Ford F-150 is the Motor Trend Truck of the Year
For the fourth time in its long and storied career, the Ford F-150 has been named Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year. It’s a fitting honor for a pickup that’s well on its way to its 35th straight year as the best-selling truck in the country, with more than 500,000 units sold through the end of November.
“The 2012 F-150 is a no-compromise solution that can be tailored to fit virtually every customer’s needs, and the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award further reinforces that this is truly the best choice for America’s truck owners,” said Mark Fields, Ford president of The Americas. “We are proud to receive this award and even more pleased that our F-150 customers have additional validation of their top choice.”
A perfect example of its ability to meet owner preferences? The 2012 F-150 is available with four different powertrains, offering a mix of best-in-class fuel-economy and best-in-class capabilities.
Among standard V6s, the F-150’s 3.7-liter engine with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) delivers 302 hp, 278 lb.-ft. of torque, 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway and a 6,100-lb. max tow rating—marks none of the competition can beat.
Its 5.0-liter V8 with Ti-VCT and double-overhead cams (DOHC) boasts best-in-class power—360 hp and 380 lb.-ft. of torque—as well as a best-in-class max tow rating of 10,000 lbs., an unsurpassed 15 mpg city, and 21 mpg highway.
The big 6.2-liter single-overhead cam (SOHC) V8 pours out 411 hp , 434 lb.-ft. of torque and 11,300 lbs. worth of max tow rating, again, all best-in-class figures.
Topping all expectations, the available 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 with Ti-VCT—now responsible for some 40 percent of all F-150 retail sales—showcases 420 lb.-ft. of torque, more than all V6 and premium V8 competitors; 365 hp, available at 5,000 rpm using regular fuel; and best-in-class max tow and payload ratings of 11,300 lbs. and 3,120 lbs., respectively. And best of all, the F-150 EcoBoost delivers all that while still achieving 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway.
And for 2012, Ford has fine-tuned the F-150 even further, adding a new two-speed automatic 4X4 system that improves all-weather traction in the Lariat, King Ranch, Harley-Davidson and Platinum models; a 36-gallon fuel-tank that offers a best-in-class 756-mile highway driving range on the F-150 EcoBoost 4X4; and Hill Start Assist, to help keep the F-150 from rolling backward when stopped, especially on a hill or incline.
All of which helps explain why Motor Trend editors wrote that: “F-150s are built to work and felt better the more they were challenged. Ford offers an enormous variety of configurations and designs, making the truck tailorable to just about any need. It’s the combination of advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value, and the performance of intended function that has earned the Ford F-150 the title of Motor Trend’s 2012 Truck of the Year.”
The Ford F-150 was previously named Motor Trend Truck of the Year in 1997, 2004 and 2009, and has won the honor more times than any other truck in America.