Scubasigguy
Full Access Member
Well, I finally took delivery last night. I had to drive most of the way home in a pretty heavy downpour, but all is well.
My 1st impression is that the exhaust noise is just awful, especially in sport mode. I think the 10 speed actually makes the noise seem even worse, at least in sport mode, which makes sense.
The transmission will hopefully get better after the computer "learns" my driving patterns / style. It seems to hold the gear too long sometimes, and hunt around too much other times. I must be missing something with the paddles, and I admittedly haven't read the manual yet, but the left paddle would not downshift, it would only eliminate gears 1 at a time.
The Sync 3 seems both awesome and complicated at the same time, but the complicated part will probably pass soon enough. It does seem to work intermittently, but I wasn't using an apple cable at the time, so maybe that the problem.
It's was raining hard at the dealership, it was also late, and we had two new trucks to drive an hour back home, so I haven't had a chance to inspect the body for fit and finish issues. I did check the plastic engine cover (10/20 build) and it is the proper FP cover. The trim under the grill and the mirror caps are correct as well.
I like the way the truck feels from the drivers seat, as far as the stance goes.
Did I mention that the exhaust is note horrible? I mean the sound is really bad!
I'm not sure about the stereo yet. Everyone seems to think it's a step backwards from even the 15 and 16 platinum model. I didn't hear that right away, but didn't really push it either.
The cheap plastic trim gets to me. In some places it is so thin and flexible that it's going to bother me. I am probably going to see if I can purchase the brushed metal look pieces to replace the plastic, especially in the contact areas around the center console. Had the order guide been clear about what came with the orange accent package, in regard to the higher end brushed trim, I certainly would have ordered that package. No truck in this price range should have trim this crappy, in my opinion.
The ride seems smoother than my 14, and the steering feels tighter and more precise than I remember.
With about 100 miles driven, which isn't very much, I would have to say that I preferred my 14 over this one, so far. Now that's not to say that I won't grow to love this truck, but that exhaust noise isn't helping. I feel like I am that high school kid with the annoying hopped up (insert import wannabe sport car here) with the loud obnoxious rappy exhaust system completely devoid of any sense of performance pedigree or culture. I would much rather just have the engine be close to silent like my first ecoboost truck was. I noticed that my 15 was louder, and didn't like it, but this is just ridiculously obnoxious. Maybe some of it is what Ford has piped into the cabin, but I doubt it could be much better outside of the truck.
Now you Gen 2 bashers don't get too excited. I'm not trashing the truck, I'm just sharing my 1st impression based on two trips totaling around 100 miles. I still reserve the right to fall in love with this truck (maybe earplugs will help).
I will fully admit that I will likely never come close to realizing the awesomeness of the suspension and handling. This truck may never see much offroad use. I live in north Texas, not near any sand dunes, or flats that I know of, so 95% of the time I'll be on paved roads. I have a Jeep for off-road trails and I hate mud, because 4 hours of power washing isn't my idea of fun at my age. So there you have it.
My 1st impression is that the exhaust noise is just awful, especially in sport mode. I think the 10 speed actually makes the noise seem even worse, at least in sport mode, which makes sense.
The transmission will hopefully get better after the computer "learns" my driving patterns / style. It seems to hold the gear too long sometimes, and hunt around too much other times. I must be missing something with the paddles, and I admittedly haven't read the manual yet, but the left paddle would not downshift, it would only eliminate gears 1 at a time.
The Sync 3 seems both awesome and complicated at the same time, but the complicated part will probably pass soon enough. It does seem to work intermittently, but I wasn't using an apple cable at the time, so maybe that the problem.
It's was raining hard at the dealership, it was also late, and we had two new trucks to drive an hour back home, so I haven't had a chance to inspect the body for fit and finish issues. I did check the plastic engine cover (10/20 build) and it is the proper FP cover. The trim under the grill and the mirror caps are correct as well.
I like the way the truck feels from the drivers seat, as far as the stance goes.
Did I mention that the exhaust is note horrible? I mean the sound is really bad!
I'm not sure about the stereo yet. Everyone seems to think it's a step backwards from even the 15 and 16 platinum model. I didn't hear that right away, but didn't really push it either.
The cheap plastic trim gets to me. In some places it is so thin and flexible that it's going to bother me. I am probably going to see if I can purchase the brushed metal look pieces to replace the plastic, especially in the contact areas around the center console. Had the order guide been clear about what came with the orange accent package, in regard to the higher end brushed trim, I certainly would have ordered that package. No truck in this price range should have trim this crappy, in my opinion.
The ride seems smoother than my 14, and the steering feels tighter and more precise than I remember.
With about 100 miles driven, which isn't very much, I would have to say that I preferred my 14 over this one, so far. Now that's not to say that I won't grow to love this truck, but that exhaust noise isn't helping. I feel like I am that high school kid with the annoying hopped up (insert import wannabe sport car here) with the loud obnoxious rappy exhaust system completely devoid of any sense of performance pedigree or culture. I would much rather just have the engine be close to silent like my first ecoboost truck was. I noticed that my 15 was louder, and didn't like it, but this is just ridiculously obnoxious. Maybe some of it is what Ford has piped into the cabin, but I doubt it could be much better outside of the truck.
Now you Gen 2 bashers don't get too excited. I'm not trashing the truck, I'm just sharing my 1st impression based on two trips totaling around 100 miles. I still reserve the right to fall in love with this truck (maybe earplugs will help).
I will fully admit that I will likely never come close to realizing the awesomeness of the suspension and handling. This truck may never see much offroad use. I live in north Texas, not near any sand dunes, or flats that I know of, so 95% of the time I'll be on paved roads. I have a Jeep for off-road trails and I hate mud, because 4 hours of power washing isn't my idea of fun at my age. So there you have it.
