Tripdaddy95
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Earlier 3 week review is here https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/10-first-impressions-on-my-new-2023-pb-lariat.14526/
At the 3 month mark, I can say I still love this truck. I recently had to go on an unexpected 2200 mile round trip. During this trip I got to use the "new" technology such as Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise. Also got to get the feel of the comfort of the seats and the general feel for the layout. This trip pushed me to the 4500 mile mark.
I will give adaptive cruise a 10 of 10. I really liked it especially after I figured out the correct spacing for me. Too far apart, cars will swoop in and slow you down even more. Too close was just to nerve racking with worrying if the system will work correctly. Especially at highway speeds.
As far as lane keep assist goes, I would give it an 8 out of 10. The thing kept telling me to put my hands on the wheel. I clearly had my hand on it. After about 15 or 20 minutes I realized that it does not care so much that your hands are on the wheel but instead that you are giving some feedback to the steering wheel. That means you have to move the steering wheel on your own ever so slightly or apply a slight pressure against the automatic movement. There were a few issues with the lane widening at exit ramps and the truck tried to center in the widening exit lane only to realize it was over to far and made a correction. I had to move the wheel a bit to adjust for my own sanity. Also road construction areas are a diffinate no go. If the lanes in a contraction area are erratic or not well marked it had a hard time knowing what to do. Also it seems to like to snuggle up to semi trucks. I bit closer than I would like. These things are why you need to still be alert and pay attention. I did not get the Blue Cruise option and do not see a point in it since I have similar tech. Blue Cruise lets you take your hands off the wheel but you have to stay looking forward. Without it I have to provide steering wheel feedback and that is close enough to self driving for me.
Overall seat comfort was good. After a few hours my butt started getting uncomfortable but that may be more of a "me" issue. I had to stop to use the facilities every few hours anyway so I got out stretched and was good for the next few hours. I was eventually able to configure the pedals, the seat, and steering wheel to find the perfect position for the long trips.
As far as MPGs, I got a hand calculated 19.9MPG (overall trip meter said 20.0MPG) running on Premium for the 2200 mile trip. I drove about 8 hours per day for 2 days to get there and the same on the way back. The average speed was about 75 to 80MPH for most of the driving. I will take that for a truck this size and the speed I was driving. It was great not having to stop for gas during each day's trip. Fill up, get on the road, and driver for about 600 miles. Stopping only for bathroom breaks and maybe food.
At this point I might say the engine and system is "broken in". Since I got back home, the MPG on this tank (trip meter) of gas reads 21.8MPG (half of tank so far) on the gauges with regular unleaded. I can make 15 mile/30 min trips where I can get 25MPG. for "this" trip. Before the "break in" these would read about sub 20MPG for the tank (trip meter) and never better that 22 for "this" trip. Now some of that may be temperature related since in the southeast the average temps went from mid 40s to mid 60s in this same time frame.
I still get many compliments on the Avalanche with BAP color scheme.
At the 3 month mark, I can say I still love this truck. I recently had to go on an unexpected 2200 mile round trip. During this trip I got to use the "new" technology such as Lane Keep Assist and Adaptive Cruise. Also got to get the feel of the comfort of the seats and the general feel for the layout. This trip pushed me to the 4500 mile mark.
I will give adaptive cruise a 10 of 10. I really liked it especially after I figured out the correct spacing for me. Too far apart, cars will swoop in and slow you down even more. Too close was just to nerve racking with worrying if the system will work correctly. Especially at highway speeds.
As far as lane keep assist goes, I would give it an 8 out of 10. The thing kept telling me to put my hands on the wheel. I clearly had my hand on it. After about 15 or 20 minutes I realized that it does not care so much that your hands are on the wheel but instead that you are giving some feedback to the steering wheel. That means you have to move the steering wheel on your own ever so slightly or apply a slight pressure against the automatic movement. There were a few issues with the lane widening at exit ramps and the truck tried to center in the widening exit lane only to realize it was over to far and made a correction. I had to move the wheel a bit to adjust for my own sanity. Also road construction areas are a diffinate no go. If the lanes in a contraction area are erratic or not well marked it had a hard time knowing what to do. Also it seems to like to snuggle up to semi trucks. I bit closer than I would like. These things are why you need to still be alert and pay attention. I did not get the Blue Cruise option and do not see a point in it since I have similar tech. Blue Cruise lets you take your hands off the wheel but you have to stay looking forward. Without it I have to provide steering wheel feedback and that is close enough to self driving for me.
Overall seat comfort was good. After a few hours my butt started getting uncomfortable but that may be more of a "me" issue. I had to stop to use the facilities every few hours anyway so I got out stretched and was good for the next few hours. I was eventually able to configure the pedals, the seat, and steering wheel to find the perfect position for the long trips.
As far as MPGs, I got a hand calculated 19.9MPG (overall trip meter said 20.0MPG) running on Premium for the 2200 mile trip. I drove about 8 hours per day for 2 days to get there and the same on the way back. The average speed was about 75 to 80MPH for most of the driving. I will take that for a truck this size and the speed I was driving. It was great not having to stop for gas during each day's trip. Fill up, get on the road, and driver for about 600 miles. Stopping only for bathroom breaks and maybe food.
At this point I might say the engine and system is "broken in". Since I got back home, the MPG on this tank (trip meter) of gas reads 21.8MPG (half of tank so far) on the gauges with regular unleaded. I can make 15 mile/30 min trips where I can get 25MPG. for "this" trip. Before the "break in" these would read about sub 20MPG for the tank (trip meter) and never better that 22 for "this" trip. Now some of that may be temperature related since in the southeast the average temps went from mid 40s to mid 60s in this same time frame.
I still get many compliments on the Avalanche with BAP color scheme.
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