2009 Ford F-150

Without a doubt, the 2009 F150 Supercrew 4X4 Lariat edition ½-ton pickup truck is the nicest truck I’ve ever driven. It’s got really comfortable leather seats – and those are both heated and air-conditioned. Yes, it’s really got a machine that whispers cool air at your backside on command.

It’s also got a backup camera, backup radar, GPS navigation system, 6-disc CD changer, satellite radio, auxiliary MP3 and USB jacks, hands-free cell phone support, the Microsoft SYNC voice-activated control system, built-in trailer brake controller, power moonroof, wood grain trim, and for all I know, there’s a massage table somewhere in the spacious back seat passenger area.

The Supercrew designation means this F150 is a full four-door, with enough space to carry 5 adults in leg-stretching comfort. The pickup bed is 5.5 feet long, just 6 inches shorter than my “standard bed” 1970 Chevy Custom 10 had. You can also get it with a 6.5-foot bed, losing just 18 inches from a conventional longbed. This isn’t really a pickup like you had in decades past - this is a Truck-U-V.

Under the hood, the F150 comes with a 5.4-liter V8 engine, making 320 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, with shift-on-the-fly 4WD and a 6-speed automatic transmission. This is all wrapped inside the toughest and best-looking F150 of the last 40 years. I just love this truck, and I get why it’s the best-selling vehicle in America.

And maybe that’s the source of my conflict about the F150. One of the reasons that the domestic auto industry is in trouble is that for years they’ve promoted the idea that a V8 pickup or a big SUV is a sensible choice for a daily driver transportation vehicle. They’ve elevated such things to luxury status symbols, and that’s what this F150 is designed to be.

The test truck, with Ford’s top “Lariat” trim level and more power and more luxury stuff than the top of the line Lincoln had just 10 years ago, stickers out at $47,410. Yes, that’s nearly $50 grand for a half ton truck, even though Ford is offereing a $1,000 discount on the Lariat trim package.

As I said, I love this truck. But in this economy, it’ll take more than love to sell a lot of $50,000 Truck-U-Vs. The F150 in this configuration gets 14/18 fuel economy, which is fine this winter, but if gas prices head skyward again next year, fueling up your big Cowboy Cadillac could get tough.

But there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic - Ford is looking at a diesel version of the F150 for 2010, and also a version of the truck featuring their next-generation eco-boost turbocharged direct-injection engine.

The bottom line on the F150 is that if you need a truck like this for some purpose in your life, you’re going to love it. It’s going to be well-made and it’s got everything you could ever want. The pickup truck was invented and developed in the United States, and Detroit has always done trucks right. But if you’ve gotten used to driving a pickup as your daily, just remember how you felt last summer.

Written by Jeff Zurschmeide of northwestautoreview.com