Motor Trend Then and Now: 1997, 2004, 2009, 2012 Ford F-150 Truck of the Year Winners

Since we began regularly holding our Motor Trend Truck of the Year program in 1989, four Ford F-150s have demonstrated engineering excellence, advancement in design, efficiency, safety, value, and ability to perform its intended function well enough to earn the distinction of being named our Truck of the Year. Those four F-150s that earned the Golden Calipers are the 1997, 2004, 2009, and now 2012 F-150. While 15 years separates the first and most recent F-150 winners, after revisiting stories about our F-150 Trucks of the Year it’s easy to see how the 2012 F-150 took what made its predecessors win, and did it better.

One common theme behind our F-150 Truck of the Year winners seems to be high-tech powertrains with heaps of power and excellent fuel economy.

When the 1997 Ford F-150 won Truck of the Year we were particularly impressed by its base 4.2-liter 205-hp V-6. “Derived from the 3.9-liter thunderbird OHV V-6 engine,” we wrote in our 1997 Truck of the Year winner article, “The significantly reworked 4.2-liter/205-horsepower V-6 outmuscles the competitions’ base engines, offering eight-cylinder power on a six-cylinder budget.”

In 2004 we were again impressed with the F-150’s engine options. We noted that “the 231-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8 has been improved and is adequate for most personal-use pickup buyers. But if you plan on towing or hauling sizeable loads, pony up to the all-new 5.4 this time around. The 300-horsepower 5.4 gets the spotlight this year, boasting a long list of technological innovations that improve response, boost power (especially at low engine speeds), decrease noise, and increase fuel economy.”

By the time the first iteration of the current generation F-150 rolled around in 2009 we were less impressed with the F-150’s powertrain, though it was still good enough to take top honors as Truck of the Year. “On the negative side of the ledger,” we wrote, “Is Ford’s aging all-V-8-engine lineup, which is composed of two- and three-valve 4.6-liters and a three-valve 5.4.”

Fast forward to our 2012 Truck of the Year winner and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the vast array of engines, particularly the 5.0-liter V-8 and the 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6. Of the 360-hp and 380 lb-ft 5.0, we wrote that it “sounds ‘good and burbly,’” and that, “the V-8 is obviously still a good engine, but it’s overshadowed by a great engine.” That engine would be the 3.5-liter 365-hp and 420 lb-ft of torque EcoBoost V-6. “Ford’s throwing a gasoline direct-injection, twin-turbo-fed V-6 under the hood of a full-size truck is almost enough to knock the earth off its axis,” we write. “On the road, the EcoBoost makes the 5.0-liter look like obsolete technology. The twin-turbo V-6 is incredibly quick and eager, power is abundant throughout the rpm range, and [we] didn’t really notice any lag.”

The 2012 Ford F-150 had what it took to take home the Truck of the Year honors. Its engines – particularly the EcoBoost V-6 – built on what we loved about the past F-150 Truck of the Year winners  like the V-8 power on a V-6 budget, and excellent towing performance, and combined it into a single new, modern engine that blew us away. You can read more about why the 2012 Ford F-150 took home the Golden Calipers here.

 

Source: Motor Trend