 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB is a quality addition to the line-up of US full-size RAM and Chevy trucks that are already on offer in Australia.

It’s comfortable, quiet, powerful and has a great equipment and reasonable towing story to tell. It’s also expensive, thirsty and huge.

It’s a vehicle for specific needs and should be examined through that prism.

For most ute buyers, a mid-size dual-cab such as Ford’s own Ranger Wildtrak diesel V6 will deliver the required capability without having to make the step up to extreme cost and size.

2023 Ford F-150 Lariat SWB at a glance:
Price: $139,950 (plus on-road costs)
Available: November 2023
Engine: 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol
Output: 298kW/678Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 290g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested