Ford F-150 named Motor Trend 2012 Truck of the Year - Yahoo! Autos

 

All I gotta say is...duh?

 

 

partaketh of the ecoboost koolaid, 2012 fx4 supercab max tow on order, complete with side box steps and tailgate step with lux pkg!

 

Advertiser of the year. Congrats. That award is crap. Motor Trend lost all clout with me many moons ago.
Case in point, the truck is basically unchanged since 09 so it should have been the truck of the year for the last 4 years in theory. They just draw a name out of a hat.
Not bashing the trucks, just bashing M/T.
Much like darn near every car/truck advertised on TV is a "Top Safety Pick" Even the Toyota's that were running away and killing people.

 

We wrote up a little article about the big award...

Motor Trend Makes the Right Choice: Ford F150 is the 2012 Truck of the Year .: Articles

Motor Trend seems to have really been blown away by the EcoBoost. Though it wasn't new for 2012, the EcoBoost is still a major difference between this F150 and the one that won in 2009.

In the video of the testing, one of Motor Trend's editors even wonders out loud why Ford continues to sell the V8 when the V6 EcoBoost is such a game changer.

 

To the guy who wonders why hasn't the F-150 won every year? I almost got one in '09, went down to the dealer (cash in hand) checked out a new '09 at the time and was blown away with the ride & drive, seats, overall interior, the space in the super crew etc... it was when I got on the freeway and put my foot into it. There was seriously now power at all from the 5.4L IMO. I remember the salesman saying if you don't buy one from us today, you will in a few years as Ford is working on more powerful engines for this truck.

Fast forward to 2011 and I now own an '11 5.0L. IMO the truck is a completely different animal with the Coyote under the hood .Vs the old 5.4L & 4.6L engines.

As far as why they still make the 5.0L? Probably because of percieved reliability (Yes I've seen the torture test etc..) But at the end of the day Ford still knows there are a lot of loyal blue oval customers that are still on the fence with owning a truck with a turbo motor, let alone two of them.

My goal is to keep this truck for a long time, possibly hand it down to my sons if it doesn't require a mortgage to fuel it by then. One thing I know is that the Coyote V8 will still be running strong by then. I personally don't see any 12-15 year old "turbo" cars on the road in my area anymore in running condition and that scares me. Yes I am aware of newer turbo engines are built better. But even still I might sit on the sidelines for 4-5 years before moving on to an "EcoBoost" I've also always been a fan of normally aspirated power as opposed to forced. But thank God this is America and we still have the choice

 

It's pretty clear that the new engines gave Ford the edge this time. They went from Ram HD to Silverado HD back to the F-150. The Superduty as nice as it is will never be a contender until Ford makes a complete rebuild of the truck.

 

I share the same sentiments as the other commenter who questions Motor Trends award system...I mean during the early/mid 2000's there was a point where they awarded the same truck (Chevy Silverado) their (Truck of the year award) like 4 times in a row...I mean seriously...You can only offer the SAME truck the SAME award so many times before people start to question your integrity and legitimacy. And one look at the mix and match vehicles the F-150 had to compete against in this years competition makes me futher question them. A 1-ton dually, a Van, and a Compact competing with 1/2 ton's? Makes no sense, all of those trucks were built with different idea's of usage in mind, so comparing which one is the fastest, or which one tow's the best seem's meaningless. None of this is to say that I think the F-150 is undeserving of its award...I'm glad it won, and I personally do beleive that it is infact the best 1/2 ton on the market today. So yes I'm glad that it was crowned Truck of the year.

And with that said, I suppose they still offer the 5.0L for guys like me...I personally had a chance to test drive all four engine offerings for the 2011+ F-150's very early on (Around Novembrish of last year I beleive). And from that test drive alone I had pretty much decided that the 5.0L was the engine for me. I liked its power deleivery and its rumbly growl. The Ecoboost offered every bit the power the 5.0L has, but I just didn't feel enthralled while driving it. In truth I probably would have shot for the 6.2L had it been offered in the FX4 Supercab trim level that I wanted...But I wasn't going to plunk down an extra ten grand just to get an engine and I wanted a Supercab, not a Crew Cab. In the end I feel the 5.0L was the more practical choice as it offers decent fuel econmy and more power than I'll ever need, while still giving me that tingle when I hear that exhaust rumble while accelerating onto the freeway.

And I am by NO MEANS bashing the Ecoboost when I say this...But I agree with your observation. I have seen the torture test videos and I have no doubt that Turbo gas engines are built much better today than they were 25 years ago. But I honestly never do see an old Turbo gas powered cars in working order...Well, I have, but its very rare. Not saying this is the Ecoboost's destiny, but I won't be totally convinced of its overall durability for at least five or six years down the road and I get to see one that has been driven and worked just as hard as any five or six year old 5.4L/4.6L V8. I plan to keep my F-150 for many many years...And in the end I just trusted the 5.0L more. And I hope to see the 5.0L and engines like it live long into the future (Next to) engines like the Ecoboost.

 

I'm not getting defensive here but I would like to change the perspective a little.

I fully agree that past turbo / supercharged gas vehicles of yesteryear had the potential for major issues and are for the most part extinct with some exceptions. I will ask this: How many 403 CID Trans Am's still exist today? How many 2.8L V-6 Mustangs still exist today?

My point being, what percentage of turbo/SC cars were built to the volumes of N/A cars?

Two decades ago lubricants weren't as good. The ability to cool and lubricate the turbos hadn't evolved like the Ecoboost has. Far be it for me to say that the ecoboost won't have issues. The turbos themselves may never fail but valves, wastegates and other things that allow the turbo to function could fail. Who am I to say, these fantastic little engines are too young to tell.

I pray that anyone of us who dipped our toes in the water and bought one of the four new engines don't any issues what so ever.

I am a bit disappointed in the overall write up. I had my heart set on a 5.0L F-150 when the ecoboost dropped in my lap. The 5.0L totally intrigued me as well with it's power, sound, responsiveness and just the plain fact that it's a Mustang engine.

I think that until V-8's become extinct, there will always be a place for the 5.0L.

 

You do realize every single one of those cases was proven to be operator error, right? There was no actual fault with any of the Toyota's - it was simply people slamming the gas pedal instead of the brake.

"Beige bites back" comes to mind.

 

M/T Truck of the Year Award based on new trucks to the market, or for trucks introduced prior years that now have significant changes.

2009/2010 F150 essentially the same, 2011 F150 has significant changes.

At least M/T didn't rate the Honda Ridgeline as the best overall truck like Consumer Reports did.

November 13, 2010: FoMoCo offered comparo test drives of 2011: F150, Ram, Chevy Silverado (no GMC, Titan or Tundra) at AutoClub Speedway in Fontana CA

IB Adrian (former Ford engineer in Australia) arranged for FTE SoCal Chapter members to participate.

The event was not held on the track, but in one of the parking lots. FoMoCo passed out F150 hats and some other do-dad (forget what it was).

 

Not all of them were floormat issues, or driver error. There were legitimate drive by wire glitches that were covered up before it made headline news. The Tundra had the issue dating back to the 2007 model. The mere fact that they tried to cover up any of it should have them banned from the states. They got off with a slap on the wrist just like Lindsey Lohan always does. Very unacceptable business practices.

 

I understand your not getting defensive here and I totally respect your point of veiw. I'll admit...I have a special place in my heart for V8 engines a place that no V6 or I4 or even V-10 or V-12 can ever touch. But I do respect the Ecoboost, I've seen whats its capable of and have experienced it myself to some degree. I can't help but be skeptical of it...And I want everyone who reads this to know that I am not out trash talk the Ecoboost. I've just been raised in a time perioud where V8 engines were THE premier engines for horsepower and torque, and now with the Ecoboost on the scene I can't help my skepticisim. Its not so much that I feel threatend by the Ecoboost itself...But I what I fear most is losing the power of choice. If I go to buy a new F-150 in 25 years...Will I still have the option to get a V8 engine? Or will it just be V6's and I4'?...Will there even be V6's as options at that time?....I know these are questions that can't be anwserd at this time...But, none the less....The fear of losing choice and options does disturb me more than anything.

As I said, I'll always be a V8 guy, and as long as I'm given the choice I'll more than most likely opt for the V8 over the V6. But I guess that's just part of who I am.

 

There's only ONE reason I won't get the EcoBoost, and that is that it's not available in the configuration I want, a short-bed regular cab. If it were, it would be a slam-dunk, with the 5.0 a VERY close second. Oh well......