STX is sportier than the XL, with a body-colored grille surround for the black bar grille, and 17-inch cast aluminum wheels. STX comes in Styleside (flat) and Flareside (fendered) body styles, in regular cab or SuperCab, with either a 6.5-foot or a 5.5-foot cargo box. An audiophile sound system with subwoofer and six-disc CD changer is optional. An STX starts at $22,215. (Manufacturer's suggested retail prices do not include the destination charge of $795.)
XLT is Ford's volume model and comes with its own egg crate grille style. XLT comes in regular cab, SuperCab or SuperCrew four-door variants, with a choice of 5.5-, 6.5- or 8-foot bed lengths, and Styleside or Flareside body styles. A premium cloth interior is standard on the bench seats or optional captain's chairs. The XLT instrument panel gets more flash than either the XL or STX dash. SuperCrew versions get rear power windows for the first time. The XLT comes with the new overhead rail console system and fog lamps when ordered as a 4X4. XLT SuperCab 4x4 4.6-liter V8 automatic retails for $30,085 MSRP.
FX4 is a specialty 4X4 off-road model. FX4 comes only in a stepside version with special chrome interior trim and markings, and a floor console with floor shifter. FX4 is available in regular cab, SuperCab and SuperCrew body styles with either 5.5-foot Styleside or 6.5-foot Flareside or Styleside bed designs (no 8-foot bed). The standard engine is the 300-horsepower 5.4-liter 3-valve-per-cylinder V8, which Ford says has the best fuel consumption of any V8 engine it has ever built. The FX4 has its own instrument package as do the rest of the models, with carbon mesh accents on the metallic dashboard. Captain's chairs in cloth or leather are optional, and 18-inch cast aluminum wheels are standard. An F-150 FX4 SuperCab 4x4 5.4-liter V8 automatic retails for $32,185.
Lariat is the luxury model and, for the time being, sits at the top of the line. Lariat has its own grille design and comes standard with 18-inch wheels. It amplifies the all-new interior with black-on-cream instrumentation, lots of wood trim and brushed metal, a multi-function steering wheel, and a shiny floor shifter mounted in a floor console. A power 40/20/40 split bench seat with seat memory is standard, along with power adjustable floor pedals, an in-dash message center, and climate control. Heated power leather captain's chairs are optional. Lariat 2WD models are available in all three body styles, but 4X4 versions are only available with Styleside fenders. An F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 5.4-liter V8 automatic retails for $35,570.
The new F-150 takes off from these five model lines into 26 variations by the time you count two- and four-wheel-drive, short bed, medium bed, and long bed, manual and automatic and the five trim levels. The nearest competitor has only 12 variations, a fact that Ford hopes will bring more people into its dealerships. In addition to the 26 variants of the F-150 within the five model ranges, there are dozens of options, ranging from trailer-towing to interior upgrades to tire and wheel packages, sound systems, five different overhead consoles, and specialty mirrors.
(Later on, a King Ranch version, a Harley-Davidson version, and a 500-horsepower SVT Lightning will be added. Next year, the F-250 and F-350 heavy-duty versions will be introduced, along with the big V10 and the turbodiesel engine.)