2009 Ford F-150 Review
Molly Wood: Now there’s lot of reasons you might decide that you need a Ford
F150. Maybe you’re a contractor, you got a couple of horses like
Bailey here. But even if you’re buying this truck to put groceries in
the back, there’s no reason to travel like a low dyke. The F150 is,
after all, Jack Bauer's truck. I'm Molly Wood from CNET.com.
Brian Cooley told me I could get inside and check the tech on the
2009 Ford F150.
Now through thick and thin, the Ford F150 is the bestselling car in
America. No gas prices seem to be able to change that. For 2009,
this truck gets a minor redesign. It's a little swoopier. There’s a lot
more chrome on the front and up close, this truck is gigantic.
Luckily, getting in and out has helped a lot by these optional box
sidesteps. There’s also this optional tailgate step here, and then
there’s even a handrail to help you climb up into the back here.
Now, Brian Cooley tells me that this is getting a reputation that's
kind of a sissy thing.
The sissy system will cost you around $350.00, so you might want
to think about just getting up into your truck like a man. Now, the
F-series is available in about a million different configurations.
We're driving a 4 x 2 Lauriat edition super crew, which means it
seats five, and it's got four doors. I do have one little nitpick,
though. Actually, it's a pretty big nitpick. How is this considered
an acceptable key fob in this day and age and especially for a truck
with this much tech in it? At least make it part of the key, the first
thing you notice when you get in this truck is that the cabin is
incredibly luxurious.
There are these wood touches. There are nice, big leather captain's
chairs. And then check out this center console, which is big enough
for not one, but two laptops. Now, the second thing you notice in
the cab is this command and control center right here. I know this
car can do a lot of things, but you could probably knock a house
while you were trying to find the right button. There’s an optional
rearview camera on this truck, and it actually displays right up here
on the mirror. It also includes a proximity sensor which you’re
going to need.
Now, the F150 Lauriat that we drove comes standard with possibly
the biggest reason to buy a Ford, Ford's Sync. You're probably
already familiar with this Microsoft-powered system.
It basically lets you connect any Bluetooth phone or media player
using USB or an auxiliary input, and then control the whole thing
with a series of voice commands.
Female: Line in. Please say a command.
The stereo system on our car was an upgraded Sony unit with a
six-disc changer that does support mp3 playback. Another high-
tech option on this car is the Ford work solutions. It's a suite of
options that include internet access, a dashboard monitor, a
wireless keyboard and pointing device, and this truck supports log
me in for remote access to your PC or Mac. Plus, it support RFID
tool tracking like I said, Jack Bauer's truck. We've got a 5.4 liter
V8 engine with 310 horsepower. It's all controlled by a six-speed
automatic here.
This engine delivers plenty of power for passing but I found the
pick up a little bit sluggish, and the shifting was a little on the slow
side. It almost feels like it could use a little bit more power than it
has. Gas mileage on the F150 is rated at 14/20. We averaged about
15 miles to the gallon, which is not a feel-good number. Once you
get over the power issues, the Ford F150 is a dream to drive. The
cabin stays incredibly quiet, which is great for using Sync, and
especially for those Bluetooth calls.
You don't find yourself yelling like a weirdo. It's also incredibly
easy to drive. The steering is super simple, and this is the type of
truck that just makes you want to mosey. It's definitely not speedy,
but you just sort of poke along, and since you take up so much of
the road, it's not like anyone's going to rush you.
Now, the base price on our Lauriat edition F150 was $34,800.00
throwing about another $400.00 for the upgraded Sony CD system,
$500.00 for the chrome step bar, another $800.00 for the Lauriat
plus package, which includes that backup camera and rear sensor,
and $900.00 for these leather captain's chairs. With a few other
extras all in, our car ran us $38,900.00 with about $1000.00
destination fee.
Now, I want to thank the folks at Redwood Ranch in Oakland,
California for loaning us their horse. This is the kind of place that
me and my favorite truck here feel right at home. For CNET.com,
I'm Molly Wood.
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