Introduction: The Ford F-150 is easily Ford's best selling vehicle of all time. This truck has managed to break sales records and often dominate sales charts for the world despite selling a enormous amount mostly for North America. The F-150 spans from 12 generations with the earliest truck produced from 1948. The only time the F-150 fell in sales was during the high oil prices during 2007-2008 where the Toyota Camry finally managed to beat the F-150 on a few monthly sales numbers when it normally dominated. Lately the GMC Sierra and the Chevrolet Silverado combined has also taken the #1 spot for pickup trucks, on their own the F-150 still leads in sales. With oil prices down from record highs, its unknown whether the F-series can still dominate sales like it once did now that Ford has redesigned it.
By the time I got to drive the F-150 I've driven the two Rams and the Sierra meaning it was down to Ford to show whether it was still capable of competing in this lucrative segment. Seeing as how both the new Ram and the Sierra are good, I wanted to see if the F-150 was even better.
Performance: The F-150 has 4 engine choices to choose from. Between two 4.7L V8s or two 5.4L V8s. The truck I drove had the 5.4L V8 capable not capable of taking the E85. This engine produces 310 hp and 365 lb.ft of torque. Acceleration numbers for the F-150 are about 8 seconds for a 0-100 km/h run. The V8 powers the F-150 pretty well but definitely not as well as the 2009 Ram with the Hemi V8. Still the engine is a rather pleasant one and at first it doesn't seem apparent its a powerful V8 as it cruises rather quietly. A pretty relaxing engine.
My Score: 8/10 - Good power, very quiet, reasonable fuel economy its just not as excellent as the Ram's Hemi V8.
Handling: The big trucks are often a surprise as I have a hard time believing they drive so easy. The F-150 isn't much different from this aspect as I found it pretty easy to drive despite its massive size compared to many cars and even SUVs. I was even more surprised at how calm it handled bumps while not really sacrificing cornering ability. Steering is rather precise, just the way I like it and just for that reason I think its one of the better trucks when it comes to agility.
My Score: 9/10 - Really easy to drive, handles good for a truck and rides pretty comfortably.
Interior: This is normally an area where pickup trucks often put very little effort into however with GM taking the initiative to produce a good pickup truck interior this forced both Ford and Dodge to come up with better interiors. The Ford interior is in my mind...pretty good. It doesn't have the same problems as Dodge did when it came to the plastics. The interior is very user friendly and the materials are of good quality. The dash is simple and visibility is as good as any truck. The build quality on the F-150 is probably the best of the American trucks which is better than what it used to be. The F-150 is assembled in Dearborn, Michigan in the United States where Ford's HQ is located.
My Score: 10/10 - A good pickup truck interior, can't actually find anything wrong with it.
Styling: The F-150 once had a simple look, rather generic for a truck. With Ford embracing its tri-bar grille, the F-150 now uses it as well. It turns out it wasn't as bad as I was thinking although it does now look a bit too similar to the GMC Sierra. The headlights are of a unique shape and if the grille is chrome it does stand out, the black plastic grille in my mind doesn't look good.
My Score: 7/10 - Still prefer both the GM and the Dodge trucks in style but the F-150 isn't bad.
Value for money: Much of the F-150 is very good and its in a very competitive, lucrative market. In all honesty due to how good all the trucks are it all comes down to style and preference and the F-150 in my mind is the best all rounder. Its not the very best in most areas but its probably the best when you take several things into account. Still its very difficult to go wrong with any of the American trucks.
My Score: 8/10 - Very competitive, plainly down to what's the right truck for you?
Overall: 44/50 - Ford has proven its not ready to give up on pickup trucks
What I like the most about the Ford F-150 is the fact that it's customizable with so many seating options and trims available. You can buy an affordable F150 or a top of the line one with all the bells and whistles. Ford F-150 Dallas
ReplyDelete