First Drive, 2009 Ford F-150 Truck
My first drive in the newly designed F-150 truck took place during a couple of days at Ford's Michigan Proving Ground, a test facility with over 100 miles of road spread out on about 3,880 acres.Ford set up four different tracks to test the F-150's capabilities, and brought in 2009 Silverado, Tundra and Ram trucks for drive comparisons.
A few of the test courses simulate exaggerated conditions that probably do not represent roads you'll encounter every day.
Tests with a 700 Pound Load
The load course was set up with orange cones that took drivers through curves, straightaways, a short slalum and a quick lane-change maneuver -- all designed to let us experience what it might be like to handle a loaded truck in a panic situation.The F-150 handled the course better than the other brands, with minimal body roll and less push in the corners. Don't get me wrong, you could make it push by driving at higher speeds, but the object was to compare all of the trucks under similar conditions, and the F-150 excelled.
The Ram displayed a lot of body roll during the drive, and on quick direction changes it felt loose and unstable. It took excessive steering corrections to maneuver the truck, taking away any confidence I had of of being in control.
Body roll was an issue with the Tundra, too, but the Silverado performed well in that department.
The Tundra and Silverado both had a tendency to slide on faster tight turns. Excessive slide wasn't an issue with the Ram.
All of the trucks were available with each model's standard tires and with optional (18" or 20") tires -- they all performed better when equipped with the tire upgrade.
Suspension and Vibration
A section of road with large, rock-like bumps of various heights gave suspension systems a workout. A washboard segment (similar to the strips you hit if you wander off the pavement of some roads) revealed vibrations (and how those vibrations affect noise levels).Remember that when vibrations are strong enough to pass into the cab cause squeaks and rattles and will eventually create fatigue in bushings and frame joints.
- The F-150 truck crossed the bumps with a good bit of bounce and shake, but stayed straight on the road. The washboard area created rattles in the dash and other components, but the noise wasn't excessive.
- The Silverado stayed straight over the bumps, but with harsh jarring. The cab was noisy and a rear door rattled. Cab noise increased during the washboard test, and was accompanied by a great deal of dash vibration.
- The Dodge Ram's rear end bounced and moved sideways. The washboard track produced minimal noise and interior vibrations.
- The Tundra traveled in a straight path, but was the only vehicle that transmitted bounce through the steering and the rear of the truck. The washboard drive produced a lot of vibration and noise inside the truck, and the hood shook.
Frame Differences
- The Ram and Tundra frames are C-shaped, (when viewed from the rear) a setup that allows more flex.
- The F-150 and Silverado have rigid frames that are fully boxed to the rear of the truck.
A suspension system works best when the frame is rigid enough to hold the components in place. The Ram and Tundra's frame-flex kept their suspension systems from compressing to absorb the bumps. Driving behind them on the track, I watched both trucks bounce off the road, their beds and rear frames shaking violently.
Ford designed the F-150 with a stiff frame to provide support, but its suspension is flexible enough to absorb most bumps, even when the truck isn't carrying cargo to help hold down its rear end.
Towing Abilities
For this test, the trucks were hooked to trailers that weighed 7,000 pounds (the Ram's limit is 7,300 pounds). Curves and uphill/downhill grades provided a good feel for each truck's power, handling and transmission performance.The F-150's tow-package comes with a built-in trailer brake control (integrated into the truck's stability control system), 7-pin trailer wiring plug, transmission tow mode, a rear vision camera and tow mirrors.
Going uphill, the F-150's 6-speed transmission and tow-mode setting let the truck pull the trailer up a long grade without excessive gear shifts. The 4.6L engine had more than enough power to handle the trailer.
On a downhill grade, lightly applying the brake downshifted the transmission, slowing the truck without excessive brake use. Below about 2,800 rpm, another touch of the brakes shifted it down one more gear.
The F-150's stability control system kept the trailer from pushing the truck when it entered a curve.
This demo was definitely designed to showcase the F-150's towing abilities. The Tundra and Silverado performed well, but the wide spacing of the gear ratios in the Ram's 5-speed automatic hurt its chances of competing with the other trucks. The Silverado had a 4-speed automatic -- a 6-speed would have been better matched to the group.
Off-Road Driving
Ford trucks were alone on the off-road track; all were equipped with shift-on-the-fly 4WD HI range.
- In LO range (a lower gear ratio than most 4WD trucks), shift the transmission into first gear and you enter what Ford calls a crawl speed, where the truck uses the engine and gearing to hold itself back in a similar way as hill descent on other vehicles (but without using the anti-lock brake system).
- Pull out on the transfer cases shift knob to electronically lock the rear differential (can be done while moving).
- A button on the dash turns off traction control; hold the button down to turn off the stability control system for more versatility off-road (it turns itself back on if you exceed 35mph).
I had a chance to test all of the systems -- they worked flawlessly. I got stuck in a mud pit at one point, but that was my fault, not the truck's.
Bottom Line
I always try to look carefully at comparison set-ups, to determine if they are weighted towards a particular brand. And while Ford wanted its trucks to excel, the tests in Michigan seemed pretty level, with (mostly) evenly matched equipment.The F-150's enhanced abilities are a good indication that Ford is intent on keeping its best selling truck ranking.
