Family of Four, 10 Days, 3 Different Terrains, One Ford F-150 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 F-150 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.
The Ford F-150 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.
Highway Driving Is Surprisingly Easy in the Ford F-150
The first leg of our drive was mostly highway driving as we made our way through the midwestern states of Michigan and Ohio. The F-150 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.
Mountain Driving: More Fun Than You’d Think!
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 F-150 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.
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.
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
The Ford F-150 was provided to me for this road trip. All opinions expressed here are my own.
