Ford F-150: Do you go for the Platinum or the Lariat?

Compared to other pickup trucks, the Ford F-150 is larger than life. Yet, supersized as it is, it is but a member of Ford’s F-Series that includes larger siblings like the F-250, F-450, F550, and it goes all the way up to an F-750.

Officially, we only get the F-150 in our market. That should be good enough as it is the most popular F-Series by Ford. It has been the best-selling pickup truck in the United States since 1977 and is also Canada’s best-selling vehicle.

While overly ginormous as it seems, it is understandable why Ford Philippines brought it over.

But unlike in the US market which has seven variants of the F-150, the XL, XLT, King Ranch, Raptor (this I want to see), Limited, Lariat, and Platinum, we only get the last two.

So, without further ado, we take a look at the two trims of the Ford F-150 locally, the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost 4x4 Platinum AT (automatic transmission) and the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost 4x2 Lariat AT.

The differences aren’t subtle between the two variants, from exterior features and even dimensions.

Coming in with an extra 41mm in height, the Platinum is taller than the Lariat, although both have the same length and width (5,890mm x 2,029mm). This gives the Platinum 23mm more ground clearance at 239mm than the Lariat’s at 216mm. The wheelbase of both is the same at 3,683mm.

The Platinum also comes with a lot more chrome on the exterior, from the grille, sideview mirrors, and door handles, plus it gets a more elaborate headlamp design.

Both sport body color bumpers, daytime running lamps, quad-beam LED (light emitting diode) headlamps, LED fog lamps, heated power-adjustable (with memory, turn indicators, and auto-dimming feature) power-folding high-intensity LED security approach lamps sideview mirrors, remote keyless entry system, remote start system, pickup box rail and tailgate moldings, pickup box tie-down hooks, drop-in bedliner, LED taillamps, high-mount stop lamp with cargo lamp, LED trailer hookup light, removable tailgate with key lock, and remote tailgate release.

Exclusive to the Platinum variant is a tailgate step with tailgate lift assist, front skid plates, power-deployable running boards, and a twin panel moonroof.

The Lariat only gets plain running boards.

On the chassis of both are vented disc brakes (front and rear), electric power-assisted steering with Normal, Comfort, and Sport modes, gas-pressurized twin-tube front and staggered outboard-mounted rear shock absorbers, and long-spindle double-wishbone coil-over-shock independent front suspension.

The Lariat gets a 3.15 non-limited slip rear axle, 20-inch dark alloy aluminum wheels on 275/55 R20 tires, while the Platinum has a 3.31 non-limited slip rear axle, 20-inch polished aluminum alloy wheels on 275/55 R20 tires.

Powering both units is a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 with auto Start-Stop function. It puts out 375hp and 637Nm of torque. On the Lariat, output is sent through a 10-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift to a 4x2 drive layout. The Platinum also uses a 10-speed automatic transmission with SelectShift, but power is delivered to a 4x4 drive layout with electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case. Both have a fuel tank capacity of 98 liters.

In the cabin, both variants get a 10-way power climate-controlled driver’s seat with memory, 10-way power climate-controlled front-passenger seat, and 60:40 split one-touch flip-up (includes folding armrest with cupholder) rear seats.

The Platinum gets front bucket seats with Active Motion and unique multi-colored leather seats while the Lariat gets plain leather seats.

Both come with dual zone automatic temperature control, Intelligent Access with Push-Button Start, driver and passenger illuminated vanity mirrors on the sun visor, LED front dome and map lights, an illuminated entry system, power door locks with auto lock feature, power windows with one-touch up and down in front, auto dimming rearview mirrors, power-tilt and telescopic steering wheel column with memory function, leather-wrapped steering wheels with heather function, power-adjustable accelerator and brake pedals with memory function, Ice Blue ambient lighting, and eight-inch LCD (liquid crystal display), capacitive touchscreen, Sync3 with Applink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, two smart-charging USB ports, a 12V power point, a navigation system with pinch-to-zoom capability, and eight-inch productivity screen in the instrument cluster, and a 10-speaker B&O Sound System by Bang & Olufsen with subwoofer.

Exclusive to the Platinum is a leather-wrapped center console lid and shift knob.

Driver-assist technologies on both are 360-degree camera with split-view display, Active Park Assist, Curve Control, Hill Start Assist, SOS Post-Crash Alert System, Trailer Sway Control, rain-sensing wipers, and a reverse sensing system.

The Ford Co-Pilot 360 also comes standard on both variants. These include Pre-collision assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, Pedestrian Detection, Forward Collision Warning and Dynamic Brake Support, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go, BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross-Traffic Alert and Trailer Tow Monitoring, Lane-Keeping System, and auto high-beam headlamps.

For increased safety, the Platinum and the Lariat also have AdvanceTrac with RSC (Roll Stability Control), dual-stage front airbags, front-seat side airbags and Safety Canopy system with side-curtain airbags and rollover sensor, safety belt pretensioner, safety belt energy-management retractors, safety belt usage sensors, driver’s seat position sensors, crash severity sensor, restraint control module, front-passenger sensing system, individual Tire Pressure Monitoring system, SecuriLock Passive Anti-Theft system, ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution), perimeter alarm, and rear safety belts (inflatable on the Platinum, regular on the Lariat).

The F-150 3.5L V6 EcoBoost 4x4 Platinum AT is priced at P2.998 million while the F-150 3.5L V6 EcoBoost 4x2 Lariat AT goes for P2.698 million.

Photos from Ford Philippines