It is amazing that two trucks, which have the same bearing and assembly plant, can be so different.
It’s kind of like siblings with night-and-day personalities. It’s kind of like me and Tiger Woods — when you take away his crazy talent for hitting golf balls and all my foibles with a pitching wedge — we’re essentially the same, somewhere way, way, way down deep.
That is the case of the Harley-Davidson and King Ranch 4X4 editions of the 2008 Ford F-150. Somewhere, somehow underneath it all, they’re both F-150s.
But talk bout day and night — the Harley edition was black with “vintage copper” accents and the King Ranch was Oxford white with Western leather interior accents and tool boxes already in the back.
It literally seemed as if the King Ranch was ready to go to work, while the Harley-Davidson edition was ready for the party — wherever that might have been.
This review is the Tale of Two Trucks — which are really the same truck. Somehow. Somewhere.

PERFORMANCE

2008 FORD F-150
HARLEY-DAVIDSON EDITION
Base Price: $36,500
As Tested: $50,100
EPA Estimates: 12 mpg city, 15 mpg highway

KING RANCH
Base Price: $38,795
As Tested: $45,740
EPA Estimates: 13 mpg city, 17 mpg highway
In The Market: Toyota Tundra, Chevy Silverado, Nissan Titan

At the very heart of the matter, the engines in both trucks are the same 5.4-liter Triton V-8 powerplant that produced a cool 300 horses.
Well, that is until you get to the Saleen supercharger on the Harley-Davidson edition — a $6,575 option that adds an additional 150 horsepower to the V8 and creates need for three additional analog gauges to sit conspicuously atop the center of the dashboard, doing nothing until the supercharger is pegged and you’re catapulted down the road with the rumble of the engine and unmistakable high-pitched “whirr” of the supercharger’s air intake.
While the some what smaller (139-inch wheelbase with dual cab compared to the King Ranch’s 150-inch wheelbase with crew cab) Harley edition had the heart of a sports car — not the mention the shoes with 22-inch chrome wheels — the King Ranch delivered a more workmanlike performance over the course its test drive.
It was as solid and steady as the Harley edition was flashy and in some ways, over the top.

AESTHETICS/ERGONOMICS

2008 Ford F-150 King Ranch interior.

The interior of the King Ranch was Texas-sized — not to mention Texas-inspired. The very name, “King Ranch,” pretty much says it all. This is J.R. Ewing’s truck.
The rich leather was a step up from the ordinary and gave the King Ranch the personality in the same way the engine and wheels gave the Harley edition its essence.
And if you don’t believe ergonomic engineers can be a little creative, take a look at the King Ranch steering column, which has a small leather patch around the ignition switch to keep the column from being scratched. That’s creative and also a small addition to tan leather captain’s chairs and a roomy enough cabin for the biggest ranch hands.
Both editions came with Sirius satellite radio and upgraded navigation packages for an extra $2,295.
As mentioned before, the King Ranch included tool boxes/storage bins as a $295 option as well as a $350 towing package.
While the King Ranch interior was a leather-clad dream, the Harley edition’s was no sham. The floor mats and leather captain’s chairs all bore Harley-Davidson’s crown-shaped logo. Anniversary logos were also placed nicely on the truck’s front quarter panels.
However, adding “Harley-Davidson” in chrome letters down the bed of the truck was overkill. I took one look at the black and copper paint job and 22-inch wheels and knew it was a Harley edition. It didn’t have to be literally spelled out for me.

FINAL THOUGHTS
So, what’s the difference between the King Ranch and the Harley-Davidson editions of the Ford F-150? A loan officer would say about $5,000 ($45,740 for the King Ranch as tested, compared to $50,110 for the Harley-Davidson edition).
But the truth is no two trucks carrying the same F-150 designation could be more different — and more appealing in different ways.