2009 Ford F-150

The seats are generally more comfortable, front and rear, and rear legroom has been increased. To carry more cargo, it's possible to fold up the rear seats and slide in something as big as a 52-inch flat screen TV.

The first Ford pickup was launched in 1948, the half-ton F-1. That morphed into the F-100 in 1953, and into the F-150 in 1975. Since then, the F-150 has changed suspension designs, cab configurations and engine options many times. Along the way, it became the best selling pickup in America, and the largest-selling automotive commodity in the world. More than 33 million have been sold since that first truck in 1948.
For 2009, Ford is remaking the F-150 yet again. In its last iteration, the F-150 took on the form of a personal use pickup, with a significant number of buyers who never use the truck for work or off-road travel.  This time, Ford is aiming at satisfying core customers first - those who expect a pickup truck to deliver more capability, solid reliability, and new features that will make their new truck worth the investment.
First and foremost, Ford wanted improved towing capacity and payload numbers for their new truck. They now have a half-ton pickup that can offer towing capacity as high as 11,300 pounds in some models, and carry as much as 3030 pounds in the bed. These are bordering on one-ton pickup numbers, which makes the F-150 a possible substitute for buyers who might have had to go with Super Duty F-250s or F-350s in the past. These better payload capacities mean that commercial and fleet buyers can get good enough performance without paying Super Duty prices and Super Duty operating costs.

Better MPG

The rear leaf springs are six inches longer and use this swivel hanger at the rear mounting point.  Sticking with leaf springs allowed Ford to increase towing and hauling capacity up to 11,300 pounds towing and a 3030-pound payload.

Better fuel economy was another high priority for the 2009 F-150. Because of new engines and a new 6-speed transmission - plus other tweaks - the new version averages 8 percent better fuel economy across the entire line. The three available engines are smaller V-8s that sip less gas than the competition's bigger mills, and uses more high-strength steel to weigh in about 110 pounds lighter. Careful aerodynamic improvements have yielded a slipperier body and reduced wind noise, even though the front of the truck is taller by 4 inches. Taller axle ratios, ranging from 3:15:1 up to 3.73:1, are designed for better fuel mileage. That gearing tradeoff is compensated for by using very low first gear ratios (4.17:1) in the six-speed transmission, designed to get even the heaviest loads rolling with part throttle.
Ford has even developed a high-mileage package, the SFE, for "Super Fuel Economy". The package combines the 4.6-liter, 3-valve V-8 with six-speed automatic, and a 3.15:1 rear end ratio to achieve an EPA rating of 15 mpg city and 21 highway. The package comes with low-rolling-resistance P265/60R18 tires on chrome-clad 18-inch wheels. It's available only in 2WD, Super Crew trim with a 5.5-foot bed.

Engine Lineup

The new F-150 has much better mileage numbers than the '08 truck, ranging from 8% to 12% improvement, depending on the model and engine.  The "Super Fuel Economy" package shown here includes a 4.6-liter V-8, six-speed transmission, and 3.15-to-one rear end ratio to achieve a 15 mpg City and 21 mpg Highway efficiency.

The biggest engine is the 5.4 Triton V-8, a 3-valve DOHC powerplant that makes up to 320 horsepower at 5000 rpm, and 390 lb/ft of torque, at 3500 rpm. That's a little less than the biggest engine in the Tundra, Ram or Silverado, but with the six-speed doing much of the work, the F-150 holds up well in everyday driving. Ford tells us the 5.4 now will deliver 12 percent better mileage in most configurations.
The base engine is the 4.6 2-valve V-8, which makes 248 hp at 4700 rpm and 294 lb/ft of torque at 4000 rpm. It's available only with the 4R75E 4-speed automatic. Plans for a high-mileage diesel have been put off in favor of the Eco-Boost engine, a turbocharged direct-injection V-6 that will be shared with some cars in the 2010 model year.

Towing

In mud, the FX4 version of the F-150 worked well, especially with the Eaton e-locker clicked in. The 4WD system is a dash pushbutton type, rather innocuous, but it shifted in and out of 4-Lo and 4-Hi instantly upon demand.

During a towing test in which 7000-lb trailers were hauled uphill, we felt the smaller 5.3 V-8 worked a little harder than the competition, but it held the same towing speeds as the others. Plus, the towing mirrors, electronic anti-sway control, and built-in trailer brake controller made the F-150 a secure towing platform we could have confidence in. The tow/haul mode on the 6-speed really put power to the ground on uphills, and kicked down nicely on long downhill stretches to help save the brakes.

Off-road
Our favorite test, by far, was the off-road course. Ford has an extensive network of paths and trails inside the heavily forested proving grounds, which include some hilly terrain and standing water. It was raining the day we went out, and the trail quickly became greasy with wet fallen leaves and slick black midwestern mud. Mud bog sections, prepared the day before, got deeper as the day went on. We took out one of the FX4 models, which includes systems and features that make it, according to Ford, "The most capable factory equipped off-road half-ton." 
The FX4 package includes an electronic locking rear differential made by Eaton that engages smoothly on the fly via an electromagnetic dog clutch with only 4 moving parts. It's integrated with the electronic traction control (Advance Trac) and can be used in either 4-lo or 4-hi. We needed it that day, because some of the mud was really deep, requiring lots of throttle and judicious use of momentum to get through sections about 100 feet long. We were impressed with how seamlessly the transfer case moved in and out of low range, high range and 2WD, and how quickly the locker clicked in and out. We were told the e-locker would stay engaged at speeds up to 56 mph in 4-lo, and 25 mph in 4-hi.

We also drove the Platinum Edition, the luxury version of the F-150. Although Ford is expecting fewer "image" buyers and more work-driven customers, this Platinum edition offers luxury features like power running boards, wood grain interior accents and 20-inch, 16-spoke chrome wheels for those who want it. The high-end King Ranch edition will also be offered.

Another impressive feature was transmission braking on steep downhill sections, where the 6-speed automatic, in low range/low gear, eased the truck downward exactly the way we wanted it to - slow and steady. We never had to touch the brakes. Gearing is another strong suit. With the transfer case offering 2.64:1 low range and 3.73 gears in the axles, the crawl ratio pencils out to 41.06. With that kind of gearing, it's easy to crawl around, uphill and down, with complete control. Combine that with the kind of grip that comes from a rear locker and traction control, the F-150 does really well anywhere it will fit.
Ground clearance varies with bed size. The SuperCab FX4 package ground clearance with the 5.5-foot box is 9.8 inches; the 6.5-foot box has 8.7 inches. SuperCrew FX4 ground clearance with the 5.5-foot box is 9.0 inches, with 6.5-foot box that jumps to 9.9 inches. And it's possible to get a full 10 inches of ground clearance by combining an 8-foot box SuperCab with the FX4 package. During our drive, we came to several sharp humps that looked like a sure high-center situation, but no, we eased across all of it without even scraping. The  package also includes front axle, transfer case and fuel tank skid plates, and shocks tuned for greater compliance. Larger P235/75R17 tires are available as an option.
Ford engineers also advised us that the new F-150 suspension includes a rear leaf spring that is 6 inches longer than the prior model, yielding an 8 percent improved RTI. It's attached using a swivel-mounted rear leaf spring hanger that moves backward as the spring lengthens, helping the spring flex and maintain proper geometry throughout its range of travel.
In fact, in order to get more cab room, and still maintain standard bed sizes, the wheelbase and overall length has been increased by 6 inches.

More Space Inside

The new frame is somewhat lighter than previous models, thanks to greater use of high-strength steel. It is fully boxed and designed to be a very stiff platform to improve ride quality and dynamic handling under load.

Much of that added length translates into legroom for SuperCrew rear seat passengers. Also, using the rear seat area as a cargo space becomes much easier because the rear door opens 87 degrees wide.
We've always liked Ford interiors, and the new interior is the most appealing yet. Most noticeable are the new seats, which we liked the moment we planted our butt in them, but the cabin as a whole is nicely designed and especially well appointed in the higher trim levels. It's also conspicuously quiet. Wind noise is practically eliminated at speeds below 60 mph, and road noise and vibration have been reduced as well. Using tricks like changing the motor mounts so the engine can idle at just 525 rpm without vibration cuts down on noise, and saves fuel as well. With the cabin much quieter than before, an optional Sony audio system can really be heard and appreciated.

Extensive wind tunnel testing lead to a truck with a coefficient of drag of just .403, very low for a pickup, especially considering it is 4 inches taller for 2009. The tailgate spoiler shown here is part of the R&D that lead to less wind noise and better mileage.

Ford has made some changes in the handling department, most notably improving steering - which makes the wheel feel light at low speeds, when parking, but firm and progressive at higher speeds. Very little vibration comes through to the wheel on pavement. Brakes are 4-wheel discs, and traction control and anti-roll control are standard safety upgrades.

Prices
Prices are designed so that, as Chief Engineer Matt O'Leary says, "Buyers will see real value."  The Lariat SuperCrew is sticker priced at about $35,820, including destination charge of $975. Base price for the XL Regular Cab starts at $21,320, and the XLT SuperCab starts at $29,160. The FX4 edition we tested starts at $34,605 and had options bringing the price up to $38,315.