The Ford F-150 is the best-selling series of full-size pickup trucks ever. Being in continuous production for more than 74 years, it is still the preferred choice for Americans who want all the versatility of a pickup truck without compromising on performance and comfort. With the arrival of the fourteenth generation of the F-150, they have brought forward all these qualities, and the 2022 Ford F-150 with the STX package is one of the most affordable and attractive versions of the lineup and has been launched for a base MSRP of $42,000.

The STX package brings forward quite a lot of upgrades to the exterior like the updated alloy wheels with wider tires, tweaked front fascia, black accents, and fog lamps. The cabin also sees quite a lot of changes. There are many optional extras on offer too. Apart from that, it carries forward all the upgrades received for the 2022 iteration of the F-150 as well. Competing with the likes of the RAM 1500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and the GMC Sierra 1500, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Ford F-150 STX.

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10 Plenty Of Power

650-Horsepower 2020 Ford F-150 Nitemare By Roush
Via: RoushPerformance

The truck can be had with both the 3.3-liter naturally aspirated V6 motor and the optional 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6 motor. However, we would recommend you to go with the twin-turbocharged V6 motor producing 325 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. With the 2.7-liter V6 motor under the hood, the 2022 Ford F-150 STX can tow a maximum of 7,700 lbs.

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Via Ford

Along with that, the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8 can be had too, making it even more capable with 400 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque. However, that drives the price up significantly and the fuel efficiency sees a major dip. The twin-turbo V6 motor has more than enough pep in the bottom end and mid-range, making it capable for all applications, and the 10-speed automatic is quite quick too.

9 Spacious Cabin

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Getting into the front seat is an easy affair with the wide running boards and the chunky grab handle. Once inside, you would also admire the comfortable and well-padded fabric seats. The ergonomics are spot on and there are multiple storage bins, bottle holders, and cup holders. The headroom, legroom, and shoulder room are excellent too.

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The rear row also comes with the same qualities as the front. The cabin is pretty wide and three passengers could fit in comfortably. The transmission tunnel isn't too obstructive, and it feels quite airy on the inside too. The 2022 Ford F-150 STX can be had in both the SuperCrew and Super Cab configurations, and that improves the versatility of this truck. The bed is one of the most spacious in the segment, and it comes with a 2kW charging outlet as well. However, there is no bed lining and soft tailgate opening on this truck.

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8 Interior Looks And Feels Great

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The 2022 Ford F-150 STX is a package that is often opted with the lower trim configurations of the F-150 and many would think that this full-size truck would come with bargain-basement interior quality and spartan cabin design. However, the design looks very appealing with full-black color and neatly integrated silver and chrome accents.

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The macho dashboard design gives it the proper work truck character, and we also loved the solid feeling it offers. The infotainment is neatly integrated into the dashboard and the analog dials match the overall design. Even though the interior is quite hard to touch, it is surely going to last a lifetime. The switchgear quality is superior to the rivals from GMC and Chevrolet as well.

7 Infotainment Is Intuitive

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The 4.2" multi-function display is present in the center of the gauge cluster, and it displays all the relevant information. However, the display size is pretty small and looks very dated in comparison to the rivals. The infotainment duties are handled by an 8" Sync 4 infotainment system and come with all the features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, and Bluetooth.

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The interface is not much to write home about as it is what you would expect from a cheaper trim configuration. There are no major lags or stutters while accessing the menu and everything is laid out neatly. The display quality is decent too. The audio experience provided by the standard 6-speaker audio system is quite good, with punchy bass and clear vocals.

6 Refinement Is Excellent For A Pickup

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Taking this full-size work truck for a drive, we were quite pleased with the refinement level. The engine isn't too loud at the highway speeds even with the twin-turbo V6 motor under the hood, and the wind noise and tire noise were on the lower side.

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The sound deadening has seen a definite improvement from the older model years of the F-150, and that results in a much lower external noise intrusion to the cabin.

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5 Decent Build Quality

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The build quality of the Ford F-150 SXT is better than the Sierra 1500 and Silverado 1500. Being constructed entirely in high tensile steel and aluminum, the F-150 SXT comes with solid feeling exterior panels, doors, and hood. There is very little flex on hard pressing and that would have contributed to the best in class crash safety performance.

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The interior of the F-150 STX also feels a bit more premium and well put together than the rivals barring the RAM 1500. We couldn't spot any uneven panel gaps and lackluster plastic quality, both of which could be easily spotted in the Chevrolet and GMC trucks.

4 Sharp Brakes

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We have always found the brakes on the Ford F-150 to be excellent for a pickup truck. The same is also the case with this model, which is part of the fourteenth generation of the F-150. The truck is stopped by disc brakes on all four wheels, with 13.8" front rotors and 13.2" rear rotors.

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All the other braking features like ABS with EBD, brake assist, ventilated rotors, and hill hold control are standard too. The brakes offered sharp initial bite and more than adequate braking progression. The brake fade under prolonged braking is minimal, and the ABS kicks in when necessary. The front-end dive is much lower than the RAM 1500 as well.

3 Mediocre Fuel Efficiency

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The standard 3.3-liter naturally aspirated V6 motor of the 2022 Ford F-150 STX could do 19 MPG in the city and 22 MPG on the highway, equating to combined gas mileage of 20 MPG. With a 23-gallon fuel tank capacity, it could do 506 miles on a full tank of gas on the highway.

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However, we would recommend you to go with the optional twin-turbo V6 motor as the fuel efficiency sees a significant increase with 20 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway. In comparison, the Silverado 1500, Tundra CrewMax, and RAM 1500 Crew Cab offer slightly lower gas mileage.

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2 Handsome Exterior Styling

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The first things that you would notice when viewed from the front of the F-150 SXT are the new full-black mesh grille with no added chrome elements and a massive Ford logo etched into the middle, making it give proper presence. If you get the STX appearance package, it is going to throw in more black accents to the front end, making it even more fierce-looking.

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The side is highlighted by the 18" wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires, painted cladding, black pillars, and excellent height and ground clearance. There is a neat STX embossing on the bed too. The rear end looks elegant with the neatly designed taillights, chunky bumpers, and the side exhaust system.

1 Lacks Driver-Assistance Features As Standard

Ford F-150
Ford

The 2022 Ford F-150 STX doesn't come with any of the driver-assistance features as standard and that will be a deal-breaker for some buyers. However, you could get these features if you go with a higher trim configuration with the STX package. This would give you features like automated emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and blindspot monitoring.

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The Ford Co-Pilot 360 can be selected from the optional package list for the XL High and Tremor trims, and that includes pre-collision assist, forward collision warning, BLIS with cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping assist, lane change assist, rearview camera, auto high beams, reverse brake assist, and post-collision braking. The F-150 series also received a 5-star rating in the overall crash safety section of the NHTSA crash test.