New cars: Ford F-150

Car and Driver

“Right car, wrong decade.” Somebody should call the vet, because this is one very sick cash cow. The 2009 edition of the Ford F-150 comes in seven flavors, from the base XL to the top-dog Platinum model with a $44,860 price tag. Ford aimed at “rolling plushness,” and the F-150 delivers with improvements in nearly every area. But “will anything get pickup buyers back inside the tent?”

Motor Trend

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Ford’s “Baskin-Robbins approach to truck building” may not help the company now that the economy’s on a crash diet. Seven trim packages, three types of grilles, three cab configurations, three bed boxes, and three engine choices translate into 60 possible packages. Just around the corner are EcoBoost (“a V6 with V8 power”) and a new diesel.

Autoweek

The F-150’s smooth ride over washboard road surfaces is its “most impressive im-provement.” Passengers remain “remarkably isolated” from road noises. Other pluses include more rear-seat legroom, increased interior cargo capacity, and fold-up second-row seats that reveal a flat-load floor and 57.6 cubic feet of storage space. MP3 players, mobile telephones, and other entertainment options are all voice-controlled.