2008 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson Edition
by Jim Prueter -May 2008

Special edition a blast to drive

With auto manufacturers, special edition, anniversary or limited edition vehicles are a way to create interest in a product line, but more importantly, to build sales. Manufacturers generally offer these editions as products begin to age and sales sag. I’m reminded of the recent Ford Mustang Bullitt I tested a few weeks back — and then there’s the Ford F-150 60th anniversary edition.

Some special or limited editions work well, while others are easily and thankfully forgotten. One that seems to work is the Harley-Davidson F-150, which has been around for almost a decade and accounts for more than 60,000 units sold. The F-150 has been the number-one selling vehicle in the world for 30 years running.

For 2008, the Harley-Davidson edition is an example of a vehicle you might just up and buy because of how it looks (great) and feels (great again). Never mind that it’s way more truck than anybody needs, is a bit over-the-top with bling, is too expensive and gets dismal gas mileage with its new, optional 450-horsepower, 500 lb-ft torque Saleen supercharged V-8 engine ($6500).

While trucks aren’t required to display EPA fuel economy ratings, I averaged just 11 miles per gallon with premium fuel during my weeklong test. Refueling the truck with premium fuel cost a whopping $82.

The only way to visually tell it’s the supercharged edition is by the performance gauge mounted on the top of the dash, which includes a boost gage for the supercharger and an air-charge temperature gauge. But the numbers are too small to read from the driver’s seat.

The standard Harley-Davidson edition is powered by a 300-horsepower 4.6-liter V-8. Both the regular and supercharged versions are mated to a five-speed automatic transmission — the only transmission choice available — and a tuned exhaust system that is meant to scare off predatory challengers.

On the road, I was somewhat surprised that 450-horsepower didn’t feel more powerful and was only marginally quicker than the 300-horsepower F-150 I tested a few months back.

You’ll be drawn to the over-the-top looks of the truck. I found that most took a love-it or hate-it opinion. The test truck was painted black clearcoat with copper accents on the lower doors and edges of the wheel opening moldings to commemorate Harley-Davidson’s 105th anniversary. Solid black with orange pinstriping at the beltline is the default color scheme. Individual chrome letters on either side of the cargo bed further indicate the Harley-Davidson edition.

Massive 22-inch five-spoke alloy wheels support V-rated P275/45R Pirelli Scorpion tires and keep the truck securely planted for cornering speeds well beyond what would be expected. A revised suspension significantly reduces body roll and improves handling without punishing occupants with a harsh ride.

Chrome twin-tip exhaust, ground effect side tubes, a unique lower valance with fog lamps and a special edition grille made of billet aluminum (rather than chrome-plated plastic), blacked out headlamp surrounds and tubular step bars complete the exterior look. There’s also a rubberized Harley-Davidson-logo-emblazoned bedliner that protects the bed from getting scratched up when moving your Harley on and off the rear of the truck.

Inside Ford has splashed the “Harley-Davidson” name and logo on anything that doesn’t move. This year’s edition has 105th-anniversary dimensional die-cast logo badges pressed into each of the front bucket seats, both sides of the rear seat and the center console armrest. There’s a production-number plate affixed to the ashtray that again carries the logo.

The dash features a unique gauge cluster, again with the imprinted Harley-Davidson logo. The center-stack trim, center console and door panel trim are finished in piano black plastic with thousands of very tiny Harley-Davidson logos covering the surface. It takes just the correct light angle to see them. It’s actually pretty cool.

The interior look is one of the best in the industry and reflects the tough look of Harley-Davidson. Black leather seats are rolled and pleated and accented with a dusted copper color on the inserts, top half of the steering wheel and on the center console and gear-shift knob.

Overall, the Harley-Davidson F-150 is a blast to drive. It’s certainly the most bodacious truck on the market today, especially since Dodge ceased production of the Ram SRT-10 500-horsepower Viper powered pickup last year.

But one has to wonder whether all the good stuff loaded into the Harley-Davidson F-150 is a worthy tradeoff for both the dismal fuel economy and the price of premium gas these days.