Ford F-150 takes out US Truck of the Year

By Matt Brogan | December 17th, 2008

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High petrol prices, economic downturns, save the trees – it seems nothing will stop the American love affair with the F-150 and once again that belief has been confirmed with US magazine Motor Trend awarding the legendary pick-up Truck of the Year.

Completely new inside and out, the F150 has now received the prestigious award three times (1997, 2004 & 2009), and being such a staple vehicle, is sure to remain a strong player in the segment for years to come.

“The new F-150 is a thorough, thoughtful upgrade of a highly successful formula,” said Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief, Motor Trend. “The 2009 model improves on the core attributes that have made the F-150 a best seller for decades, ensuring it will remain a strong player in the segment despite the challenging economic environment.”

Improvements to the 2009 model include a new high-strength, lighter-weight chassis that delivers even more horsepower, unsurpassed fuel economy and class-leading towing and payload capacity.

To earn the Motor Trend award, the 5.4-litre V8 powered F-150 bested its competitors in a series of rigorous tests evaluating the vehicle’s engineering, technology, design, safety, dynamics, performance, build quality and value.

“Motor Trend editors used our truck the way our customers do – by putting it through extremely tough tests,” said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development, “This award is so meaningful to us because it means so much to our customers,” he added. “Motor Trend Truck of the Year is one of the most recognized automotive awards by consumers, and Ford is extremely proud to receive it.”

“Motor Trend’s awards throughout the years are a validation of what has been the key to our success: listening to customers, anticipating their needs and providing them with innovative solutions and features before they ask for them,” said Matt O’Leary, F-150 chief engineer. “Our goal with each redesign is to top the last one, and we’re doing that with the 2009 F-150.”

F-Series is on track in 2008 to extend its streak of truck leadership to 32 straight years as well as being America’s best-selling vehicle — car, crossover; SUV, truck, or van – for the past 27 years.

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JEYKL & HYDE

the world is a funny place when honda pulls out of f1,suburu pulls out of the wrc,half of the car makers are going broke,the worlds economy is stalling,and low and behold a 3? ton truck with a 5.4 ltr v8 motor wins us truck of the year.i didn’t know that many americans towed a 24 ft caravan…
WVB

“ To earn the Motor Trend award, the 5.4-litre V8 powered F-150 bested its competitors in a series of rigorous tests evaluating the vehicle’s engineering, technology, design, safety, dynamics, performance, build quality and value.”

Mmmm, so their judging standards are still not that demanding when you consider the current plight the US auto industry is in revealing a long standing and tardy approach to all of these evaluation/design criteria.
I doubt this truck is all new as the DNA is likely to be unchanged.

With respect CA, ‘bested’??
see ‘surpassed’ or ‘out classed’
Richo

WVB – actually the main reason the big three american car companies are in so much trouble is that they are forced to pay roughly the equivilant of the australian old age pension to over 600,000 of their retired employees thats to the UAW union and the fact the US government basically forced the big three to sign up with them. But hey lets not let the facts get in the way of anything…
Frontman

And what’s more it actually is New all the way through. It surpassed even the latest offering from Toyota which is also ground up fairly new.
On top of that Ford NA has had to re start the second shift to catch up withthe orders. Two full shifts about 6 weeks behind in orders, Hmmm to bad the American Public don’t want these gass guzzling behemoths……………
Sam

Ford Australia have an award winning car in the Falcon but it doesn’t sell. Time will tell if Ford America can continue or if it will collapse under its own weight. It might be a nice truck but can it save them?
Martin

I think I would still go with a Ram.
davie

Whats the bet that with fuel pricing easing (at least for the moment), the yanks will start buying more of these pointless oversized death traps.
Dlr1

^^^ they cant help themselves. while november sales were down 30%, small car sales dropped 40-50%, mostly due to the cheaper fuel available ($2 gallon).
http://. Naughytius Maximus

How puzzling…..this is Car of Year. As long as that shtye happens Dearborn will still be entrenched to change design ethos as mostly world market is driven by USA look. What a useless FUGLY yuk looking car and how bizarre that it got an award…speaks volumes of apparent lack of taste which 99% of USA cars look like! Lets hope Ford stick to overseas design ethos to correct its appalling lack of sales!
realcars

Would love one if they weren’t such a silly price here.

Could go straight over the top of a Hilux.LOL.
http://. Naughytius Maximus

Hilux looks classier then your FUGLY affliction with this behometh REALCARS. Its like a lass…..I dont wanna be seen with average as not good and so it is with this FUGLY bigger then Ben Hur with more cupholders then all cars combined yank tank!
Howie-VL

“Build quality”

I wonder how it rated in that particualr area with that blue oval on the grill…
Adam (aka Mada)

Found out today that the Lexus rx330 suffers a ‘known’ quality problem, leaky sump gaskets…

Yeah, With the big T or L on the front, it certainly garentee’s quality doesn’t it.

The F-150 is a segment leader. Better than the Toyota tundra…yeah believe it!
j lite

i love how previous posts bag americans for buying “fugly pointless death traps” like this.

they seem to forget that as many truck’s or utes as we call them hear are sold in australia as the whole of europe
Geni

Thats true J Lite, but our utes are actually good, unlike most American ‘small trucks’. I was looking at the F-150 specs on the US site, and the bottom range engine available is a 4.2L 12 valve V6, which produces 202hp, or 150kw, and in the city consumes 17L/100km. Top of the range is the 5.4L V8 which produces 300hp or 230kw, and consumes 18.5L in the city, and thats with the ‘no-one can achieve it’ manufacturer listed consumption levels. I mean sure it can tow a small country behind it, but 150kw from 4.2L! Wow, its like the 70′s (before the oil shock). If Ford Oz can make a 4L engine produce 195kw when they produce like 50,000 a year, surely Ford US can throw a few bob into R&D on an engine that sells in the millions. And I’m not just picking on Ford, the other manufacturers are worse.
Marcus

Would be nice if you could get an American truck here for a reasonable price, they shiit all over the Jap light weight trucks
Andrew M

NM (and others that have it wrong),
please note as per the bold headline that this achieved “TRUCK” of the year, not car of the year.

Also NM, in what way is the F-150 useless??
sure it may be useless as a run about city car, but a light passenger car is also useless as something to tow a horse float for eg.

For the purpose this is designed for, its certainly not useless.

In a way you cant blame ford for still building these.
Did you see the stat at the bottom?? #1 selling anything for 27 years!!!
The first guy who went into the meeting and suggests they should can the countrys biggest seller would have been thrown in the looney bin.

Its the same with the commodore here in OZ. sure there may be a swing away from the commodore sized vehicles, but holden would be insane to discontinue it because its been OZ’s biggest seller for over a decade. Once again, a brave man that suggests discontinuing their main bread winner.
Andrew M

Geni,
I havent looked recently myself, but i would have to say you are wrong with your top of the range specs.

You seem to have only quoted the petrol engined variants.
Do they not still do the diesel donks??
would seem strange of they dropped the diesel range.

Do they not still do the 7.3L and other diesels??

you were also missing the important torque figures
Bill J

A vehicle is not “useless” simply because you personally don’t like it NM. Would it be fair to call one or more of the trendy “dinky toys” that are all the rage today useless because they cannot tow tow my 3 tonne van? It’s horses for courses and oh yeh, let’s not forget we all have a right to choose, at least for the time being.

On the vehicle itself I personally think the yanks are struggling in the style department as it does not have a wow factor that a truck of the year should have.
The story is that Ford will offer a 4.4L diesel in the F150 in 2010. I also hear that this engine is an enlarged version of that currently found in the Range Rover (3.6L)which by all reports is a ripper.

Why a half tonne truck need a bigger engine than a Rangie escapes me especially when we have utes like Hilux doing very nicely with 3L donks. Notwithstanding all I have said I think if they could get the quality and relaiability issues sorted (big ask I fear) it would sell well here. Even NM might like it if he drove it.
ricardo

is ford releasing the f150 in 2010 with v8 diesil and more importantly can we ever get our hands on an f150 raptor in this country for under 100k

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Ford F-150 takes out US Truck of the Year

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