Buying 24' Lariat vs XLT - Need some advice!

[2992set]

First time posting on here so apologies in advance for anything I meant not have seen in my research...

Backstory: I just bought my first truck in April (24 Tundra SR5 TRD Sport). I definitely screwed up and bought it very spontaneously without ANY research - I woke up and my wife said "Why don't you go look at trucks" And all bets were off. I would like to get into towing in a year or so and buy a travel trailer (Something maybe 30-ish feet, enough for 2 adults, 2 small kids, and 2 70lbs. dogs. After doing minor research on the trailer end on things, I am beginning to realize I don't think my Tundra will be able to pull anything in the size I am looking for (My payload is 1380 with a sticker applied next to it saying 101lbs reduction so 1280 before any people are in the truck). In addition, the Tundra having the engine issues is scaring me into wanting to dump this truck. Idle feels rough from day 1 and between 72-76mph, i feel a weird vibration if I am just sitting in the perfect spot on the gas pedal, also when on cruise control. Reminds me of propellers being out of sync on mutli-engine airplanes (only thing I can use to describe what I am feeling). I brought it in and they said they couldnt find anything wrong with it. Maybe I am being too spontaneous again with wanting to get rid of it ASAP before any potential engines issues.

I drive 240 miles roundtrip, mainly highways, to work roughly once a week (otherwise I'd look at the F250). When I eventually get a travel trailer, I'd probably go towing a few times a year. I am looking for a particular truck for my lifestyle that will give me the most options when deciding what size trailer to buy.

So here's what I got. I found a 24 XLT about an hour away that has everything I want except its black and I like the carbonized gray more (I don't dislike the black just number 1 preference is the gray). Recently I just noticed the Lariat headlights are a different design and now every time I see an XLT, my eyes go right to the headlights wishing they were the Lariat lights. I can't find the Lariat with the exact options I want anywhere, I've spent hours searching inventories. Which leaves to ordering it from Granger or potentially a local dealer I've heard about from the forums here in South East PA. If I am going to dump my Tundra and take a hit on the depreciation, I want to make sure I get everything I want. Another issue is if I do a build and order that, and it takes 6+ months, the 2025s will be out by then. I've looked for 23 XLT's because the lights are similar but haven't found any with what I am looking for.

Next is towing capability. I know the XLT is better, but is the difference that big of a deal breaker? Can any experienced haulers chime in with what they think? I made a comparison using the Ford Tow Calculator. I used the exact XLT I test drove, and then for the Lariat, I found one with almost identical options. I can't remember what it was missing but I remember it didn't seem to effect payload significantly (maybe the tow mirrors?). Below is a picture of the comparison.

Thoughts? What am I missing in my decision?

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[Bigguy214]

If I were you I would pick out roughly what camper your looking at and get the approximate weight of camper and tongue weight.With roughly a 30 camper it is going to have quite a bit of tongue weight and also you need to subtract what your wdh weighs also.You will probably have somewhere near 800 lbs of tongue weight and 50-100 wdh so say roughly 900 lbs.So the lariat would leave you with roughly 850 lbs for 4 people and 2 dogs and what ever gear or luggage you put in truck.The trailer numbers are just rough numbers though.

 

[NMMIKE]

Big guy is right. Depending upon the specs on a 30 foot TT, U could very well be better if with an F250 for the towing part of Ur use. I recently traded my 22 Tundra because of the engine recall. My TT is a 21.5 foot , 5500 lbs (wet) , tandem and that size trailer is a good fit for a light duty half ton PU.
I bought a 24 F150 XLT, black appearance, FX4 with tow / haul package. 10,400 lbs towing , 1808 lbs Payload. The 24 has quite a few little upgrades vs. the 23. I am cautious re: the Max Tow rear diff / axles because of the Ford recall which still does not have a permanent fix. If I ever get a larger TT, I would probably look at the F250 and plan not to drive it around town too much. Most of us start to run out of Payload lbs. more than towing lbs. With any light duty half ton, Tundra or F150 I would not want to go above approx. 25’, 7500 lbs, 600 lbs hitch weight. Also, ordering a Ford is a nice feature but U also have to worry about what is going to happen with the Tundras value and how easy it will be to trade it.
Good Luck!

 

[2992set]

any leaks on the 2025s yet?

 

[WhiteLightningnshitshadow]

2025 is unchanged. The lariat fascia looks so much better than the XLT. If the trailer is over 10k, Id think about an f250. 1200lbs payload disappears in a blink with dogs, kids, wife, cooler, bikes, hitch weight, etc.

I wouldnt accept anything less than 1700lbs payload.

 

[Chappy133]

For a travel trailer weighing in at 10K and 30' long I would consider the F250. With gear, people and luggage you are going to quickly max out the tow/weight capacity. There is an old saying you can never have too much tow vehicle.

 

[2992set]

For a travel trailer weighing in at 10K and 30' long I would consider the F250. With gear, people and luggage you are going to quickly max out the tow/weight capacity. There is an old saying you can never have too much tow vehicle.

definitely not looking at 10k trailers. I was thinking more like 5/6ish. I was watching a video last night about trailers and they said even if it’s light, a 30footer on a F150 is probably too much if wind hits it and it sways since the f150 is light. So that is a good point and narrows me down to probably something maybe at most 25ish.

 

[HammaMan]

I'd go with a lariat over XLT in the 24 models because they made them fugly. Not sure which motor choice you're looking at but it shouldn't be difficult to land a 1600+ payload in a lariat if you don't go option heavy. That's more than enough to pull a 26' TT bunkhouse.

My XLT came with a payload sticker of 1460 so don't assume there's a big difference between the trims when optioned.

 

[2992set]

I'd go with a lariat over XLT in the 24 models because they made them fugly. Not sure which motor choice you're looking at but it shouldn't be difficult to land a 1600+ payload in a lariat if you don't go option heavy. That's more than enough to pull a 26' TT bunkhouse.

My XLT came with a payload sticker of 1460 so don't assume there's a big difference between the trims when optioned.

I was thinking 5.0, 3.73 elec locking axle, max tow

 

[NMMIKE]

Technically it is called, "tail wagging the dog,"

 

[Chappy133]

definitely not looking at 10k trailers. I was thinking more like 5/6ish. I was watching a video last night about trailers and they said even if it’s light, a 30footer on a F150 is probably too much if wind hits it and it sways since the f150 is light. So that is a good point and narrows me down to probably something maybe at most 25ish.

I tow a 21' all aluminum travel trailer. With its GVWR of 5468 lbs it tows well with my F-150. The weight distribution hitch with sway control makes it a very pleasant and controllable drive even in winds and semi's passing me. This leaves plenty of room in the safety envelope by not getting near my max tow/hitch weights.

My previous truck was a 2013 F-150. I do appreciated the Lariat features especially the 360 cameras since the sight lines on the truck are poor. The trailer tow package with the BLIS where you can set the length and width of your trailer is a nice feature too. Adaptive cruise control is very nice. Since I was buying used I could not get the inverter I wanted. The power in the bed is only 400W. Having the 7.2 (?) pro power would be great because then I would not need to haul the generator.

 

[Sigma1914]

First time posting on here so apologies in advance for anything I meant not have seen in my research...

Backstory: I just bought my first truck in April (24 Tundra SR5 TRD Sport). I definitely screwed up and bought it very spontaneously without ANY research - I woke up and my wife said "Why don't you go look at trucks" And all bets were off. I would like to get into towing in a year or so and buy a travel trailer (Something maybe 30-ish feet, enough for 2 adults, 2 small kids, and 2 70lbs. dogs. After doing minor research on the trailer end on things, I am beginning to realize I don't think my Tundra will be able to pull anything in the size I am looking for (My payload is 1380 with a sticker applied next to it saying 101lbs reduction so 1280 before any people are in the truck). In addition, the Tundra having the engine issues is scaring me into wanting to dump this truck. Idle feels rough from day 1 and between 72-76mph, i feel a weird vibration if I am just sitting in the perfect spot on the gas pedal, also when on cruise control. Reminds me of propellers being out of sync on mutli-engine airplanes (only thing I can use to describe what I am feeling). I brought it in and they said they couldnt find anything wrong with it. Maybe I am being too spontaneous again with wanting to get rid of it ASAP before any potential engines issues.

I drive 240 miles roundtrip, mainly highways, to work roughly once a week (otherwise I'd look at the F250). When I eventually get a travel trailer, I'd probably go towing a few times a year. I am looking for a particular truck for my lifestyle that will give me the most options when deciding what size trailer to buy.

So here's what I got. I found a 24 XLT about an hour away that has everything I want except its black and I like the carbonized gray more (I don't dislike the black just number 1 preference is the gray). Recently I just noticed the Lariat headlights are a different design and now every time I see an XLT, my eyes go right to the headlights wishing they were the Lariat lights. I can't find the Lariat with the exact options I want anywhere, I've spent hours searching inventories. Which leaves to ordering it from Granger or potentially a local dealer I've heard about from the forums here in South East PA. If I am going to dump my Tundra and take a hit on the depreciation, I want to make sure I get everything I want. Another issue is if I do a build and order that, and it takes 6+ months, the 2025s will be out by then. I've looked for 23 XLT's because the lights are similar but haven't found any with what I am looking for.

Next is towing capability. I know the XLT is better, but is the difference that big of a deal breaker? Can any experienced haulers chime in with what they think? I made a comparison using the Ford Tow Calculator. I used the exact XLT I test drove, and then for the Lariat, I found one with almost identical options. I can't remember what it was missing but I remember it didn't seem to effect payload significantly (maybe the tow mirrors?). Below is a picture of the comparison.

Thoughts? What am I missing in my decision?

If I were you I’d continue to do my research on what this that you want (Features, trims and etc.). Because it took me almost two years to really center in on what I wanted before I got my 2023 Rocky Ridge F-150 XLT back in February this year. I timed it perfectly because I wasn’t willing to pay an upward of over $100K for an already 6in lifted truck with bells, whistles and warranties. So I was patient and waited because I knew that during Ford Truck month (Beginning of February until the end of March every year) they have to try and sell the previous year trucks just to make room for the new year truck inventory. So I definitely had that working in my favor. It took me two days of negotiating but I drove away in a so called $100K valued truck with all the bells and whistles I wanted for $74K. Ford will be making more slight changes to their 2025 trucks. Here are two YouTube links to check the changes out. I hope this helps you. Good luck! ?

 

[CAG61]

I got a 24 XLT Powerboost. If you want to boondock or just have more flexibility in camping get a Powerboost. No generators to worry about. I didn't get the Larit, even though I had a F-350 Larit I traded in, because I found better things to do with $20k.

Also, XLTs are a faster order. I ordered in March and got it 3 months later.

 

[Deleted member 11970]

My next truck I plan on getting is going to be a Lariat FX4 with the 3.5 ecoboost and 3.55 rear end. The lariat makes more sense I think in the long run, when both are spec’d out, the price isn’t that much different between the two. Are you set on getting the 5.0? The new 5.0 has a belt driven oil pump and cylinder deactivation so it seems like it would be less reliable than the 2020 and below 5.0’s. The 3.5 is also rated to tow 13,000 pounds. You can always custom build it and send it to a dealer to get exactly what you want too.

 

[Chili]

I'd go with a lariat over XLT in the 24 models because they made them fugly. Not sure which motor choice you're looking at but it shouldn't be difficult to land a 1600+ payload in a lariat if you don't go option heavy. That's more than enough to pull a 26' TT bunkhouse.

My XLT came with a payload sticker of 1460 so don't assume there's a big difference between the trims when optioned.

I was just thinking I would go with a XLT over a lariat because the XLT looks so much better

To each their own.

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