For such a large vehicle, very little body-flex or reverberation penetrates the vault-like cabin when broken pavement or washboard surfaces are encountered. Although not car-like, the Lariat's well-controlled ride is most impressive. Road irregularities are reduced to jiggles when passing beneath the 18-inch all-terrain tires and wheels - standard equipment on the Lariat model by the way. This exemplary ride quality is achieved with the use of a coil-over-shock, double wishbone front suspension, combined with leaf springs and outboard shock absorbers holding up the rear. Also worthy of praise is the truck's ability to heavily-mute road noise, especially when its electronically activated, 4-wheel drive hardware and aggressive tire treads are factored into the equation.

Although not car-like, the Lariat's well-controlled ride is most impressive. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

Motivating either two or four of the truck's big wheels will be one of a pair of available V8s. The base engine is a 4.7-liter, 16-valve SOHC V8 that twists out 231 horsepower and 293 lb-ft of torque. The premium powerplant, which is based on Ford's modular engine technology, displaces 5.4-liters, ratcheting up horsepower and torque to 300 and 365 respectively. This all-new SOHC power source features three-valves per cylinder and aluminum cylinder heads. It's also Ford's first modular V8 to use variable valve timing, which is a technology that enables the timing of valve openings and closings to advance with an increase in engine speed, resulting in increased power and efficiency.

The big truck is available with two different V8 engines, a base 4.7-liter unit and a 5.4-liter. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

On the road, the variable valve timing technology is imperceptible to most. What isn't so benign is the increased torque of the rev-happy Triton engine. Although I have not driven the 4.6-liter Triton V8, I can certainly attest to the smooth and refined characteristics of its 5.4-liter sibling. This engine is a pleasure to master. It quietly delivers power through a torque-based electronic throttle control system that uses driver input from the accelerator pedal to actively modulate the torque at the drive wheels. Ford claims this fly-by-wire technology "provides consistently seamless throttle response." Acceleration is definitely good for this size of a vehicle. Jackrabbit starts and authoritative highway passing are easily accomplished, and with very little fuss or need to push the 5.4 to its limit.