Review Ford F-150 – Trailer Boats’ March 2009 issue

We tested the all-new 2009 Ford F-150 pickup equipped with a three-valve 5.4L V-8 and six-speed auto transmission in Trailer Boats’ March 2009 issue (“Power Packed”), and it was impressive. We found it to offer abundant power, outstanding drivability and firmly planted handling.

Months later, however, we got to thinking that it might be interesting to see what this truck could do if it was packing one of the two available smaller 4.6L V-8 engines under its hood. To take the question a step farther, we went “old school” and had one delivered with the two-valve 4.6. Would it perform up to our expectations? Would it burn significantly less fuel? We had a lot of questions. Here’s what we discovered.

MUCH OF THE SAME

For all intents and purposes, you get the same truck when you order it with one of the smaller V-8 engines. It’s based on a fully boxed, hydro formed steel ladder-style frame, a double wishbone short- and long-arm independent front suspension with coil-over shocks with redesigned double ball-joint links for improved handling, and a leaf-spring suspended live rear axle with outboard-mounted shocks for improved roll stability.

AdvanceTrac with RSC (Roll Stability Control) systems are integrated into the four-channel, four-wheel ABS brakes to help keep the vehicle under control in skid or body roll scenarios.

All 2009 F-150s also come with the new Trailer Sway Control system, which is especially sensitive to yaw-type motions in the truck’s chassis, and can signal sway-dampening measures to the engine and brake system to help bring trailer sway under control.

The interior is the same basic design, although the 4×2 STX SuperCab model was far less dressed up than the 5.4-equipped SuperCrew we had before. And certainly the rear seat passengers in the SuperCab will be less comfortable than those who ride in the SuperCrew’s second row of seats.

All of the controls, dials and switches are easy to reach and manipulate. In general, visibility around the truck from the driver’s seat is good, although the large headrests on the front seats block the driver’s over-the-left-shoulder view through the driver-side rear passenger door window on the SuperCab model.