Ford F-Series (eleventh generation)

The eleventh generation of the Ford F-Series, marketed as the Ford Lobo in Mexico, is the company's line of light-duty pickup trucks manufactured and marketed by Ford for the 2004 to 2008 model years. With a redesigned body and chassis, and marketed as its F-150 line, between the company's Ranger and the Super Duty trucks.

The 11th generation F-150 featured revised styling with a triple-bar grille and optional extended-width mirrors &mdash; and introduced side windows stepped down at their leading edge, a feature retained through the current generation.

A badge engineered variant of the 11th generation F-150 was marketed by Ford's Lincoln-Mercury division as the Lincoln Mark LT from 2005 to 2008 (replacing the Blackwood) &mdash; again serving as the basis for Ford full-size Ford Expedition and the Lincoln Navigator.

The eleventh-generation F-Series was assembled by Ford at numerous facilities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico; with either a 4.6-liter V8, a 5.4-liter three-valve-per-cylinder V8 or a 4.2-liter V6, the latter only available in regular-cab 4×2 trucks. Configurations short and long wheelbases and included a four-door cab marketed as SuperCrew, an elongated two-door cab marketed as SuperCab and third variant marketed as Regular Cab, featuring a small storage area behind the seats, accessible by a pair of narrow, rear-hinged doors, aft of the regular doors.

Background
Designed between 1998 and January 2000 by Tyler Blake under the design direction of Patrick Schiavone the styling was a more angular update of the previous PN-96 generation. On August 29, 2000, the final production design was frozen. Development began in 1997, with scheduled production for September 2002 alongside the U222 Expedition. Development later ended in 2003 because of delays.

Noticeably, the eleventh generation side windows dipped at their leading edge. Most F-150s of this generation also featured two large "closed loop" front tow hooks (or no hooks on some 4×2 models) as opposed to conventional open hooks.

Trim levels

 * XL – Included: Cloth upholstery, bench seat, 4.2L V6 engine (regular cab 4×2 models only), manual transmission (only available with 4.2L V6), manual mirrors, manual windows, manual locks, 17" steel wheels, air conditioning, an AM/FM stereo with clock (on 2008 XL SuperCrew, an AM/FM stereo with a single CD player), black vinyl floor covering, tinted rear windows, front black fascia bumper, and black grille.
 * STX – Added: Body color bumpers, 17" cast aluminum alloy wheels, an AM/FM stereo with single-CD player and clock (and later, an auxiliary input jack in 2007, then MP3 capability in 2008), front seat center armrest and storage bin and cupholders, rear cupholders (SuperCab and SuperCrew), and a body color grille surround.
 * XLT – Added: Chrome front and rear step bumpers, black honeycomb grille, keyless entry, power mirrors, power accessory delay, color-coordinated carpet with floor mats, tachometer, non-adaptive automatic speed control, power windows and locks with automatic driver's side window and autolock, compass and outside temperature display, 17" steel wheels (7-lug wheels on Heavy Duty Payload Package), overhead console, tinted rear windows with privacy glass, color co-ordinated steering wheel, and automatic headlamps.
 * FX4 – Added: 5.4L Triton V8 engine, FX4 off road decals, color-coordinated bumpers, 17" machined alloy wheels, black leather-wrapped steering wheel, black rubber off-road floor mats, limited-slip rear axle, skid plates, fog lamps, monotone body-color bumpers, and off-road shocks.
 * Lariat – Added: beige bumpers, two-tone paint, heated mirrors with turn signals, 18" alloy wheels, illuminated visor mirrors, automatic temperature control, rear window defroster, carpeted floor mats, an AM/FM radio with single CD and cassette player (2004 only), message center, color-coordinated leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and climate controls, power driver's seat, leather-trimmed seats, and auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Powertrain
Initially, the 4.6 L Triton engine and the new 3-valve 5.4 L three-valve-per-cylinder Triton V8 engines, respectively mated to a 4R70E and 4R75E four-speed automatic transmission, were the only two powertrain combinations available to the retail public on the new trucks. For the 2005 model year, Ford's 4.2 L Essex V6—mated to either a manual transmission or a four-speed automatic—became available on regular cab 4×2 models and automatic headlamps became available. This generation of F-150 is the last Ford vehicle with a gasoline pushrod V6.

2006
For the 2006 model year, a flex-fuel version of the 3-valve 5.4 L Triton V8 became available, and the SuperCrew model was made available with the 6.5' box. The front bumper was also refreshed with circular fog lamps and a smaller bumper vent. Other updates included improved front seats with revised side bolstering, and new 20" wheels available for FX4, Lariat, and King Ranch. A navigation system was optional for the first time on the Lariat, King Ranch, and Harley Davidson trim. Ford offered an XLT Chrome Package, also known as XTR in Canada, as well as a Lariat Chrome package. SIRIUS satellite radio became available on all trims except the XL. The FX4 became more upscale with a Luxury package. A Harley-Davidson special edition was offered for 2006, available on SuperCab models with two- or all-wheel-drive. Other mid-cycle revisions included five-inch running boards, traction assist on 4×2 V8 models, and "Smokestone Clearcoat Metallic" paint for the Lariat trim.

2007
For 2007, Ford introduced a complement to the existing FX4 model, the new FX2 Sport package (a 4×2 truck with an appearance package). A SuperCrew was offered in the Harley-Davidson trim as well. Ford states that a properly equipped 2007 F-150 (regular cab or SuperCab 8' box 4×2) can tow up to 11000 lb maximum and carry maximum payload 1800–3050 lb.

2008
For 2008, a 60th anniversary package became available to celebrate 60 years of the Ford F-Series. This was also the last year for this generation, as well as the last year of the F-150 with manual transmission.

S331
Saleen has offered its own OEM version of the F-150, badged as the S331. Additionally, Roush has offered an aftermarket version with similar power. Beginning with the second half of the 2007 model year, Ford offered the Saleen forced-induction package on the Harley-Davidson edition as an OEM option.

F-150 Foose Edition
The F-150 Foose Edition debuted in fall 2007 as a 2008 model. Based on an F-150 FX2 Sport, it uses a Roush-developed powertrain. The supercharged 5.4 L V8 puts out 450 hp and 500 lbft of torque.

Heavy Duty Payload Package
The Heavy Duty Payload Package (HDPP) marked a significant advancement from the prior-generation F-150, which had a 7,700-pound GVWR. The HDPP introduced several enhancements, including a reinforced frame and suspension, LT245/70R17D BSW all-season tires mounted on 17-inch steel seven-lug rims, and a more robust 10.25-inch rear axle with a 4.10:1 ratio (optionally available with limited-slip differential), resulting in an increased GVWR of 8,200 pounds. Additionally, it featured a 72-ampere-hour battery, an improved radiator, and an upgraded transmission oil cooler. The HDPP configuration was exclusively offered with the 5.4L V8 engine and the 8-foot bed, and was standard on SuperCab 8-foot bed models and optionally available on the Regular Cab 8-foot bed models.

Safety
The F-150 received top safety ratings (five stars) from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in frontal collisions, and not only got a "Good" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal offset test, but also a Best Pick. The dummy sensors recorded no injuries to any body region.

Awards and sales
The 11th generation F-150 earned the North American Truck of the Year award for 2004 and was Motor Trend magazine's Truck of the Year for 2004. It also beat the three-time winning Chevrolet Silverado for Car and Driver magazine's Best Pickup Truck for 2004 and 2005. Over 939,000 F-Series trucks were sold in 2005, a single-year sales record for trucks.

The 2006 F-150 was named Fleet Truck of the Year by Automotive Fleet and Business Fleet magazines, and the 2007 models of the F-150, F-250 and F-350 were chosen Best Fleet Value vehicles in their respective categories by automotive data-analysis firm Vincentric. Winner of the 2006–2007 Golden Icon Award (presented by Travolta Family Entertainment) for "Best Truck."