We traded our long-term Ford Ranger for a 2019 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 with the 5.0 Coyote—because trucks need two things: a column shifter and a V8. The Ranger tried to give us one last problem on the way out (4x4 system decided to fail), and that was basically the final push. This F-150 is really my daily going forward—dad life, kids, baseball games, and I can’t be showing up late because my old stuff is hemorrhaging oil. This spec is what I call “dad’s truck”: XLT 302A, FX4, 3.55 gears with a rear locker, and the most important option of all… the 36-gallon tank for nearly 700 miles of range. We walk through the truck top to bottom—chrome that’s weirdly growing on me, the bed features, rear-seat space (still my favorite second row in the segment), and the interior setup I specifically wanted: center console plus column shifter so we keep rear AC. Then we baseline test it like a press truck: hill test on street tires with running boards and an air dam, and a 0–60 run. It made it up the hill with a little hitch scrape and proved the FX4/locker combo is legit, but the mismatched tires are getting replaced ASAP. We also fix the dim aftermarket LEDs the right way with Lasfit’s vehicle-specific bulbs and cooling setup so you’re not blinding everyone or cooking your housings.