2007 Ford F-150

Welcome to the Driving Range with Dave Jordan - Your Auto Guide to the South Shore of Nova Scotia. All you need to know about Nova Scotia's South Shore Auto scene.

This week, Dave Jordan checks the 2007 Ford F-150:

We are a nation of truck drivers, literally. The top two bestselling vehicles in Canada last year were pickup trucks with total sales for each besting the number 3-spot Honda Civic by several thousand units. The story is much the same in the U.S. with light trucks garnering top sales figures as well. Domestics lead the charge with the Japanese nipping at their heels and gaining steam. With the variety and quality of today's modern pickups, there are plenty of excellent models of varying sizes, drivetrain configurations and price ranges to suit just about anyone's trucking desires. The Ford F-150 is such a truck and the subject of this week's test. Thanks to Mahone Auto for the opportunity to experience a modern-day luxury pickup truck.

Ford has been building trucks for decades and has been at or very near the top of the sales charts for 40 years running. Their current three model lineup of Ranger, F-150 and Super Duty pickups covers the spectrum of consumer needs with option and trim packages that can amount to dozens of variations. The F-150 is offered as a five-model lineup with a variety of available upgrades such as snowplow packages, trailer tow packages, and chrome or sport packages. There even specialty models such as the Harley Davidson or King Ranch versions that contain unique interior and exterior equipment. Variety? Look no further than the F-150.

My tester was a beautiful Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 in white chocolate (yes, this is a Ford truck colour) over a tan leather interior. Said interior of this particular F-150 is reminiscent of Ford's luxury brands and boasts material quality and creature comforts equal to if not exceeding those found in other high-end vehicles. Well chosen colour combinations, high-quality materials and wonderful fit and finish are marks of this modern-day luxury truck. Power heated leather seats, a six-CD sound system, power-adjustable pedals, automatic climate control, a tire-pressure monitoring system and power heated side-view mirrors with integrated turn signals are but a few of the amenities that come standard on the Lariat model. A navigation system, DVD entertainment system and moonroof can be purchased from the list of additional high-end options. A nifty overhead rail system allows you to add a variety of components such as storage bins and other accessories as well. A huge amount of head and leg room is apparent inside and access is a snap thanks to the full-sized passenger doors. If someone blindfolded you and sat you down in this vehicle, you would never know it was a truck from the inside.

Four-door pickups seem to be more the norm these days since a lot of owners are hauling people as well as gear, so bigger is better in this case. To make the current generation F-150 larger, Ford stretched the wheelbase by six inches, increasing roominess inside, and the box top edge is over two inches higher for increased cargo capacity here. The overall structure of the F-150 has been strengthened by redesigning it with a new fully boxed frame (that's nine times stiffer in torsion), new rack-and-pinion power steering, a coil-over-damper control-arm front suspension, and straddle-mounted three-inch-wide rear leaf springs. To make the F-150 less likely to cause others damage in collisions, its frame is an inch lower and the bumpers have been dropped three inches—not a bad idea, because curb weight is up by 500 lb. The styling has been beefed up as well, giving this pickup a more muscled-up look all around. Gone are the rounded contours and melted edge surface treatment on body panels, replaced with upright sides, sharper edges and a more rugged overall appearance. One of the two new grill designs will dominate the front end (depending on which model you choose), and the passenger door notch, which pays homage to the F-150's big brother, Super Duty, adds an element of distinction and brand recognition. This is one nice-looking rig.

Thankfully, many pickup buyers use these trucks as they were intended — for hauling stuff. With a payload capacity of up to almost 3,000 lb and a tow rating of up to 10,500 lb (with the heavy-duty towing package), you should be able to fill the box with gravel or tow your cruiser to Shipyards Landing with ease. My Lariat 4x4 was powered by the 300 horsepower 5.4 L Triton V8 offering 365 lb.-ft. of torque so you won't be let down from lack of pulling power with this unit under your hood. A smaller V8 and a V6 are also available again depending on your chosen model. This new V8 purrs like a kitten and moves this 5,000-plus lb vehicle along quite convincingly. Acceleration is immediate from a standstill with smooth progressive delivery through the gears of the electronic four-speed automatic. Highway cruising in the Lariat demonstrates those luxury vehicle tendencies once again with a firm but smooth ride, excellent straight-line stability and interior appointments that have you searching for the hidden Lincoln badge. Even with its firm suspension, expansion joint crossings don't jar your teeth and, remarkably, handling on twisty roads is uncharacteristically agile. Mark one up for the suspension engineers.

With five trim levels, two-and four-wheel-drive, three box lengths and a staggering number of option packages, Ford has the pickup truck segment well covered with its F-series lineup. Hey, you can even get a five-speed manual transmission if you are going for the V6-equipped 4x2 Regular Cab workhorse. My Lariat lists for just under 47 grand but you can pay even more if you go for a fully optioned Harley Davidson trim package. The base XL you can have for less than $21,000 (with the current $3,500 delivery allowance) and the $1,000 of free accessories will allow you to spruce up your ride even more.

The days of bench seats and column shifters are long in the past. Today's pickups are modern, well-designed, well-built vehicles that defy their utilitarian heritage and workhorse intentions. With this newest F-150, Ford is well positioned to be at the top of the sales charts for years to come.

Dave's Auto Archive – The Model T drove in to people's lives in October 1908 costing about $850 ($26,700 in today's dollars) initially and lowering to approximately $300 as production costs reduced. Almost 19 years and 15 million cars later, it had made its mark around the world.