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Review: Ford F-150 Platinum

Wanna be a cowboy (baby)? The F-150 will deliver you to the Wild West in style.

Time was wearing denim to a restaurant would have been a massive no-no. Now most eateries will allow a Kanye West-esque, triple denim, three-piece abomination through the door without batting an eyelid.
Akin to the "classing-up" of jeans, which essentially entails wearing a blazer at the same time to offset their working class roots, pick-up trucks are no longer the preserve of hillbillies and farmers. There was a time when denim and pick-up would go hand-in-hand, toiling away on a far-flung sheep station or cattle ranch. In Dubai at least, you're more likely to see a flashy truck parked outside a five-star hotel than a builder's yard and the closest any jeans get to hard work is when they're worn out while endlessly walking round Mall of the Emirates.
So what can we expect from these tinsel-adorned pick-ups? Are they still tough despite their showy exteriors? Do they even need to be?
The short answer is, 'yes.' Yes, they need to be and yes they are. The Ford F-150 Platinum I drove this week is absolutely obsessed with towing. Like when a wrestler has to go on TV, gets a makeover, then continuously challenges others to prove how hard they still are, turn on the ignition in the F-150 and it'll defy you to find something it can't pull. Pages of towing info on the electronic display and even a specialised camera to aid the hooking up process (to the trailer. Grow up!), this machine is built for a bit of rough and tumble despite being luxurious inside. During my time with it I saw three others, caked in mud, two of which were dragging large boats.
The bulky and aggressive front end with three-bar grille does make this an imposing vehicle. Its height is also a big draw for many drivers. It's so big, every time you open any of the four doors a step automatically slides out from under the bottom.
The Platinum version's 3.5 litre V6 engine may not sound adequate, but given its aluminium alloy body and steel frame, the motor provides sufficient power. The materials used on building the car also contribute to better fuel economy. With constant innovation, it's no wonder Ford has sold 34 million of these trucks making them one of the world's top selling cars for the last three decades.
Inside you couldn't get further from the term 'rugged.' Leather seats, a gargantuan amount of cabin space, genuine wood finishing, an eight-inch central touch screen display and all of Ford's modern connectivity make this a nicer environment to be in than your house.
To continue the jeans analogy, therefore, the F-150 Platinum is a great mix of hipster's Levis with good old-fashioned cowboy Wranglers.
david@khaleejtimes.com