Here's what's so good about the newly updated 2009 Ford F-150 pickup: improved fuel economy, a stunning cabin, loads of smart little features, great payload and towing capacities, a quieter ride and a bigger crew cab. Oh, and rebates, too.
Rebates? Rebates on a completely re-engineered, restyled model and Ford's very best-seller, period? You bet.
Look, there is just no getting away from the reality of this tough market. It's competitive like nothing I've ever seen before in 20-plus years of covering the industry and its products.
Consider what's on the '09 F-150 four-door, SuperCrew Lariat with a base price of $47,699: an $8,000 factory-to-dealer rebate. That's a big chunk of change and, if I were buying, it would tip me to the F-150.
Right now, I'd argue this is the best full-size pickup available and that's saying something. Really, there are no bad rigs in this segment.
The Toyota Tundra looks to have excellent quality and it certainly is big enough.
General Motors' Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are solid, reliable, comfortable and fuel-efficient pickups with very good payload and towing abilities, too.
But my pick of the litter would be the F-150. The best cabin in the segment and add-ons like the rear tailgate step and the pop-out side steps make loading and getting into and out of the F-150 dead simple. That and the basic stuff like towing and payload tip the balance for me.
Okay, Ford is not selling a hybrid version like GM does with its big rigs. Also, Ford's engines are not as powerful as its rivals. So there are two strikes against the F-150. Overall, though, the F-150 is the segment leader.
Of course, the voters who judge these things at the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada disagree. They voted the Ram the best full-size pickup of 2009, over the F-150. For the record, I'm an AJAC voter and I dissented. I picked the F-150.
One last point before I dig into some details about the F-150. The auto makers care hugely about what goes on in this segment. These trucks generate cash with big sales numbers.
Ford sold nearly 600,000 F-150s in Canada and the United States combined last year. GM sold about 700,000 pickups and Dodge more than 300,000. Toyota sold nearly 150,000 Tundras. Nissan's Titan trailed the pack with less than 40,000 sold last year.
Here's some perspective: no car model came close to matching the F-Series: Toyota sold more than 450,000 Camry cars last year and the Camry was the No. 1 selling passenger car in Canada and the United States combined. Pickups not only sell in huge numbers, the owners are loyal and they need their trucks for work and play.
Speaking of loyal buyers, Ford did a masterful job of improving the F-150, yet avoided making the kind of radical changes that might alienate long-time buyers.
The styling is a bit more macho, but not over the top. The interior is richer and smarter, but not ostentatious. The engines, while not as gutsy as others, are stronger and fuel economy overall is better by 8 per cent. And the ride is smoother without compromising the basics of this sort of work vehicle - towing and payload.
The F-150's towing capacity is 11,300 pounds (5,126 kg) for all three cab styles, regular, extended and crew. And payload comes in at a maximum of 3,030 lbs (1,374 kg) for the regular cab, 2,650 lbs (1,202 kg) for the extended cab and 1,760 lbs (798 kg) for the crew.
Ford also added a number of cool new features while maintaining the F-150's mind-boggling combination of features, bed lengths, cabin sizes and four-wheel versus rear-wheel drive. If you get a four-by-four, you can switch in and out of four-wheel-drive on the fly at the flick of a knob.
As for engines, there are three choices, all V-8s. The previous entry-level V-6 has been replaced by a 4.6-litre, 248-horsepower V-8 paired with a four-speed automatic. It's okay, but not nearly as good as either of the other V-8s: a 4.6-litre V-8 that generates 292 hp and a 5.4-litre V-8 rated at 310 hp. Both are coupled with smooth-shifting, fuel-efficient six-speed automatics.
Speaking of engines, Ford's plans to proceed with a diesel F-150 beginning in 2010 have been at least delayed, if not cancelled. Ford had said it would give the F-150 a 4.4-litre V-8 diesel with more power and torque than the F-150's 5.4-litre gasoline V-8, as well as a 20 per cent fuel economy improvement.
Now with diesel fuel prices in the U.S. relatively high, Automotive News is reporting that Ford will delay the introduction until at least 2013. General Motors and Chrysler LLC also have delayed diesel versions of their light-duty pickups.
Prices? Well, they officially range from $25,699 for an entry-level rear-wheel-drive XL with the small engine to $55,699 for the glitzy Platinum F-150 with a crew cab, four-wheel-drive and the big engine.
What you'll pay is up to what you can negotiate with your dealer. Believe, Ford Canada and its dealers are anxious to do deals, so talking is a very good idea.
Whatever deal you make on whichever F-150 you deal on, Ford claims its pickup is now the safest truck in its class. The '09 earned five-star U.S. government crash-test ratings in every category except rollovers, where it got only three stars. It comes standard with stability and traction control, antilock brakes and a full complement of airbags, including head-protecting side curtain bags.
So that's all the left-brain stuff. For the right brain, note the design. The look is more aggressive than before. There is a bolder profile and an imposing new front end with Ford's three-barred grille.
Your senses will also be soothed by a quieter cabin and a smoother ride. Ford stiffened the truck's frame and gave it a new, double-wishbone front suspension and both moves helped.
The cabin is marked by big, easy-to-use knobs and squared-off shapes in the dash and instrument binnacle. If you spend the dough, the interior can be upgraded with wood trim, leather seats, a power moon roof and navigation and backup systems. You can also get a small, colour LCD screen integrated into the rear-view mirror that displays the image from the backup camera.
What's missing is a rear-seat entertainment system. You can get one in the Ram, Tundra and Silverado.
Finally, the bed. It's the most practical of any full-size pickup. The optional step integrated into the rear lift-gate allows you to step up into the bed like you're climbing up stairs.
A retractable step on the bed's sides (both of them) is useful, as is a lightweight, stowable bed extender. It lets you haul stuff in back with the lift-gate down. There is also a cargo management system for anchoring loads, not to mention a long list of additional accessories and options.
The F-Series is at the heart of the Ford franchise and the company knows it. That's why Ford did the right things in reinventing this rig.
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