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2004 Model Guide - Every Brand, Every Car

2004 FORD LINE-UP
FORD TRUCKS

2004 Ford Model GuideTrucks wearing the blue oval badge of Ford represent the best-selling models in every size segment. The line's leader full-size F-150 for the past 21 consecutive years has led all other nameplates - car and truck - to rank as the best-selling vehicle in America, and for 26 years it has scored the best-selling truck title.

But for 2004, Ford reinvents the F-150. With more and more consumers selecting a pickup truck rather than a conventional car for primary transportation, Ford's designers had to get this one right: Bring innovation and new features for performance, pack aboard the comforts and conveniences of a car to make F-150 more friendly to passengers, yet also carry forward truck-tough traits of the previous version to keep from alienating it's core market who use a truck as a workhorse.

New designs for F-150, coming to market with two V8 engine options, plus three cab styles and several lengths for the box in back, provide more powerful engines with class-topping towing ability, and there are larger passenger compartments dressed for five trims. Actually, there are so many different configurations for cab and box lengths, powertrain and trim, that you need a chart to sort it out.

Full-size F-Series trucks divide into light-duty and heavy-duty models. Ford also makes an extensive assortment of super-size F-Series Super Duty work trucks, which have a gross vehicle weight rating in excess of 8500 lbs, and the Power Stroke diesel also applies.

Ranger has held the title of best-selling compact truck in America for 16 straight years. For 2004, itshows a raised power dome hood, with suspension tweaking and sporty new interior trimwork added. The Tremor continues in Ranger's line with a 510-watt audio kit to blow the doors off.

Ford F-150
2004 Ford F-150

Ford's full-size and light-duty (half-ton) trucks in the new designs for 2004 look strong and muscular. Posed in tall stance and projecting a bold face, F-150 reveals curvy bulges on the sides around wheelwells and large squarish headlamp clusters on front corners flanking a big grille in the shape of an inverted trapezoid.

A few styling cues lifted from Ford's Super Duty trucks are evident, such as along the top of side doors where forward sections swoop low so the driver can get a better view of the oversized rearview mirrors. Overall, it's an eye-catching design of crisp angles and complex curves blending together to forge a unique statement for a powerful pickup.

Cab designs consist of a Regular Cab, SuperCab and the SuperCrew. Two-door Regular Cab is a conventional scheme offered with bench or bucket seats and a cargo box extending in length for 78.8 or 97.5 inches. The SuperCab gets two front-hinged doors trailed by two narrow ones with rear hinges. There's a front seat with buckets or bench and a small rear bench with flip-up seat design and a canted seatback for added comfort. Cargo boxes for SuperCab include the two lengths listed for Regular Cab plus an abbreviated box of 67 inches.

Spacious SuperCrew comes with four front-hinged doors and two rows of seats for a capacity of five or six. Only cargo box here is the brief one at 67 inches. Two-wheel-drive (2WD) orientation with a front-mounted engine sending torque to the rear wheels is standard but four-wheel-drive (4WD) traction is available across the board with manual or electronic switching.

The steering mechanism changes to a responsive rack and pinion system and brakes for all versions put a disc on every wheel plus anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). For passive safety, F-150 trucks stock dual stage frontal air bags and side-impact air bags tied to computer-controlled equipment minding the tension of seatbelts and deployment of air bags.

Two different Triton V8 engines link to a four-speed electronic automatic transmission. Standard is a reworked version of Ford's overhead-cam 4.6-liter V8, which achieves 231 hp. Optional is a new 5.4-liter Triton V8 that runs up to 300 hp. Trim tiers rise from base XL and STX to a well-equipped XLT, the off-road FX4 edition and deluxe Lariat.

All have interiors that look more like a comfortable car than a working-class truck. Most use cloth fabric on seats, although leather comes with Lariat, and variations include satin-metal finish or bright chrome for vent rings, door handles and optional consoles. Top-of-the-line Lariat with the leather buckets shows a floor-mounted shifter stick projecting from the console like a sporty car.

Read our Review: Ford F-150

Ford F-150 Lightning
2004 Ford F-150 Lightning

Ford's high-performance pickup with supercharged power and a performance-tuned suspension returns for 2004 with unique exterior features like cystalline headlamps, round foglamps, clear taillamp lenses and a light-emitting-diode (LED) high-mounted stoplight, plus lower rocker extensions, side-exit exhaust pipes and big 18-inch wheels.

A single-cam 5.4-liter Triton V8 coupled to an Eaton supercharger and water-to-air inter-cooler enthuses the muscle truck with 380 hp.

Ford F-250/F-350
2004 Ford F-250

The F-250 (three-quarter-ton) and F-350 (one-ton) full-size trucks from Ford repeat with styling and powertrain options carried forward from 2003. There are three sizes in cabs available with designations of Regular Cab, SuperCab and Crew Cab. Each can be configured in 2WD and 4WD format.

Three hunky powertrains work on these trucks, a 5.4-liter Triton V8 with 260 hp, an optional 6.8-liter Triton V10 at 310 hp or the big 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel scored to 325 hp. The diesel works with a five-speed TorqShift automatic transmission. The FX4 Off-Road Package adds skid plates, Rancho shock absorbers, a steering damper and FX4 decals.

Ford Super Duty Trucks
2004 Ford Super Duty Trucks

Super-size work trucks by Ford run larger than F-150 and F-250 trucks in all dimensions. Each shows a squarish macho face with chrome grille below a muscular hood and bulging power dome. The series includes F-350, F-450 and F-550 models.

Super Duty trucks appear in a staggering number of configurations, with three different cab designs (two-door Regular Cab, four-door SuperCab and four-door Crew Cab), two box lengths, a single rear wheel (SRW) or double rear wheel (DRW), rear 2WD or 4WD traction, and three trim editions with a base XL, upgraded XLT and deluxe Lariat.

Ford's Triton 5.4-liter V8 serves as the base engine with 260 hp. The optional Triton V10, displacing 6.8 liters, musters 310 hp. And Ford's 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel and five-speed TorqShift automatic go into Super-Duty service with 325 hp plus up to 550 lb-ft of torque.

All offer a manual six-speed ZF transmission, and the two gasoline engines show an optional four-speed Ford automatic. Power adjustable accelerator and brake pedals are optional with an automatic transmission on XLT and Lariat trims. The choice of a power sliding moonroof goes to Crew Cab, and for tugging a big trailer there are optional heated and telescoping trailer tow mirrors flashing integrated turn signals.

A special edition Harley-Davidson F-Series Super Duty rolls on 18-inch wheels and comes with 4WD and optional diesel power from Ford's 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel. Three paint colors go with this special edition - Black with Competition Orange Two-Tone, Black and Dark Shadow Gray Two-Tone and straight Black.

Ford Ranger
2004 Ford Ranger

Ford's compact-class pickup for 2004 sports a power dome bump on the hood of all trim variations.

Ranger makes two cab sizes. A Regular Cab installs a bench for three, while SuperCab pushes the rear cabin wall back to carve out an interior storage area. Two side-facing jump seats mount in the bay, as do a pair of rear-hinged doors for easy access.

Ranger FX4 presents the serious look of a tough off-road truck and supports that image with hardware designed to take trail abuses, with everything packaged in a kit that eliminates the need to add 4WD gear after the sale.

An optional engine crowns Ranger's power chart and boosts the truck's trailer-towing ability. The 4.0-liter V6 musters best-in-class performance of 207 hp. Coupled to the six-pack is a heavy-duty five-speed manual or optional automatic. And a new seat system works up front with sculpted bolsters and higher seatbacks for improved comfort. (...BACK)

[MORE INFORMATION FROM FORD]