By RICHARD WILLIAMSON
Scripps Howard News Service
2008-12-24 15:04:00 If we truly are headed for a second Great Depression, we're going to need a really good pickup.
The job-search vehicle that hauled the Joad family from Oklahoma to California in "The Grapes of Wrath" kept breaking down, probably because it was loaded way beyond capacity with a dozen kinfolk and had not received regular oil changes.
The kind of truck they were driving was never specified, but the movie was directed by a Ford -- John Ford.
While Tom Joad (as played by Henry Fonda) might have driven a pickup, it couldn't have been an F-Series. That model has only been around for six decades and has only been the best-selling vehicle of any kind for the past 31 years (best-selling truck for 42).
These days, another Okie is driving -- or pushing -- the F-Series. Country crooner Toby Keith, a mountain of a musician who bears no resemblance to Woody Guthrie or Tom Joad, belts out tunes such as "Ford Truck Man," earning the blue oval's sponsorship of his tours and a starring role in its commercials.
And how's this for irony? Keith's career path was altered in 1982 when Oklahoma crude hit the slippery slope and he had to quit the oil patch. In November, 2008, car and truck sales slowed to their lowest level since -- you guessed it -- 1982.
But maybe you're not into historical astrology. Maybe you are ready to buy the all-new F-Series that is now arriving in dealerships after a delay of two months, prompted by plummeting sales of pickups.
If you pick the F-150, you won't have to make apologies. The twelfth generation has a pile of honors, including Motor Trend magazine's Truck of the Year.
Built at Ford's Dearborn, Mich., Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo., the F-150 is a relative bright spot in an incredibly dreary market.
While other plants were idled by lack of demand, the Ford factories ramped up production with a second shift in Missouri and a third shift in Dearborn. In what passes for good news these days, Ford reported that truck sales fell "only" 19 percent in November.
With oil prices falling in a fashion remarkably reminiscent of 1982, fuel efficiency is not such a big concern if you have the scratch to buy one of these all-purpose pickups. Nonetheless, Ford poured a lot of engineering hours into reducing consumption.
The 2009 F-150 has a fleet-wide fuel economy improvement of 8 percent versus the 2008 model. For trucks equipped with the 5.4-liter V-8 engine, fuel economy improves by as much as 12 percent. At the same time, the new F-150 delivers class-leading towing capability of 11,300 pounds and hauling capacity of 3,030 pounds.
As always, the F-Series comes in more permutations than any truck on the market, with three cab configurations (regular, Super Cab, Super Crew Cab), rear or 4-wheel-drive, long or short bed and a choice of three V8 engines and six trim levels (XL, STX, XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, FX4, Platinum). The only option not available is manual transmission.
Prices range from $22,070 for the regular cab XL with a 4.6-liter, 16-valve, 248-horsepower V8 to $44,860 for the Super Crew Cab Platinum edition with a 300-horsepower V8.
Cosmetically, Ford polished the corners with a chamfered style and embellished the front end with its surprisingly attractive three-bar grille.
The sinews were toughened with a new high-strength, lighter-weight chassis designed for more horsepower, better fuel economy, safety, and additional towing and payload capacity.
The truck's fully boxed frame is constructed with hydro-formed and high strength steel side rails. The frame provides 10 percent more torsional rigidity, which translates to greater durability and safety. The new version of the pickup maintains class-leading towing and hauling capability across all cab configurations.
Ford's competitors are hanging tough as the dreaded 12th generation ramps up production. Consumers have absolutely no bad choices in this arena. The new F-150 competes with an all-new Dodge Ram, the Texas-built Toyota Tundra, the perennial runner-up Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra and the Nissan Titan.
With more than 1,000 engineers, designers, researchers and other experts developing the F-150, Ford was eager to hit the road, despite the hard times.
"Before we started working on the new truck, we continued the conversation with people who use these trucks every day for work and play," said Matt O'Leary, chief engineer of the 2009 F-150. "We went to their ranches, their job sites and their homes, making sure we crafted features that would improve their ownership experiences and, really, their lives."
WHAT'S NEW: All-new 12th generation of best-selling truck.
PLUSES: Options, power, capacity, comfort.
MINUSES: Fuel economy, price.
BOTTOM LINE: Still the top competition.
(E-mail Richard Williamson at motorfriend(at)sbcglobal.net)
Specifics for 2009 FORD F-150 SUPER CABTYPE: Rear-drive, full-size, four-door, five-passenger pickup.
PRICE: $25,670 base ($23,864 invoice).
WHERE BUILT: Dearborn, Mich., Claycomo, Mo.
KEY RIVALS: Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan.
POWER: 4.6-liter, 16-valve, SOHC, 248-horsepower V8 producing 294 foot-pounds torque; four-speed auto transmission.
FUEL ECONOMY: 14 city, 19 highway mpg; 26-gallon tank.
CHASSIS: Front coil-on-shock, long-spindle double wishbone independent front suspension with stamped steel lower control arm; rear Hotchkiss-type non-independent live, leaf springs and outboard shock absorbers; power rack-and-pinion steering; power disc brakes with ABS; 17-inch steel wheels; P235/70R17 tires.
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT: 219 x 78.9 x 74.4 inches.
WHEELBASE X TRACK: 133 x 67 inches.
CARGO BOX: 67 x 50 x 22.4 inches.
PAYLOAD: 1,610 pounds.
TOWING: 5,700 pounds.
CURB WEIGHT: 4,985 pounds.
STANDARD: Air conditioning, dual front/side/head-curtain air bags, engine immobilizer, exterior cargo lamp, tilt steering, split/folding rear seat, AM/FM/CD stereo, intermittent wipers, power accessories.
Richard Williamson writes about automobiles for Scripps Howard News Service.
