2009 Ford F150 Test Drive

• Available on FX4 is an electronic lockable rear differential that may make the difference between stuck or not in serious off-road situations;


• The standard AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control system has been programmed to recognize when a trailer begins to sway and react to quell unwanted trailer motion by applying individual brakes or reducing acceleration;


• The available in-dash trailer brake controller allows the driver to easily control the trailer's electronic brakes. The '09 F-150 is the only truck in its class that offers both trailer sway control and an integrated trailer brake controller;


• The stowable bed extender is made of rugged fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene (rather than the conventional aluminum) and splits in half to fold and stow out of the way;


• To ease access to the bed, available class-exclusive box side steps pop out from under the sides with a touch of a foot, while the class-exclusive tailgate step folds down from the tailgate. Just raise the grab bar and flip down the skid resistant step. This option stows right in the tailgate;


• For descending steep hills with a trailer or heavy load, the standard tow/haul mode feature on F-150 equipped with a 6-speed transmission allows the truck to downshift and apply engine compression braking when the driver taps the brake;


• The larger center console has space for handing file folders and a pair of laptop computers;


• Available cargo management system includes two dual channel side rails and four cargo-securing cleats for handling and securing loads in the cargo bed.

Powertrain and Chassis

The ’09 F-150 offers three engines, all V-8s: a 320-horsepower 5.4-liter, a new-to-the-F-150 three-valve-per-cylinder 292-horsepower 4.6-liter, and a two-valve-per-cylinder 248-horsepower 4.6-liter. The first two come with a six-speed automatic that features both a very low first gear for strong acceleration and two overdrive gears for good highway fuel mileage. The 248-horse V-8 is mated to a four-speed automatic. Impressively, 4x2 F-150's with the 5.4-liter engine get the same 20 mpg highway mileage as the 4.6-liter three-valve engine. To help increase gas mileage the engine control system upgrades precisely manage fuel delivery to the combustion chamber and actively reduce fuel burned during deceleration. The available SFE Package sees a highway fuel economy increase to an unsurpassed 21 mpg/hwy.