A Ford with an attitude.
Better yet, a Ford truck with an attitude, a Harley-Davidson edition of the full-size Ford F-Series SuperCrew with a 340-h.p., supercharged rendition of Ford’s 5.4-liter V-8.
The Harley Ford is the third joint venture rendition since the auto and cycle makers teamed up to produce a limited-edition lifestyle vehicle to showcase each other’s talents.
The first joint-venture machine was a Super Cab in 2000 followed by a SuperCrew in ’01 and an update for ’02.
SuperCrew means it has four swing-out doors for easy entry/exit, while Super Cab came with swing-outs upfront, swing-back access doors in the rear.
What sets the Harley apart from a regular F-150, in addition to all the Harley trim, is the supercharged V-8 that delivers 80 more horsepower than the nonboosted 5.4-liter as well as 425 foot-pounds of torque, up from 350 foot-pounds in the regular.
The Harley Ford steps lively–very lively. It just doesn’t step past the filling station often. With a 12 m.p.g. city/16 m.p.g. highway rating you’ll at least be able to show off your Harley Ford to all those Ford Excursion owners parked at the same pumps.
For a full-size pickup it handles well, thanks to a suspension tuned to complement the power and to the vehicle being lowered by an inch to give it better road stability.
The Harley contribution comes from flame pinstriping both outside and on the center console inside; and the Harley-Davidson bar and shield embossed on the parking lamp lenses, center wheel caps, quarter panels, tailgate and seat backs. No flames or shields on the cupholders, however. No need to overdo a good thing.
The Harley Ford also has a novel chrome billet grille, large headlamps, rivet design around the chromed cast aluminum wheels, chrome exhaust tips, quad captain’s chairs with perforated leather, huge front and rear center consoles, brushed stainless steel/rubber pedals and a “spun metal” instrument cluster.
Base price: $35,780, including such goodies as air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, power adjustable pedals, power windows/locks/mirrors/driver’s seat and four-wheel anti-lock brakes.
Our test vehicle added a power moonroof at $810, slide-open rear window at $125, cargo box cage/extender for $195, heated front seats at $245, and six-disc CD changer at $295, all the options available on the machine. Add $740 for freight.
The Ford/Harley pact also calls for co-branded clothing and accessories.
