On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, February 17, 2001

Tribute to King Ranch is no tall tale from Ford

   Truth is, I'm nowhere near as well read as I should be on Captain Richard King, the gent who laid the foundations for the King Ranch empire. However, given its colossal scale and staying power, it's obvious The Captain, in addition to being a very forceful personality, was something of a visionary.
   One heck of a visionary, in fact.
   So here I am, and I'm asking myself: How do you think Captain King would react if I were somehow able to propel myself backward in time and visit him? And what do you think he'd say when I informed him that in the year 2001 the Ford Motor Co. had decided to honor his efforts - and those of his successors - with a special, lavishly caparisoned King Ranch Edition of the Ford F150 SuperCrew? And that each edition would come complete with the Running W brand embossed on every available surface, and . . .
   Know what I think? I suspect The Captain would quietly but firmly direct his men to usher me off the property. I doubt he was the kind of guy to waste much time on a pasty-faced four-eyed visitor from The Future.
   At any rate, there it is, standing before us in all its Charcoal Blue Metallic glory, with the old Running W stitched, stuck, plated and/or pasted on virtually every available surface. Oh, and it's yours for just a whisper under 36 and a half grand. That breathtaking bottom line is itself a tribute to a dynasty that has lived large and still casts a long shadow.
   The King Ranch Edition itself is no slouch in the long-shadow department. What it is, is a lavishly-equipped version of Ford's intriguing and endlessly useful new-for-2001 SuperCrew: You get the full-four-door format of Ford's gigantic industrial-duty crew-cab pickup, but with a truncated five-and-a-half-foot cargo bed.
   Don't fret, now: You can also get one of those aluminum-pipe bed-extender set-ups that'll give you a whole bunch of extra hauling space (assuming you're not hauling, oh, say, bulk bird seed).
   The SuperCrew will immediately establish your credentials as a person of substance. And - at least in the 4-wheel-drive version we drove - it is a high-ridin' rascal. You do not so much enter as clamber aboard: Rock-climbing gear is not recommended - pitons, after all, would mar that glorious clearcoat paint - but if you're on the petite side, you might want to take a running start before seriously attempting entry.
   A hunt for the CD player
   Once inside, you will find this is indeed the King Ranch Edition. That leather looks to have been acquired from a high-class saddle shop; and instead of the usual webbing or fabric catch-alls on the backs of the front seats, you've got leather pouches (with Running W, needless to say) that resemble nothing so much as - you guessed it - saddle bags.
   You will also find that Ford's take on the typical King Ranch buff is that he/she is not going to be hauling a lot of passengers: Thus, in addition to the two Captain's (and we know which Captain, don't we?) Chairs, separated by a larrupin' big center console, you get two more Captain's Chair, separated by a larrupin' big center console, in back.
   In a sense, my time with the King Ranch Edition was a voyage of discovery. It began when I looked at the stereo controls and beheld only a cassette slot. "Whar do the gol-dang CDs go?" I asked myself.
   I looked high and low. Finally, I looked lower still, and there it was in the front center console, cunningly concealed beneath a plastic lift-out bin suitable for holding the well-heeled westerners odds and ends.
   As you are entitled to expect for these bucks, you get a six-disc changer - and more than sufficient power to do right by The Outlaws' "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
   Of course, all of the splendid cosmic-cowboy gear in the world wouldn't make a bit of difference if it were installed in an unworthy vehicle. Happily, like its less flashy brethren, the King Ranch SuperCrew is first and last a stout, work-ready truck: the distilled essence of all that FoMoCo has learned about the truck biz throughout the eons.
   Style and substance
   This rig is available, you should know, in both 2- and 4-wheel-drive configurations. Me, I'd go for the 2WD in a Kingsville minute: The stiff ride that goes along with the 4WD package makes eminently good sense if you're going off road - but, c'mon: Are you going to risk that shimmering clearcoat paint to go dancing with wolves?
   Otherwise, no complaints at all, save for a certain susceptibility to strong sidewinds (due to the truck's size and its bluff profile). The optional 5.4-liter V-8, with its 260 horsepower, is a worthwhile investment; I suspect the 4.6-liter, 220-hp V-8 might be a tad overmatched. Even with the bigger engine, you don't get volcanic acceleration (for that, I refer you to Ford's take-no-prisoners performance pickup, the Lightning), and you pay a bit of a premium at the pump, but you'll be more than equal to whatever on-road contingencies arise.
   Some genuinely good news: All F-150s now come with four-wheel anti-lock brakes: FoMoCo was a little late getting this dance, but better late than never.
   Ford is ahead of the pack, on the other hand, with its standard (on the SuperCrew) power-adjustable pedals: It's entertaining, if a little eerie, to push a button and watch the accelerator and brake pedals come out to meet you. Is this a great country or what?
   And if you do long to sit tall in the saddle down here in Truck Country, well, shoot, you could hardly do so in a more emphatic fashion than by climbing aboard this King Ranch keepsake. But remember: Don't do anything out there that would embarrass The Captain.
  

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