It's going to SUCK to get an aftermarket stereo in there on what I've seen as far as interior!

 

I guess Ford is pulling all stops to corner every single market with this truck. Sad, the truck is becoming a car.

 

why would u need anythign after market with this truck? it has all u need, and the sony system, why would u wanna get rid of that?

 

I am not paying 40 grand for a truck to get a sony system. Also I like my truck different than everyone else's. But that's just me.

 

A LOT of Upgrades...


From Motor Trend:

It starts with the fully boxed frame, which is 25 pounds lighter and 10 percent stiffer, thanks to hydroformed high-strength-steel side rails.

The 36mm front stabilizer is hollow and eight pounds lighter than the previous component. At the rear are six-inch-longer leaf springs, the extra length forward of the axle centerline for better lateral compliance and reduced rear-axle steer.

Ford's traction- and stability-control systems are now standard on all F-150 models, from the base work truck up.

Ford's software geeks have figured out a way of using these systems to detect trailer sway: By tracking the yaw motions of the truck, the system can sense whether a trailer is swinging back and forth and then use a combination of braking and engine torque control to bring it back under control.

the new six-speed automatic transmission includes a towing mode that not only holds a lower gear for hauling up hills, but cleverly works to hold the rig to a constant speed on a downhill stretch.

O'Leary claims the new F-150 has class-leading towing capacity across all cab configurations, and the industry's highest payload capacity.

An all-new 4.6-liter three-valve engine, based on the Mustang small-block, will be the new F-150's volume-selling powerplant. This engine makes 290 horses at 4750 rpm and 317 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm and drives through the new six-speed automatic.

Top-range engine (at least until the hush-hush 6.2-liter "Hurricane" V-8 makes its debut with the new-generation Harley-Davidson edition) is the familiar 5.4-liter Triton V-8. Power is up 10 horses to 310 at 5500 rpm, and torque has been boosted to 365 pound-feet at 3750.

While it might look familiar, parked next to the current model, the changes are obvious, most notably at the front, where the nose has been raised four inches and the grille reworked to echo the "girder" themes of the Super Dutys. Along the body side, big undercuts emphasize the wheel openings, and at the rear is a tailgate with stamped-in moldings that echo the classic stainless-steel cladding of old F-150s.

the roofline has been raised 21 mm to meet tougher rollover standards and to package the optional side-curtain airbags without intruding on headroom.

a whopping six-inch stretch over the current model that gives it class-leading interior room. The most obvious thing you notice when you slide in behind the wheel of a P415 crew cab is that the B-pillar is no longer forward of your shoulder. The front-door aperture is much longer (instead of the door from the regular cab, the SuperCrew uses the front door from the SuperCab) yet there's an acre of room for back-seat passengers.

 

There's nothing like pushing a brick through the air.

 

Anybody else think the flat front end resembles the 1987-1991 F150 front end?

 

I dont ever remember the F150 looking like other makers trucks untill now. C'mon, that front end screams Chevy.

Love the rear though and the spoiler, too cool!!!

 

You need to get your eyes checked......no way does it resemble a Chebby, that thing is ugly!..............

 

Trust me! The New F-150 is no car........it mimics Tough Luxury...ala SuperDuty!..........

 

It resembles a Chevy/GMC .. huge ugly grille. Sorry but if they would of just added all of the new features of basically the same truck, it would of been a hit with me. But, I think they ruined something they had going good.

 

It's the little things they've done on the 2009 that impress me the most.

I like the cargo securing system. The movable rails, tie downs, etc. are pretty slick and long overdue for a pickup nowadays from the factory. The backup camera likewise is very cool. A lot of guys on here have bitched about how deep the bedsides are on a current gen 150, so Ford installed a pop-out step, that's kinda neat. The factory trailer brake, if it works anything like the one on Superduties, is awesome.

I like the connectivity options for aftermarket electronics - I finally came into the 21st century and have a cell phone that has Bluetooth, and Sync is a really, really well done and cool system. I for one like the radio/climate control display and control setup, it looks like a lot of buttons, but playing with a similar setup on the '08 Escape/Mariner, it's a little daunting at first but it quickly becomes second nature, and I have little to no intentions of buying aftermarket head units for any of my vehicles, I like the factory fit and function.

The 6 speed slushbox is long overdue, as is the 4.6 3V as an alternative to the 5.4 3V or 4.6 2V. I think though that all the engine choices are pretty lame for a completely redesigned truck, especially one that with almost no doubt weighs more than a current gen F150 which ain't exactly a rocketship with the current engines. Hopefully the diesel isn't too far away, along with a more powerful gas engine. I haven't read it in any of the articles thus far, but Ford's website for the 2009 F150 mentions that 4x4s have electronic locking rear differentials, and that's pretty awesome from the factory too, and a necessity IMO for any truck with an "off road" package.

I wanna see some of the lower trim interiors too...the interior of a Lariat with a floor shifter did more to drive me to an '04 F150 than anything, and while I like the interiors they provided, if they made big strides in the XLT interior I'll probably buy one of them to save a few bucks over a Lariat.

I saw one model that had power deployable running boards, the Platinum I guess it was...I'm not too thrilled about that. They were first introduced on the Navigator in 2003, and to this day they don't exactly operate 100% on the SUVs that come with them.

All in all, I'm about 80/20 for the 2009. In the pictures and on paper, it looks like a great truck. I didn't think much of the '04 until I saw them in person and drove a few, I'll have to wait until 2009s hit dealers before I totally commit.

 

I wouldn't go as far to call it ugly but I also wouldn't call it a historical design moment for Ford as far as exterior style is concerned.

You dont see similarities? I think maybe you need to get your eyes checked!

 

If that is what they call improvement, I don't know what to think.

The front end is decent, the back is actually nice looking. The side view of the freaking brake lights is horrid.

Mega plastic interior, with everything symetrical in rows. That's not bad for the climate controls and stuff, but that gauge package is terrible! Reminds me of one of those cheapy 3 or 4 gauge crap panels you mount under the dash, except it's IN the dash. The console does look good, as does the shifter.

Maybe some people want their trucks to start looking more like boxes on the outside and cheap cars on the inside. From the sound of things yet another heavy truck, with even more aids for the drivers who don't know what to do when a trailer sways. It's going to take more than a 6 speed tranny to make it half quick as long as it remains a lumbering beast. I guess the only people that will see the tailgate is the owners.



On an overall scale, it doesn't impress me any more than the new Chevy, and that's not saying much.

 

There are nice improvements, but I'm much more impressed with the new Dodge.