2009 Ford F-150 toughs out economy

Pickup's massive towing ability, top-of-the-line features keep it popular

Sep 12, 2009

Special to the Star

After a five-year run at the top, Ford's F-Series pickup was abruptly replaced in 2008 as Canada's best-selling new vehicle by the smaller, less expensive and more economical Honda Civic.

You can blame last year's meteoric spike in fuel prices, the poor economy or the public's concern for the environment, but it seems the general consensus at the time was that big and "feulish" vehicles were finally done like dinosaurs. Mean and green was the future. Right?

Apparently not.

Canadian Civic sales were down by almost 22 per cent after the first seven months of 2009. F-150 sales, on the other hand, soared by nearly 65 per cent, making the pickup once again the best-selling vehicle in the country.

It doesn't hurt that the return to (relatively) cheap gas has helped ease the pain of owning a large vehicle like the Ford pickup.

So has the fact that the automaker's two chief segment rivals – General Motors with its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, and Chrysler with its Dodge Ram – have been battling a public relations nightmare with the one-two punch of taking billions in government bailout money and going through bankruptcy in the U.S.

You also have to give Ford respect for having the foresight to see where the pickup market was headed. Despite the bump in sales, the days of selling almost 800,000 F-Series vehicles annually in North America are long gone.

Many of those recreational weekend warriors and urban cowboys (who didn't need the cargo nor towing capabilities of a full-size truck, but liked the lifestyle statement) have realized that owning a full-size pickup (with the associated fuel bills, urban parking hassles and relatively unrefined driving experience) as personal transportation, has become impractical.

Conceding that many of those personal-use customers aren't coming back to the fold any time soon, Ford pushed the refreshed-for-2009 F-150 as the "ultimate work truck," with a host of plumber- and electrician-friendly features.

So despite our 2009 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercrew Lariat tester costing nearly $55,000 (F-150 Supercrews start at $32,065) and loaded with luxury car goodies like heated 10-way powered leather and cooled captain chairs, navigation system and a very car-like console automatic transmission shifter, the big truck can also tow up to 4,354 kg, or almost a quartet of Civics.

A class-1 integrated trailer brake has also been handed down from the big brother F-Series Super Duty.

One of the main reasons you would buy this vehicle, say over an SUV, is its open bed.

With the Supercrew's 398.8 cm (157-inch) wheelbase and 8-foot bed, you can throw up to 680 kg in the back. And Ford has come up with a couple of better ways to get at it.

A $300 integrated tailgate step (that Chevy mocked in its TV ads as too effeminate) comes out from within the tailgate and folds down for you to climb on.

There's also a nifty $300 box side step. It hides under the F-150's bed wall in front of the rear wheel and is activated with a push of your foot.

All very handy if you're in and out of the bed all day long. But what's the F-150 Supercrew like as a daily driver?

One of the most luxurious features of our tester was its roomy interior. The back seat area is so tall and wide – and about 160 mm longer than in the outgoing F-150 – we considered putting up a basketball net for the kids.

And if you want a tall, enclosed storage area, simply lift up the back seats: Ford has added a completely flat-load floor for this year.

Highway ride is excellent. Ford has mounted the rear shocks on the outside of the traditional leaf springs, which helps the F-150 stay cool, calm and collected over bombed-out Ontario roads.

Mated to a smooth-shifting six-speed autobox, the Supercrew Lariat's carryover 5.4-litre has been refined for more power, now rated at 310 hp and 365 lb.-ft. of torque.

Still, a $50,248 Toyota Tundra 4x4 Crewmax Limited with its 381 hp, 5.7 L V8 (rated similarly to the Ford at 16.6 L/100 km city and 11.7 L hwy., or 17 and 24 m.p.g., respectively) scoots from 0-to-100 km/h in less than seven seconds – about 1.5 seconds faster than the Ford.

So "for a truck," the F-150 rides pretty nice around hill and dale.

Trouble is, after a week of general urban errand running (getting groceries, picking up and dropping off the offspring, drive-throughs, etc.), it still really doesn't make much sense to drive a full-size truck, if you never intend to use its mammoth capabilities.

Like navigating an ocean liner in a bathtub, you're constantly reminded of the F-150's length and girth if you live in the city.

Negotiating urban traffic and parking can only be an adventure in a vehicle that's almost 6.5 metres long – the longest F-150 around.

After a while, you end up hoping drivers in smaller vehicles get the hint and stay the hell out of your way.

So the current best-selling vehicle in Canada stinks as daily transportation. No news there.

But if you plan on using the F-150 for its hauling, towing capabilities, or as a way to make money as a tradesman or farmer – and the price of fuel doesn't skyrocket again – Ford's 50-plus years of experience has resulted in a truly capable truck.

Toronto Star