Consistency is dead.
We used to have it. You could buy a sedan, and five years later it was still a sedan. It didn’t need a software update, a subscription to unlock the heated seats, or a therapist to explain why it identified as a crossover. Now? The automotive world spins faster than a caffeinated hamster. Every week there’s a new electric pod promising to drive you to yoga while diffusing lavender into your nostrils and massaging your spine like a Swedish chiropractor with Wi-Fi.
And this week there it was parked in my driveway like a stubborn old Labrador who refuses to learn new tricks, a 2025 Ford F-150 STX.
No plug. No perfume. No existential crisis.
Just a truck.
The F-150, as you may have heard once or twice, is the best-selling vehicle in the United States. Not truck. Vehicle. It sits in Ford’s lineup above the compact Ford Maverick and the midsize Ford Ranger, and below the heavy-duty bruisers of the Ford Super Duty family. It has more trims than a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon and more configurations than a Lego set. There’s the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning for the futurists, and if you feel the need to jump small counties in a single bound, there’s the ballistic Ford F-150 Raptor R.
I’ve driven the Raptor R. It’s less a pickup and more a declaration of war against sand dunes. A supercharged V8, Baja-ready suspension, and the sort of soundtrack that makes bald eagles stand a little taller. I adored it in the way you adore fireworks: loud, ridiculous, and not something you necessarily need every day.
The STX is not that.
The STX is the grilled-cheese sandwich of the F-150 range. Simple. Dependable. Exactly what you expect when you bite into it.
This particular truck was powered by a naturally aspirated V8. Not supercharged. Not hybridized. Not assisted by a choir of lithium-ion batteries whispering encouragement. Just eight cylinders doing what eight cylinders have done since Eisenhower was in office: sucking in air, mixing it with fuel, and turning explosions into forward motion.
Ford introduced this 14th-generation F-150 back in 2021, and here we are in 2025 with… not much changed. There’s been some updated styling, the 12-inch touchscreen and digital instrument cluster are now standard, and Ford has shuffled trims and packages around like a blackjack dealer in Vegas. The old base V6 is gone. The diesel left the party back in 2022. The Raptor R stormed in during 2023. But the bones? The bones are the same.
And that’s the point.
Climb inside the STX and you’re greeted not by spaceship theatrics but by an interior that feels designed by someone who has, at some point in their life, carried plywood. The big 12-inch screen is there, because of course it is, but it doesn’t dominate your existence. The digital instrument panel is crisp and clear, but it doesn’t try to reinvent the concept of “speed.” The seats are comfortable without pretending to be thrones in a Scandinavian spa.
It’s honest.
There’s a refreshing lack of nonsense. You don’t need to attend a seminar to adjust the climate control. You don’t have to swipe, pinch, or chant in Latin to find the radio. You get in, you start it, and you go.
On the road, the STX feels exactly how a full-size American pickup should feel. Big. Planted. Reassuring. The V8 provides a deep, confident rumble under acceleration, not the strained wheeze of a small engine being asked to impersonate something larger. There’s torque when you need it. There’s smoothness at highway speeds. And there’s a sense that, should civilization collapse, this truck will still be running on whatever questionable fuel you siphon from an abandoned lawnmower.
It rides better than you’d expect, too. The current F-150’s suspension setup has been refined enough that daily driving no longer feels like you’re riding a mechanical bull. It soaks up bumps with a maturity that belies its ladder-frame roots. Is it a luxury sedan? Of course not. But it doesn’t need to be.
The STX trim occupies that sweet middle ground. It’s not a bare-bones work truck with vinyl floors and an AM radio. Nor is it dripping in chrome and leather like it’s headed to a country club valet stand. It looks purposeful. Clean. A bit sporty, even. It’s the truck you buy when you actually want a truck, but also wouldn’t mind if your neighbors think you have decent taste.
And here’s the thing: in a world where vehicles increasingly feel like rolling smartphones, the F-150 STX feels mechanical in the best possible way. You sense the mass. You feel the steering weight. You hear the engine. It’s an experience that hasn’t been entirely digitized.
Yes, you can spec an F-150 that plugs into the wall. You can get one with a hybrid powertrain. You can load it up until the sticker price starts competing with suburban real estate. But the core of the F-150—the reason it became America’s automotive comfort food—remains intact.
It does truck things.
It hauls. It tows. It swallows hardware store purchases whole and asks for seconds. The bed is still a bed, not a lifestyle accessory. The tailgate still functions without requiring a firmware update. And when you slam the door, it closes with a solid thud that says, “Relax. I’ve got this.”
Four years after the 14th generation debuted, the lack of dramatic change feels almost rebellious. While the rest of the industry chases trends like a Labrador after a tennis ball, the F-150 STX stands there, arms folded, unimpressed.
Consistency, it turns out, isn’t dead everywhere.
Sometimes it’s sitting in your driveway, wearing a Blue Oval badge, quietly reminding you that not every vehicle needs to reinvent transportation. Some just need to start every morning, carry what you ask them to carry, and get you home without drama.
In 2025, that might be the most radical thing of all.
The 2025 Ford F-150 STX
MSRP: $51,230
MSRP (as tested): $61,875
Engine: 5.0 Liter V8, 400 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm, 410 lb-ft torque @ 4,250 rpm
Transmission: 10-speed shiftable automatic
Fuel mileage (EPA): 16 city, 24 highway, 19 combined
Fuel Mileage (as tested, mixed conditions): 20 mpg
Base Curb Weight: 5122 lbs
Exterior Dimensions
Length: 232 inches
Overall Width with Mirrors: 95.7 inches
Overall Width without Mirrors: 79.9 inches
Height: 77.1 inches
Wheelbase: 145.4 inches
Ground Clearance: 9.8 inches
Interior Dimensions
Front Head Room: 40.8 inches
Front Leg Room: 43.9 inches
Front Shoulder Room: 66.7 inches
Rear Head Room: 40.4 inches
Rear Leg Room: 43.6 inches
Rear Shoulder Room: 66.0 inches
Warranty
Basic: 3 years / 36,000 miles
Drivetrain: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Rust: 5 years / Unlimited miles
Roadside Assistance: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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