Behold! The top-selling vehicle in the U.S. is, again, the Ford F-150 pickup.
In fact, the F-150 has been the best-seller since way back in 1977, when Jimmy Carter was in the White House and France conducted its final execution by guillotine.
You see, Ford owners tend to be loyal to the blue oval, just as Chevy owners won’t even fish around a Ford lot. It’s a loyalty that other companies can only dream about, and most analysts think Ford will retain the title this year.
For the 2011 model year, Ford has introduced new engines: two turbocharged diesels and a 6.2 liter gas V-8, for those who need maximum towing capacity and cargo hauling.
The top-of-the-line diesel has bragging rights to 735 pound-feet of torque at 1,600 rpm. Ford says it’s good for 390 horsepower at 2,800 rpm. There are also new six-cylinder power plants in the lineup and the 5-liter V-8 that was installed in the test truck.
That V-8 produces 360 horsepower at 5,500 rpm with 380 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. It was tied to a six-speed automatic and the entire thing was rated at 14-19 miles per gallon of regular gas. I racked up 18.5 mpg in mostly country driving. In such a heavy vehicle, 5,105 pounds curb weight, the 5-liter would be my base engine if I ever intended to pull a trailer or haul heavy cargo. Maximum payload capacity was just over 2,000 pounds in the 6-foot bed.
Around town, you are aware that you are not driving a small vehicle. The handling is ponderous with very little feedback. Visibility was excellent to all corners, and there was a small TV camera view on the left half of the inside rear-view mirror to aid back-up moves. The test truck lacked a navigation system that might have moved the rear view to a larger viewing screen. Nor was there a satellite radio, two curiously missing items on a premium-priced truck.
Elsewhere inside, there was more than enough space to the rear for two or three adults and the amount of room for two in the front was absolutely limo-like. Step-up height was a bit much for some shorter-legged adults, since this was a 4X4, but it was offset by steps under the doors.
On the interstate, the truck was church-mouse quiet. In fact, I think it would beat some luxury cars in suppression of road and wind noise.
Big outside rear-view mirrors were a nice touch, as were the multiple adjustments for steering wheel and driver’s seat.
Ford turned the instrument panel into an easy-to-read device with white numbers on a black background. An information panel is part of it and will give the driver a variety of readouts. Mileage, trailer-towing details and offroad info are all there with the aid of the owner’s manual.
All in all, it is easy to get to like the F-150. It will make long trips with ease, and in the test trim would even look at home at the country club. Contractors and construction crews, even the boss man, won’t need most of the $4,760 in options on the test vehicle. Those who have the cash can purchase a large java before spending the good part of an afternoon building their new truck just the way they want by going over Ford’s very long list of options.
The bottom line on the test truck came to $40,130, and it would not be hard to exceed that figure adding sat radio and navi. The truck is comfy, spacious, will haul a lot, look good around town and swallow gas like it was New Year’s Champagne.
While Chevrolet and Dodge will put up a good fight, the majority has spoken, and the choice of Ford as No. 1 is a good one.
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