Ford: The Best Selling Trucks In America
While Ford hasn't managed to keep the Taurus atop sales charts, the full-size F-Series formula keeps trucking. The Ford F-Series is the long-standing best-selling truck in America, topping the charts for 46 years. Furthermore, it has been the best selling vehicle in America for 41 of those years. Ford's trucks today can pack a lot of wallop (the F-150 Raptor) and a lot of luxury (F-150 King Ranch), but there are good values to be found from the Blue Oval, the only manufacturer to offer full-size, mid-size, and a compact pickup truck. Here's what they have on offer this year.
F-Series
The most affordable F-150 XL starts at $33,835 for the 2023, as a short-bed, short-cab, chickenhawk F-150 with no four wheel drive Many options come standard, hoowever, including 8-in. touchscreen and rear view camera so you can see the hitch as well as parking lot. Ford’s standard engine has 290 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque from a 3.3 liter V6. Step up the price, and you can get an F-150 XL with an extended cab (seats behind the driver which enter from the front), or four actual doors. All trims of the F-Series can be optioned a lot of ways, but inventory on Ford’s website indicates four seat / long bed trucks start around $40k, and four door / long bed trucks around $45k.
Buckle up for this F-Series starting-msrp primer. XLT starts at $41,940 msrp, Lariat at $57,480 msrp, King Ranch at $63,225 msrp, Platinum at $64,915 msrp, and Limited at $83,010. The separate Raptor performance truck starts at $76,775 and the racier Raptor R is $109k. All F-150s can be ordered with four wheel drive and it adds to the price of each trim, adding a bit less than $4,000 to the price.
The XLT model adds a host of things which are options on the XL but that you will probably want. These include aluminum, not steel, wheels, chrome bumper trim (instead of black plastic), LED headlamps, LED tail lamps, fog lights, rain sensing wipers, and infotainment and safety enhancements.
Six engine options exist: the 3.3L V6 already mentioned, 2.7L turbo V6 (325 hp / 400 lb-ft), 3.5L V6 (375 hp / 470 lb-ft), 3.5L HO (high output) V6 (450 hp / 510 torque), turbodiesel V6 (250 hp / 440 lb-ft), and the range-topping V8 for the nostalgic buyer, which has 5.0 liters of fury (395hp / 400 lb-ft). Surprisingly, it is neither the V8 nor the diesel which wins at towing, but the 3.5L V6, which can tow up to 14,000 pounds. In spite of the cornucopia of engine choices, all F-Series trucks come standard (and only) with a ten-speed automatic transmission.
The F-Series Super Duty is a different breed of truck, and a much more expensive one. $43,970 msrp is the bottom of the line F-250 XL starting price point, up to $45,015 msrp for F-350 XL, and $58,455 for F-450 XL dually quad cab. Pricing gets incrementally higher and tops out at $97,270 beginning msrp for the F-350 Limited with four doors or $103k for the F-450 version. Popular Super Duty trims include the Lariat, featuring such niceties as leather seat trim, bi-zone electric climate control, push button start, Sirius XM, Ford Sync 4, assisted braking system, lane-keeping system, 12-inch screen, tilt/telescope wheel, ventilated and heated front seats, and some other things you would be sad without (dome light, grab handles, etc). Not to be forgotten (but, to be forgotten if you need to tow anything), the F-150 Lightning fully electric truck starts at $49,995 msrp in XLT trim and will drive up a claimed 320 miles on a full charge.
Ranger
The outgoing 2023 Ranger is currently the only Ranger on sale, but its about to make way for a brand-new 2024 redesign. After a multi-year hiatus from the American market, the outgoing Ranger was the first Ranger in America since 2011, as Ford failed to meet the missing middle of the market. The 2023 Ranger starts at $27,400 msrp in rear wheel drive, while the brand new 2024 model starts at $32,565 msrp. The new and old Ranger both have a 2.3L turbo four cylinder engine with 270 hp and a 10 speed automatic, while the new Ranger will come with a yet-to-be-seen V6 as well. The old Ranger comes as either two door supercab or four door, while the new model is four-door only. The Ranger can tow up to 7500 pounds and gets up to 26mpg on the highway, making it a realistic truck alternative to the full-size F-150.
Maverick
One of the most interesting new models to hit America in the past few years has been the Maverick. The Maverick debuted for the 2021 model year at the coveted $19,995 price point, but inflation made short work of that. Now up to $23,400 msrp for the 2024 model year, the compact Maverick truck is still a tremendous value. A 250 hp 2.0L turbo four cylinder engine with front wheel drive is now standard, and all wheel drive is optional, with which the Maverick can pull up to 4,000 pounds.
Alternatively, an available front wheel drive 191 hp 2.5L hybrid powertrain layout gets better gas mileage (42mpg highway vs. 30 mpg highway for the turbo) for the eco- and cost-conscious consumer, formerly the entry level engine. All Mavericks get an 8.0 inch infotainment system as standard equipment, which connect to either Android or Apple phones. Top of the line Mavericks start at $34,855 and include such niceties as 18-inch machined face bright aluminum wheels, adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and Ford ActiveX faux leather trim, and power seats, along with the mid-level XLT’s power mirrors and cruise control.
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