Editor-In-Chief Angus MacKenzie names the 2009 Ford F-150 Motor Trends 2009 Truck of the Year.
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00:00 After a week of exhaustive evaluation that included full performance testing, laden and
00:10 unladen, torture testing on proving ground durability roads, and driving on real world
00:16 roads like two lane black types and freeways, the judges have voted the Ford F150 Motor
00:22 Trends 2009 Truck of the Year.
00:25 Completely redesigned for 2009, the Ford F150 impressed the judges against all three key
00:31 criteria, superiority, significance and value.
00:35 In terms of superiority, the judges were impressed with the F150's redesigned exterior, its all
00:41 new interior and its tough new frame.
00:44 In terms of significance, the 2009 F150 is a thorough rework of a highly successful package,
00:52 retaining the attributes that's made this truck America's best selling vehicle for decades.
00:58 And finally in terms of value, the 2009 F150 has a truck for every budget, ranging from
01:05 the bargain priced work truck with its standard V8 engine, all the way up to the luxurious
01:10 King Ranch and Platinum editions with their limousine like interiors.
01:15 Four new trucks were eligible for this year's award.
01:18 They included the Suzuki Equator, the Hummer H3T and the all new Dodge Ram.
01:25 The inclusion of the Ram in this year's competition meant it would be one of the closest on record.
01:32 In order to better evaluate the capability of each truck, we tested two versions.
01:37 In the case of the 2009 F150, they included the value priced $27,000 two wheel drive SuperCab
01:47 STX and the $38,000 SuperCrew Lariat.
01:53 The truck that Ford expects will be one of the volume sellers of the new F150 range.
01:59 The STX was powered by the 248 horsepower 4.6 litre V8 and drove through a four speed
02:06 automatic transmission.
02:08 The Lariat was powered by the 5.4 litre 310 horsepower V8 and had a six speed automatic
02:14 transmission.
02:16 The pickup truck market has been hit hard, first by $4 a gallon gas and then by the meltdown
02:22 on Wall Street and the consequent collapse in consumer confidence.
02:27 But the pickup truck is not going to go away.
02:30 It will remain an integral part of the American automotive landscape.
02:34 It is still the backbone of America, used by small businesses, construction workers,
02:40 farmers and customers who have an active lifestyle.
02:44 The 2009 Ford F150 builds on a highly successful formula that has made its predecessors the
02:51 best selling vehicle in America.
02:54 It's more refined, better designed, better finished inside and out and has more capability.
03:00 For all those reasons, it's Motor Trend's 2009 Truck of the Year.
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