You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby – 1986 F-150 vs. 2016 F-150

For those of you old enough to remember 1986, you can probably all agree it was a simpler, if not better, time. Top Gun was number one at the box office, a Superbowl ad cost a mere $550, and a rock / hip-hop collaboration between Aerosmith and Run DMC rocked the charts. Nowadays, action movies often rely more on CGI than on story telling. The big game has become as much about mega-expensive commercials as it is about what’s happening on the field. And a collaboration between Taylor Swift and B.O.B. barely moved the needle.

One thing we can be thankful for, however, is that trucks have become more powerful, fuel-efficient, and usable everyday vehicles. Who would’ve thought the F-150 would one day be made from aluminum or come with an optional turbo charger? Yes, things sure have changed… and the folks over at Blue Springs Ford Parts have commissioned an infographic below highlighting the most significant changes and pointing out a couple interesting facts on how a 1986 F-150 compares to today’s 2016 model.

1986-vs-2016-f150

  • The “XLT Lariat” package eventually became two separate trim levels. In 1992 it became simply the “XLT”, with the more premium “Lariat” trim level appearing later in 1997.
  • Proud ’86 F-150 owners had to get out of their trucks to switch to 4WD, thanks to a manual transfer case and hubs (automatic hubs were optional)

So maybe it’s not all bad… especially in the truck world. Did anyone predict a Nissan with a 5.0L Cummins V8? What major changes do think are in store for trucks in the next 20 years? Only time will tell, but for now, check out a couple of F-150s with their 2.7L and 3.5L Ecoboost engines take on the naturally aspirated offerings from Ram and Chevy!

Brian Waring
Brian is an engineer by trade but his true passion is anything automotive. He wakes up every morning to search the web for the latest industry news. He enjoys taking his Tacoma 4×4 off-road in the mountains of Colorado where he spends his free time hiking, biking, and snowboarding with his wife and dogs near their Rocky Mountain home.