Hello tseekins. Not saying the 08 was a bad truck. I'm just liking the improvements they have made to the truck for 09. Like you say some people don't want these improvements but a lot will. I have to use my truck for work and play so thought i would get the higher end model. I like the feature of the higher end model and for me every feature they offer will be useful for me and def wouldn't turn the stuff down. I pull a trailer for work so things like Rev cam, trailer brake control, sway control, Improved towing capacity, side steps, Sync with Sirius travel link are all features that will help me no end for work. And the other feature's are more creature comfort than anything else.

I'm not sure exactly what they have improved in every detail but i know they have made a lot of changes.

Things like

electronic Locking diff
work solutions which includes PC, tool link, crew chief and the cable lock that i really want.
flat load floor
longer flow through console
really nice cargo management
stow-able bed extender
easy fuel cap-less filler
safety canopy side a airbags (standard)
advance track with rsc (roll stability control)
improved chassis fully boxed ladder frame with high strength hydro formed steel side rails
torsional stiffness increased
lighter chassis
laser edge welds (5xstronger than 08 spot welds)
decreased NHV
quiet steel laminated dash panel
acoustic head liner
single piece substrate under instrument panel
improved powertrain mounts

This what i have found so far and this don't include the silly little things that they don't see fit to advertise. Hope this gives you some more insight as to what they have done with this truck. When you compare what has been done with the 09 to any other brand then you can see ford has changed a lot.

 

Bsimmer3000, thanks.

Tim

 

You gotta admit that it's pretty funny that anyone would consider those things to NOT be 'silly little things".

I can see the Internet chatter now...
Oh yeah, I gotta get me an '09 F150 if for no other reason than that single-piece substrate under the instrument panel!!!

 

I'll take Ford's 85% of torgue at 1,700 RPM (331 ft lbs) over the Toyota's power. These are trucks...not race cars! Trucks need torque on the bottom end, not at 3,750 RPM.

 

You maybe right. They maybe silly little things but thats just some of the improvements over the 08 that are listed on my paperwork they gave me and the 08 was a very good truck anyway. These little things are what add up to make the ford what it is. The best truck made. If they didnt make these small improvements then it might as well be a dodge, chevy or toyoyta. These companys could learn a thing or 2 from ford but they are more interested in who can get the biggest power output rather than who can make a proper work truck.

 

Thats funny....Those are five features i'm gunna buy on my 2010....plus the tow control, 6 spd tranny, bigger rear seat, not to mention a bunch of other improvements...

 

You're definitely the minority. The Tundra has way more power, tows better and get better MPG's.

 

Lol guess you havnt drove a Tundra then?? Quicker of the mark yes i will admit but it cant pull a trailer any better than a 04-08 f150. And i wouldnt believe the figures for mpg on the toyota. When i used one for a week as a demo i was getting a lot worse MPG than my current suv and that aint good on fuel.

 

How many toyotas have you seen pulling travel trailers.....I haven't seen one yet......I'd take a ford over a toyota anyday....even with less hp

 

If the Toyota has more power and better towing capabilities why did the set crew's for all of Toyota's cheesy commercials use Ford's, and then when Toyota was building their new truck plant in Texas all of the contractors were using mostly all Super Duty's along with a few Chevy's and a few Dodges?

 

Thats because all of the Tundras where in for repair so the contractors got lifts from their friends in their fords.

 

I wouldn't discount the toyota that easily...from everything I've seen and heard, they make a great truck...

The only real issue I have with the toyota is how new everything is. New 5.7L motor...new 6 speed auto...new truck from the ground up...using components that have NOT been out here long enough to really see how well it'll all hold up. I also don't like the idea of an engine making that much power, with a cooling system smaller than our F150s. Would it tow a travel trailer?

I bet it would, just fine. I just don't think it'll hold up over time with repetitive heavy use.

So once again...it comes down to what you want a truck for? Power? Speed? Looks?

Or do you want a TRUCK?

 

excaliber551, how about sharing with us what types of vehicles you own and drive.

You seem to be anti ford.

Tim

 

Not anti Ford at all but anti Ford quality and I know all about that firsthand. I had three brand new Ford trucks and they were by far the worst vehicles I've ever owned without a doubt.
I spent more time being shuffled back and forth from the service department than I'd like to remember.

That sent me to Toyota. We are buying a new 4Runner tomorrow actually. I wanted a new Tundra but I can't believe how poorly they are built and how many corners were cut in the production of this truck.


I'm not brand loyal and I'm even willing to try another Ford.
I actually like what I've seen from the 09 F150 in pictures.
I want to drive one as soon as they come out. Who knows when that will be?

I'm not going to buy an 09 F150 with that joke of an engine they are putting in them though. Why bring a newly designed truck to the market with the worst HP. Every other MFR has an engine with more power and better MPG.

I've driven the 5.4 several times and it's a pig.

I'm waiting for the Ecoboost in 2010.

 

Still find it hard to understand why you say the engine is a joke??? For what reason?? You just keep saying it's a joke but you have no valid reason as to why it's a joke. It cant be reliability because its a proven engine. It cant be power as it can pull more than the rest and has Tq figures that should be able to cope with 99% of what people are towing with it. It has the same figures for MPG as the other Brands. The only reason you seem to base that it's a joke engine is because it's got less HP lol. It's a truck my friend. How many times do people have to tell you. It needs TQ not HP. If it was a light weight sports car then you would have a valid point but it's a truck. No more, no less.