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How the Ford F-150 Limited is Like a Stretch Limo

I've only ridden in a stretch limousine on a couple occasions, the last time being at my senior prom, back when hair bands were still popular and I had actually had some hair on my head. That 20-some-foot early '90s Lincoln Town Car was big and comfy, replete with cushy leather seats, a minibar and TV, a phone (with a cord!), and even a bed for slumbering (or not). It was a ridiculous machine. But cool. Spending a week in a 2016 Ford F-150 Limited reminded me of that limo.

At 231.9 inches long, the F-150 Limited isn't quite limo long, but parking it in a compact spot resembles Shaq bunking in a twin. It's sizable, to say the least. Despite the aluminum body, it's close to limo heavy at 5,540 pounds, thanks to a part-time four-wheel-drive system, monstrous 22-inch wheels, an extended-range 36-gallon fuel tank (hello, 800-mile cruising range), and more creature comforts than you'll find in many a luxury car. Heated steering wheel and heated/cooled seats? Yep. Power-deploying running boards? But of course. Sumptuous leather upholstery and genuine wood trim? It's a Limited, after all. Inflatable rear seat belts? Safety first. Speaking of safety, the Limited's forward collision warning, which helped it earn a Top Safety Pick rating from IIHS, was especially well-calibrated, delivering not one false alarm, something I can't say about the system in our long-term Acura TLX.

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Limos aren't fast or agile, but I'll tell you what is: the F-150 Limited. Sporting Ford's best truck engine—the 365-hp, 420-lb-ft, twin-turbo, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6—the 2.8-ton Limited stampeded to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and through the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds at 94.4 mph. It wasn't that long ago that the Mustang GT was running those kinds of numbers. Or, for that matter, the Miata we ran at last year's Best Driver's Car. Around our figure-eight course, the F-150 put down a time of 27.2 seconds, 0.3 quicker than a Honda Civic Touring sedan and 0.4 quicker than the lighter (5,326 pounds) and torquier (443 lb-ft) turbodiesel Range Rover Sport HSE Td6. Further, the F-150's 60-0 braking distance—a stout 114 feet—proved 6 feet shorter than the Rover's and 9 shorter than the Civic.

The F-150 Limited isn't quite limo long, but parking it in a compact resembles Shaq bunking in a twin.

The Limited is so named because it's limited to those who can fork out $67,560. I know, that kind of cash requires a big pitchfork. But guess what? Trucks are no longer the inexpensive workhorses they once were; they're high-priced thoroughbreds now, sometimes cresting 80 large for a loaded-up heavy-duty. Heck, even a rear-drive Toyota Tacoma Limited we recently tested cost $37,254. People tend to scoff at expensive trucks. Maybe they're not all that likable because they look so big and cumbersome. Or maybe folks think anything with leaf springs, a solid rear axle, and an open cargo bed ought to cost as much as a riding lawnmower. We're as guilty as anyone. Chris Walton, Kim Reynolds, and I shook our heads while discussing the Limited's price at the test track. Yet for about that same amount of money, we lauded the $73,045 Cadillac CTS V-Sport, awarding it first place in a comparison test, in part because it was a "killer value." Sure, the Caddy is handsomely styled and lavishly equipped, zips to 60 in 4.7 seconds, and hugs asphalt at 0.93 g. But equally impressive, the F-150 Limited offers rear-seat passengers 43.6 inches of legroom—more than half a foot more than the CTS—while being able to haul a makeshift 1,450-pound hot tub in the bed.

In my next life, I'm taking the F-150 Limited to prom. With the hot tub.

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