2011 Ford F-150 Platinum Road Test Review

The new 2011 Ford F-150 Platinum is one sweet looking truck. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

an auto journalist I need to remain impartial to brands or I really can't do my job effectively. No, it's just that the F-150 does exactly what I need it to do in the most efficient and user-friendly way possible.

First, what it's not. The F-150 isn't the smoothest riding truck in the segment. Additionally I don't feel it's number one in stability when pulling a heavy load, something I experienced during an event Ford put on where the F-150 and its rivals were towing 5,000-pound trailers housing tanks full of water (in my opinion it was a close second, mind you). Also, its interior uses cheaper plastics than some of its rivals and its doors make an annoying shuddering sound when you close them.

Of course, put any one of its five rivals up against it and the F-150 will perform better in some categories than it does in others. That's why pickup truck buyers are so loyal to a given brand

Long, the four-door F-150 Platinum isn't short on interior space. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

and why brands don't stray too far away from their signature character traits when their trucks undergo full makeovers. Some brands are known for a smoother ride at the expense of hauling and towing, while others perform best off-road yet lean a little more into the corners when on a curvy roadway. Truth of the matter is that each truck currently on the market is capable of doing everything the most demanding owner asks of it. They just go about doing the necessary tasks in slightly different ways. For me, right now, Ford is speaking my language.

My language includes the most fuel-efficient yet amply powerful engine on the market, Ford's new direct-injected, turbocharged 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6, plus the miserly 6-speed automatic transmission attached to it. An advanced electronic user interface combined with the

Details like the metal applique on the tailgate set the Platinum apart. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

elegantly simple and highly effective Sync connectivity system speaks my language too, literally, while the overall look of the cabin, enhanced by a sweet looking gauge cluster and bright colour infotainment display, is more cutting-edge modern than classic kitsch retro. A real deal-clincher for me, however, is Ford's exclusive hidden Tailgate Step that pops out and drops down from the lowered tailgate and combines with a nifty handle to make getting into the bed as easy as walking up a set of stairs. When I get my hands on a pickup truck I do a lot of hauling, so to me this is the best innovation in the class, and at $300 it's a steal. I also like the cool retractable side steps, really handy for accessing items that might be closer to front of the bed or for throwing straps overtop your payload. They're about $400 per side and worth every penny.

My test truck was the new Platinum model, and let me attest to its Alberta limo qualifications. Beautiful two-tone supple brown leather upholstery,

No rival offers anything anywhere near as useful in the light truck segment. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

cool gray woodgrain trim, lots of chrome and aluminum-like accents, the graphics interface I mentioned earlier, not to mention a fabulous Sony sound system, power-folding heated exterior mirrors with driver's side auto-dimming, rain-sensing wipers, 10-way heated and cooled front seats with driver's side memory, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with memory power tilt and telescopic adjustment, cool ambient lighting, a powered glass sunroof, navigation with an integrated rearview camera, remote starter, power-operated running boards to climb up inside, while the rear seats not only offer fantastic legroom, as expected in a limousine, but also two-way heat. This is one impressive truck! Add to that list a bevy of sweet looking visual exterior upgrades like its satin-finish grille surround and chrome mesh insert, body-colour and chrome upgrades, high-gloss black B-pillar appliqué, 20-inch polished aluminum wheels, and big classy aluminum-like appliqué on the tailgate, and it looks positively rich.

Powered side steps are ultra-cool, but I kept missing them and slipping off when jumping up into the truck too fast. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

It could have been loaded up with more, like a DVD entertainment system for instance, but the price of F-150 Platinum entry is already near the top of the F-150 heap with the two-wheel drive model starting at $56,299 plus $1,450 for destination and the 4x4 version topping the $60k threshold at $61,949, destination in.

The fact that the Platinum trim level even exists, and that there are two even pricier trim levels above it and a significant number below, is testament to the success of the F-150. Success in the light truck segment, it is said, comes from an automaker being able to offer a wide variety of cab and bed configurations plus numerous trim levels. There are others that will tell you that it's the exact opposite, or rather that having sales success allows for a wide variety of configurations and trim levels. I think a bit of both are true. In the case of the F-150, it's long been number one and Ford plans to keep it there with more variations than ever before, not to mention more innovations.

Yes,

Gorgeous high-tech, high-luxury interior. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

it takes more than style and custom-like personalization to keep truck buyers coming back for more. Rather, innovation is paramount and to that end, and Ford hit its competition hard this year with the strongest yet most fuel-efficient engine in its class. But just what class does the new EcoBoost V6 fit into? It certainly can't be relegated to the rest of the bottom-feeding entry-level V6s out there, some not even making 200 horsepower and mated to burro-inspired 4-speed automatic transmissions. No, not at all. Even the weakest F-150 powerplant is direct-injected and therefore sufficiently energized at 302 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque. Plus it mates up to a 6-speed automatic. The EcoBoost V6 is 200 cm smaller in displacement at 3.5 litres, but the DOHC, 24-valve mill features turbocharging for a tire-chirping 365 horsepower and (are you sitting down?) 420 lb-ft of torque! That's more than Ford's own 5.0-litre V8, good for only 360 horsepower and 380

Excellent comfort in the rear. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

lb-ft (the automaker also offers a sinfully delicious 6.2-litre powerhouse making 411 horsepower and 434 lb-ft of torque). What's more, the EcoBoost V6's peak power comes on 500 rpm sooner than the 5.0-litre V8's, while maximum torque arrives a staggering 1,750-rpm earlier at a diesel-like 2,500 rpm. Is Ford onto something here or what?

Yah! And I haven't even told you the best part. Fuel economy! F-150s with the EcoBoost V6 are good for an estimated 12.9 L/100km in the city and 9.0 on the highway in 4x2 trim or 13.9 and 9.4 respectively when outfitted with 4WD. That compares favourably with the base 3.7's numbers and bests the 5.0-litre's 13.9 / 9.7 4x2 and 15.0 / 10.5 4x4 city /

The EcoBoost V6 can tow, no problem. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

highway ratings by a significant margin. The real competition is outside of Ford's inner Dearborn sanctum, mind you, and down Route 12 to Detroit (or east on West Jefferson and then down the 85 if traveling from Ford's state-of-the-art River Rouge F-150 plant) where GM's Silverado/Sierra twins don't even begin to compete in the V6 game and require a move up to their largest 6.2-litre V8 in order to nudge up against but not quite surpass the EcoBoost's torque rating, a move that would also result in an estimated fuel economy rating of 17.7 L/100km city and 10.8 highway. Then again you could follow the 94 east and 75 north to Auburn Hills (or the 85 from River Rouge to the 75) at which point you'd need to ante up for the Ram 1500's 5.7-litre HEMI V8 to almost reach the EcoBoost's torque rating

When I get the use of a truck, I really test it out, and the F-150 is #1! (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

(it's 13 lb-ft short) and then pay up at the pump for an estimated rating of 15.4 city and 10.2 highway in 4x2 trim or 16.2 and 10.8 respectively when adding 4WD. The Tundra and Titan comparos are much the same, albeit with much lower torque and much worse fuel economy in the latter scenario, leading me back to how I opened this review: why I'd buy a Ford F-150.

All-round, Ford is not only the sales leader in the full-size light truck segment, it's also the performance leader, fuel-economy leader, technology leader and useful feature innovation leader. Did I miss anything? Yah, probably a lot. But you get the gist of my argument. At the end of the day, Ford's F-150 remains the truck to beat.©(Copyright Canadian Auto Press)]]>