Road Trip: Michigan to Florida in the 2016 Ford F150

Ford F150
Sandy beach? No problem in the Ford F150. Photo by Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

Family of four takes the Ford F150 on a 10 day road trip, through 3 different terrains, in search of the Florida sunshine.

We spent a morning packing all of our belongings into large plastic totes and garbage bags so we could later strap them into the back of our Ford F150 truck. We were about to embark on a road trip that would take us from Michigan to Florida with a few stops in between. As a mother of two children, I am already conditioned to be ready for anything – this trip threw that tendency into overdrive as I had to find new ways to pack everything we would need to be on the road for ten straight days and then find ways to keep all of it secure and dry in the back of a truck bed.

While my husband and I worked on securing all of our luggage into the bed of the truck using the available tie down hooks and a cheap net we bought online, our kids were finding ways to make the Supercab second row space their own by filling small canvas totes with coloring books and electronics and putting all the extra space beneath their seats to good use to keep all their belongings secure and within reach.

2016 Ford F150
The second row seating had ample room for my two kids and their travel accessories. Photo by Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars.

With a great success we found everything packed away, secured, and still plenty of room for ourselves as passengers to feel comfortable during our long trip.

The Ford F150 was prepared for what was ahead

Even though I was internally doubting my skills in getting everything prepared as we pulled out of the driveway and going through a checklist in my mind of what items I might have forgotten, I felt comfort in not needing to wonder if the vehicle we were driving would also be prepared. I knew that the truck we were heading out in was equipped with Ford’s AdvanceTrac with RSC – this is an electronic stability system that improves vehicle control on several different road conditions such as snow, ice, gravel, rain-covered and dry pavement. We were also surrounded by front seat mounted side impact airbags and safety canopy side curtains to help keep us protected in the event of a crash, as well as being equipped with a SOS post crash alert system.

2016 Ford F150
The smaller mirrors within the side mirrors helped with blind spots. Photo by Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

Highway driving

The first leg of our drive was mostly highway driving as we made our way through the midwestern states of Michigan and Ohio. The F150 we were driving in had an upgraded 2.7 L V6 Ecoboost engine which gave us the go power we were hoping for to get our road trip moving along. We sped through these states with ease and loved the “king of the road” feeling we got by being able to see over the cars ahead of and behind us. We were also impressed by the average fuel economy of 23 miles to the gallon and enjoyed having the 36 gallon extended range fuel tank which made our need to stop less frequent – although having kids with “extended tanks” would have helped out a bit too.

 2016 Ford F150
Tackling the terrain of the Great Smokey Mountain National Parks in the Ford F150. Photo by Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

Mountain driving

As we made our way south the terrain changed from a very flat landscape to one that was more rigid. One evening as we were headed through Tennessee, we unexpectedly found ourselves driving through the Great Smokey Mountains in the rain and with dense fog. I held my breath as we came around another tight curve – the fog was so dense that we could barely see where the road continued ahead of us. The heavy rain added to our grim reality as my husband and I wondered had we made a big mistake by taking this “short cut” through the Great Smokey National Park in the dark. As the kids slept in the back seat, we had to find trust in the capabilities of the Ford F150 to get us to our next stop in Pigeon Forge. Luckily for us the 4 wheel disc brakes with ABS did their job and we were able to switch into 4×4 as needed while driving with Ford’s “Shift on the Fly” capabilities. With a deep sigh of relief we were able to unbuckle our kids and carry them safely into our hotel that night – a feeling of thankfulness I will never forget.

2016 Ford F150
The Ford F150 took the sandy beach with ease. Photo by Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

Take me to the beach

After making our way through the highway driving and over the mountains, we finally found ourselves with the breeze in our hair and the sand on our feet in sunny Florida. As we pulled up to the first beach we found in St. Augustine, we kicked the truck back into 4 wheel drive and headed out on the sand. Here we spent the evening sitting on the tailgate watching the waves crash in as the kids ran around us searching for seashells. Once the magical evening came to an end we loaded up our sand filled children back into the second row of the truck without a care for their joyful mess – because the truck was prepared for adventure with a black vinyl floor covering.

2016 Ford F-150
Interior view of the 2016 Ford F-150 Supercab. Photo by Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

What we loved:

  • Tailgate step that made loading and unloading luggage easier
  • 36 gallon extended range fuel tank for road trips
  • Black vinyl floor cover that made clean up after the beach a breeze
  • 2.7 L V6 ECOBOOST engine with auto S/S gave us “get up and go” power to get moving
  • Storage beneath the rear seats in the supercab body style
  • Select 4×4 “Shift-on-Fly”

What You Need to Know:

  • 4 doors in the supercab
  • Uses regular fuel
  • Base price: 33,915; extras brought this model to about $42,000
  • Average fuel economy: 20 MPG (18 city / 23 highway)
  • 3 YR / 36,000 bumper to bumper warranty
  • 5 YR / 60,000 powertrain warranty
  • 5 Yr / 60,000 roadside assist
2016 Ford F150
A tailgate step made entering and exiting the bed of the truck easier. Photo by Mary Moore for AGirlsGuidetoCars

2016 Ford F150

The Ford F150 was provided to me for this road trip. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Mary Moore
Mary Moore

Mary Moore is a frequent road tripper, vintage car collector, and quirky travel enthusiast. One might say that her appreciation of how a vehicle looks and performs is deep-seated in her "Motor City" roots. It was this appreciation, and love of writing, that drove her interests in automotive journalism after earning her Bachelor Degree in Marketing from Western Michigan University. That and maybe the opportunity to work at home in her pj's on snow days if she wanted to. When Mary's not writing about the thrill of the track or sharing inspiring stories of the women she admires in the automotive field, she's sharing her own stories about life and travel on her blog, RaisingDickandJane.com. Mary currently resides in a state that is cold more frequently than it is warm. She appreciates her career choices daily.

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