It doesn't pull more than the rest. Ford can come up with any inflated figures they want but I see it in person. Two of my friends have trucks I have driven quite a bit. We all hunt together and they both pull the same exact trailers.

One has a new Tundra(07) and my other buddy has a 2006 F150 FX4 with the 5.4 in it.

The Toyota just blows him away in every aspect and especially towing. It's not even close.
The drivetrain of the Tundra is so superior it's not even funny.

Unloaded the difference is even worse and the Toyota with it's 380 HP gets at least 2 MPG's better all around.

It seems like Ford's Torque over HP really isn't cutting it in the real world. It's all Ford has to go on and they need to keep spouting it since that's all they have.
It's good for the kooliad Ford drinkers.

 

You still seem to think HP numbers are all that count still. The tundra is not a proven truck and the problems they have reflect this. I had the money to buy what every truck i wanted. First off all i tryed the Nissan Titan. Wernt impressed with prices they were qouteing me. Also quite a few problems with drivetrain. Then i looked at the Tundra. First off all i checked on line for people veiws. It wernt looking good. Many many many problems with the Tundra that it put me off it straight away. Then i took at look at the higest end model i could find local to me. The crew max and was not impressed by the interior. Knew it wernt going to be upto much inside but didnt realise it would be that bad. Didnt need to test drive it as my mate has the double cab. I have used that to tow my Trailer that i use on my Suv and to be honest it didnt seem worth the money they was asking. Plus i didnt want it to be in dealership the whole time which is what seems to be happeing. I Looked at the Gmc sierra with the denali pack. I def wernt paying the money for that. I also had such a bland interior. Chevy was next and i def didnt want a chevy because we have a avalance and i know it's not the same as their trucks but it really is a pile of junk. That left the ford 08 f150. I really dont like the look of the Dodge's so they was out of the window. No matter what that truck had on it i wouldnt have bought it as i think it's the most god awful ugly truck. So the Ford dealer was where i ended up. Really didnt want the ford as i see so so so so any of them about and wanted something different. He was trying his hardest to sell the lariat king ranch but i had seen pics of the 09 and liked the improvements of the spec of the 09. I wanted a truck there and then but after reading about all the trucks in my budget i ended up with the Platinum 09 f150. It cae down to it was a tryed and tested truck. The f150 has really never faulted in it's design since it came out and they better keep up this quality. If the 09 works as well as the last gen then i will be extremly happy knowing i have the best truck on the market thats fits the needs of a work truck in everyway. Strength, Power, durability. you ahve to remember the law of diminishing returns. A truck the size of the f150 dont need anymore Hp than what it already has. If you start making it any bigger or more powerful you will have more wear on parts and more fuel being used. my truck could have 10hp or 100000hp but as long as it can tow my trailer then im happy. Infact it could have 1bhp for all that i care.

 

LOL- you say that you purchased a "Platinum 09 f150" because it was "tryed (sic) and tested". But weren't you just telling us how many changes have been made? So is it "tried and tested" or is it substantially different (assumed to be improved) from the '08s?

I'm a Ford fan and, because of that, I refuse to sit back and let them play the paper tiger game while the competition continually improves their real-world offerings leaving the F150 further behind. Ford has screwed the pooch with the '09 F150 and we can only hope that they rectify the situation in 2010 with new powertrain offerings that can compete with those from GM and Toyota.

Of course, if you're really just looking for that one-piece instrument panel backing, FoMoCo has EXACTLY what you want!

 

Man, i just love this! People calling the 5.4 "junk" because it doesn't make a truck drive like a Mustang...

See, the way I see it...the only way a TRUCK can fall behind the competition is when it can't do things that the rest can. I'm not talking about 1/4 mile times here, either.

First, let's look at towing. Everyone likes to bring up how ford inflates their numbers. Well, I for one, have towed a trailer right at the limit of my '07s "inflated" capability...and believe me, I had no troubles. No sway problems, no control problems, no POWER problems...but then again...I didn't expect it to drive like a Mustang, either.

Payload...hrmmm...Ford's about the best across the board...

Fuel economy...the 21 highway with the 4.6 3V/2wd is about the best out there....

Now what else is a truck need? Why are people calling the F150 "junk" when it exceeds the capabilities of everyone else's truck...but doesn't drive like a Mustang?

 

No what im saying is the ford f150 is a proven truck. Sales show that. Im just hopeing that the 09 is going to be as good a truck as the 08 f150 was even with the new updates. Im very sure it will still be the best truck money can buy. This is Why i wouldnt spend my money on either of the other brands after researching it over the last 3 months. They have always being following ford with sales and always will by the looks of it. Also since i have been in the US i have never seen a Nissan Titan, Toyota tundra or Dodge ram on any building site i have worked. 90% of them have been fords and you see the ocasinoal Chevy and GM. The only time i see The tundra's and Nissan is at lowes when the weekend warriors come out and most of them are over 50 and have disabeld plates. Workers dont buy the other brands for a reason. A small minority will of course. I didnt want a ford until i see how much better a truck they were for work.

 

I've towed way above the inflated numbers (50% above) and I assure you the numbers are not inflated...mine towed 13000 lbs just fine...

 

Some of these posts just amuse the heck out of me.

I'm one of apparently very, very few people on this site who has driven an '09. Not just one of them, but likely every version, every configuration of what's going to be offered to the public, and for quite a few thousand miles too. I could spend hours refuting the vast majority of the nonsense I've seen spouted here, but I'm not going to go into specifics, because I'm contractually bound not to and it would be lost on folks who would just rather argue for the sake of it.

This is a better truck in every way than the 04-08, and it will be apparent as soon as you step into it. Trust me. I know what's on the market, and what it will be up against. I've driven all of the competitive vehicles. Ford has put a lot of effort in making this the best choice in the market, easily as much as they did for 2004. Don't even begin to think that they've been wringing their hands over the way the truck market has broken, or that they've just been biding their time waiting for it to turn. Every time the segment shrinks, Ford expands its share of it, because FORD KNOWS ITS MARKET BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. If you don't believe that, you don't belong on a Ford Truck Enthusiasts site.

 

Hear Hear

 

I can not wait to get mine, I ordered it in June. I have an order number and partial VIN - now all I need is the truck. I am waiting, very impatiently, but waiting.

I bought the 04 when it came out and now have the 06 and I have been really really pleased, they just seem to get better. I have also owned in the past the 2000 and the 2002.

I have heard some great things about the 09 and can not wait to see it for myself.

Are there 1 or 2 plants building the 09? I have heard there was only 1 plant building. Which plants are they? I am just curious. I believe my other trucks came from Norfolk (?) but not sure can not remember.

Deb

 

The only plant at the moment building them is the Kansas plant but the DB plant opens on the 22nd of this month. That plant is the only plant making the Platinum f150's and as far as i have been told by the dealer the DB plants trucks may be the first to see dealers. I hope it is as it would be nice to get it early.

 

Thanks for the info. I ordered the XLT Supercrew 4x4 5.4.

 

Congrats on joining the ultimate truck club. Make sure ya keep us updated with expected del dates and post some pics. Would be nice to get a good thread up on here with some detailed pics for people to check out.

 

They probably did come from Norfolk. That plant closed last year, though. Dearborn and Claycomo (Kansas City) are the current plants. The Platinum is built at DTP, and the King Ranch is built in Kansas City. The Claycomo plant does the single cabs, the stepsides, and the longbeds as well as screws and scabs. Dearborn does short and regular bed screws and scabs.

 

Quick question for Mistrtoad,

Would you take the 08's with the incentive packages being offered, or wait and pay more for the 09?

Chris

 

I'm biased in favor of the '09s, I'm afraid. I'd wait. Bottom line, it's a much better truck. If the economy continues like it is, you may find incentives on the '09 sooner than you might expect otherwise.

I hope it's a blockbuster for Ford, though. The F150 is Ford's bread and butter, and good F150 sales mean a healthy Ford.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I believe that the '09 is as big a departure from the '04 as the '04 was from the '97. This is no mid-model run refresh, like some folks here seem to think it is.