Drove the 2011 Ford F150 home from Detroit to Denver, winds in Illinois and Iowa didn't help fuel mileage. I'll be putting several thousand miles on the much talked about V-6 EcoBoost. The first 3000 miles have averaged 18 mpg. That's in the Rockies, the 7% grades on I-70 at Vail pass, towing a horse trailer at the base of Pikes Peak and across the long grades in Utah in a snow storm. The power is fun like the F150 Lightning of the nineties. Twin turbo's with no turbo lag, instant power, brings looks from the muscle cars I pass. Of course you want better fuel mileage, that's our new economy, but when you need to get up to speed on an on-ramp or pass a semi uphill, the acceleration adrenaline rush takes some of the pain out of the monthly payment.

Lariat F150 SuperCrew 4x2, 5.5' bed, 3.5L Ecoboost V-6 with 6 speed auto tranny, sync voice, 4.2" LCD screen, trailer sway control, Sony Navigation radio, remote start, rear view camera, reverse sensing, tailgate step, (folding handle saved me on a snow day), integrated trailer brake controller, leather heated and cooled seats, everything a luxury auto should have, I may move my office in the back seat.

3.5L V-6 intercooled EcoBoost will push you back in your seat, one of fastest trucks I’ve driven and quietest. This got me excited as this twin turbo direct injection has some great numbers with 365 horsepower and 420 torque. The torque curve on the EcoBoost is better than most diesels with 90 percent of torque coming on at just 1700 rpm’s. This all makes since when driving the truck empty, it’s a hot rod! When diesel fuel can cost as much as $.80 a gallon more, efficient gas engines will be an option worth looking at for towing. As a premium engine, I was glad to see the EcoBoost priced at only $750 over the 5.0L V8 gasser. The power ratings of the EcoBoost make it look smart compared to the $7000 premium for a diesel engine. Though diesels have gone to the back burner for ½ ton trucks, EcoBoost is as close as we can get for now.

All the new engines are matched to the 6R-80 six speed automatic. Low first gear, 4.17 ratio with a well spaced stack and double overdrives are very manageable with manual mode or the transmission does know what to do on its own. In auto, you can toggle the manual switch up and the middle dash read out shows you which gear you are in, which is nice on grades. The new SelectShift lets you stay in a gear as long as you want like a manual transmission with brains. On a trip from Colorado to Vegas for the NFR, I used the manual shift button to control the truck going down mountain grades and on ice. So if you still feed hay bales out the tailgate or like controlling your trailer coming down the fast side of the mountain, SelectShift Auto will make you smile.

EcoBoost mpg was all over the map, 65 mph produced 16 mpg, 60 mph 20.4 mpg 55 mph 22.5 mpg and 50 mph 24.5 without trailer on short term runs. But on drives of a few hundred miles at 65 mph, I averaged 18 mpg. The 4x2 Lariat F150 has a very high axle ration of 3.15 which should produce the high end MPG of what the EcoBoost is capable of. Of course most of my driving is between 4000 and 5000 ft. above sea level. With a 3.15 rear axle ratio, trailer capacity is 8500 lbs, 11,300 lbs with a 3.73 axle ratio. I've towed 4 trailers with the EcoBoost so far ranging from 4- 6000 lbs. The F150 has towed well so far, I will get trailer weights to 8500 lbs by Part Two of this report.

New electric rack and pinion steering. Still all mechanical linkage, just the pump and hoses went away. An electric motor drives a belt to the rack. This is tight steering with computers measuring road surface to give you the kind of feed back that makes it easy to center your lane with light steering effort. Steering is better but body roll is worse with no rear anti-sway bar. Also new for 2011 is telescoping steering wheel, one of my favorite options

Rear seat flat floor, great for cargo like horse feed. Voice command is awesome, I tell the truck which radio station and temperature I want. Don't need a personal assistant anymore. For the first time, the truck clock changed automatically each time zone. Like the express windows both ways, remote start is useful in the winter. But nobody likes the blinker (turn signal). Nice gage cluster, the blue needles in dash look like they are lit up in daytime and nighttime. The checkerboard dash buttons are a little too close together, which isn't a problem but the fan, it takes a few seconds to find and then push the target, a dial would be better served.

Rear camera is best I'm seen for lining up a trailer coupler. Two parallel lines color coded by distance, middle line helps you back straight with the ball. If you are too far to the side, it shows a red patch and if straight, you get a green patch on each side of the ball. Like a laser site for trailer connection. Big screen, camera stays on for a few seconds after you go forward. I guess that gives you the chance to see if the trailer fell off. A large 4.2" LCD Productivity Screen is the best out there for info on your truck and it's in the middle next to the all new gauge cluster where you can see all the gauges at once without moving your steering wheel and it has a trailer screen that turns on when the trailer is plugged to the truck.

V-6 engines are back in the spotlight as fuel economy stays an important factor with high gas prices that don’t drop much. If you have work crews that need a full size truck to carry tools and fuel to the field, Fords new V-6 lineup gives you choices for mpg and payload. Equipped right with heavy-duty package, a regular cab 4x2 EcoBoost V-6 can have a payload of 3060 lbs, yes a ton and half in a ½ ton, tell that to grandpa.

Ford first introduced Trailer Sway Control in the F150 in 2009. A big deal for trailer safety, working with the integrated trailer brake controller, if your trailer would go into a severe sway, Fords computer will brake the trailer separate from the truck to avoid the pendulum action to increase. New for 2011 on the Ford F150 with the integrated trailer brake controller, the truck can start the sway as with a fast lane change and then control it. Once the Ford computer senses trailer sway, the trailer brake activates and the truck ABS controls the trucks brake as it reacts to the trailer sway. It’s incredible to feel it happen, the trailers brakes kick in and the truck straights itself without you doing anything.


I enjoy the no cap fuel door	Nice layout for the dash, just wish the fan speed was a dial	Gauge cluster is as good as it gets.	Flat rear floor and folding seats is why it's called SuperCrew

Cruising back to Denver, had to take in the sites	5.5 ft bed isn't really big enough for anything but a garage, glad there's a 6.5 ft option	Trailer plugs are done right	Stuck in the snow with no tow hooks reminded me it was a 2 wheel drive. Limited slip helped but it took a shovel and sand

Cimarron Norstar VP

A big warm blood straight load 2-horse with ramp, only 2900 lbs, bring on the 1/2 tons and SUV's.


The axle spread is wider for stability and your horse won't get a hoof wedged in there	Built in ramps are a better fit.....	Rear doors for ventilation plus windows	The rear doors have slam latches and cam latches

Rubber door lips so you control the climate inside the trailer	Well made aluminum hinges to swing 180 degrees	Northstar VP	One piece honeycomb fiberglass 1/2 inch roof, cooler and lighter

Ramps


Easy loading ramps	Textured rubber mats have grip	Bumpers on the ramps are a cushion	Butterfly slam latches, all the slam latches on Cimarron close great, you can feel the quality


Rubber seal on ramp doors, keep the dust and rain out	Tack room/dressing room and spare tire inside out of the sun and not dragging fuel mileage on the fender	Warm blood wide stalls, large windows and light open runway

Head stall to the side, makes cleaning the trailer easier	Side doors for easy access to feed bags and horse ties	Head divider, cuts down on the socializing with teeth marks