Quick Spin: 2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150

Review and photos by Jonathan Yarkony

Photo Gallery:
2012 Ford F-150

Normally, I steer clear of pickup trucks. I mean, what am I supposed to do with such a vehicle if I don’t have any lumber to haul or renovation jobs to clean up?

But then I saw the fancy white Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson edition, just gleaming in the sun, with its silver flame decal and chrome grille sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. I just had to drive it. When a pickup is dressed up like this one, it strays well away from its work truck roots. Sure, it would look fine towing a racecar trailer (with matching flames) to the track or with a bike strapped down in the bed, but really, this just seems like a big, badass toy.

2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150. Click image to enlarge

Its toy credentials: big-bore 6.2L V8 making 411 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque, routed through a six-speed automatic transmission. Sure it’s no 500-hp Ram SRT10, but those days of gratuitous excess are gone, at least from the pickup truck market (sedans and coupes are still playing the horsepower wars, if the Mustang and Camaro or M5, E 63 AMG, and CTS-V are anything to go by).

As mentioned, it still has towing credentials up to 3,400 kg (7,500 lb) and a payload of 640 kg (1,410 lb), but more importantly, an unloaded F-150 H-D will tear up the drag strip at 6.3 seconds to 96 km/h (60 mph) and finish the quarter mile in 15.1 seconds, according to Car and Driver testing. Even in the couple days I drove it, it was clear that this truck was not shy about putting down power and moving along in a hurry.

Keep it in 2H (2WD high), and you’ve got a recipe for mayhem. However, there are also three 4WD modes, 4A (4WD auto), 4H (4-high) and 4L (4-low), though I doubt the White Platinum metallic tri-coat paint job would appreciate you beating up on this truck off-road. Speaking of that paint job, this is the first time that white has been offered on an F-150 Harley-Davidson.

2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150. Click image to enlarge

Of course, it handled like a truck, and with nothing in the bed, it skipped around on rough surfaces, especially in any corners, but was whisper smooth out on the highway, with the exception of a slight roar as the engine moseyed along. Fuel consumption was atrocious for me despite a couple highway stints, reading 18.2 L/100 km, but then again, I was treating almost every light like a drag strip… the neighbours were thrilled about that. Official NRCan estimates put it at 18.5 L/100 km city and 12.7 L/100 km highway.

The Harley-Davidson is only offered in crew cab and short box configuration, but this model was also equipped with a bed extender ($350) that, well, extends the bed for slightly longer items, and a tailgate step ($300) for easier access. This truck also had the power-extendable running boards that my five-foot wife considers essential for ease of entry, and the nifty capless fuel filler. The crew cab is spacious and roomy, as you’d expect from a full-size pickup truck, with wide, comfortable front seats and plenty of room for three passengers in the back seat, but it’s the Harley trimmings that make it special.

This year, the Harley-Davidson F-150 design crew decided on snakeskin as their theme. How they arrived there, I can only imagine, but the result is snakeskin-patterned leather (from cows, in case you’re wondering) on the seatbacks, steering wheel, and centre armrest, and the outline of the flame decal and scuff plates are also snakeskin patterned. I’m sure there was a lineup of snakeskin-booted and -belted, Harley-riding cowboys lined up at Ford dealerships ready to make their deposits as soon as the first images surfaced. Suffice to say, if you like the pattern of snakeskin, this truck will be your thing.

2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150. Click image to enlarge

And being a Harley-Davidson F-150, there are also Harley-Davidson badges, and they did not skimp on the badges. From the crest outlines on the wheel hubs (22-inch snakey-spoked wheels incidentally, with 275/45R22 Pirelli Scorpion Zero rubber), to the raised “HARLEY-DAVIDSON” raised lettering on the bed-walls, to the crests on the trunk, fenders, and even the bed liner. Inside, the snakeskin-patterned seatbacks have them, and the badge on the armrest is a cloisonné badge, handmade by the same company that makes the badges for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, mounted together with a serialization plate with the truck’s VIN and build number laser engraved.

The rest of the interior is a mix of satin-finish chrome, “Tuxedo Black” trim (sparkly black), typical F-150 switchgear, auto climate control, plus Sync voice command system and Ford MyTouch touchscreen infotainment system for audio, communications, and navigation. This city boy found it all pretty nice.

In conclusion, this is a fine-looking truck with a custom look that may not be for all tastes, but it is definitely unique. And although the 22-inch wheels with lo-pro rubber aren’t cut out for off-roading, this rig (yes, I reserve the right to use truck clichés until the cows come home wearing snakeskin stetsons) still has the bones and capability of North America’s favourite tool, the Ford F-150.

Price: 2012 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson
Base Price: $64,699
Options: $1,080 (White Platinum metallic tri-coat $300; bed extender $350; tailgate step $300)
Destination: $1,500
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $67,249

Specifications
Buyer’s Guide: 2012 Ford F-150

Competitors
Buyer’s Guide: 2012 Chevrolet Silverado
Buyer’s Guide: 2012 GMC Sierra
Buyer’s Guide: 2012 Nissan Titan
Buyer’s Guide: 2012 Ram 1500
Buyer’s Guide: 2012 Toyota Tundra

Crash test results
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)