The Ford F-150 has been America’s choice for getting the job done for almost half a century, and in 2023 the toughest and most productive F-150 ever will arrive Down Under.
- Built Ford Tough’ Ford F-150 to go on-sale Down Under in 2023
- 2023 F-150 will be available in Australia in two variants: XLT and LARIAT boasting an impressive standard feature list
- Ford Australia has conducted extensive durability testing on F-150 putting it through the same durability programme as Next-Gen Ranger and Everest
Since plans for local introduction were announced earlier this year more than 8000 Australians have registered their interest with thousands of prospective orders already placed with dealers.
Both XLT and LARIAT series will feature the top-selling 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine, coupled with 10-speed automatic transmission in 4×4 Crew Cab configuration. Both variants will be available in SWB (145-inch Wheelbase, 5.5-foot load box) and LWB (157-inch Wheelbase, 6.5-foot load box) configurations.
Exterior Paint Colours
| Exterior Colours | Cost | XLT | LARIAT |
| Oxford White | No Cost Option | O | O |
| Agate Black | Prestige Paint* | O | O |
| Iconic Silver | O | O | |
| Antimatter Blue | O | O | |
| Carbonized Grey | O | O | |
| Lucid Red | – | O |
*Prestige paint colour option that incurs an additional charge.
“When F-150 hits Australian showrooms, customers can rest assured it’s been put through the same local durability programme as Next-Generation Ranger and Everest which, of course, is the same programme left-hand drive F-150 went through in the States,” said Dave Burn, Performance and Customisation Chief Program Engineer, Ford Australia.
‘Built Ford Tough’ F-150 for Australia
Durability is at the core of the new F-150 and during local engineering and development it had to cope with everything from -40° Celsius and +50° Celsius temperatures, trailer towing, mud, ultra-fine sand, water crossings, and corrosion tests. In all, durability tests in Australia saw F-150 travel more than 135,000 kilometres, or the equivalent of driving around Australia nine times.
The F-150 has been driven across Ford’s torturous Silver Creek Road durability track hundreds of times. Similarly, some of the world’s most punishing roads were replicated in the laboratory at Ford Australia’s You Yangs Proving Ground with F-150’s driveline, steering, wheels and suspension punished on a Kinematic and Compliance (K&C) rig.
“We’ve torture-tested, tuned and re-worked the right-hand drive Ute so that Aussie customers know they’re getting the full factory experience. We’re doing everything to make sure the truck will be right at home here in Australia,” said Burn.
F-150 goes on sale in Australia in 2023. Pricing and final specification will be announced closer to market release.
