Tags: Ford F-Series new models Pick-up Awards Car and Driver
The best-selling pickup in America has been named the Best Pickup in America by Car and Driver magazine
In the March issue, the magazine's staff evaluated Ford's F-150, the Dodge Ram, GMC Sierra and Honda Ridgeline. The F-150 trumped all competitors.
" We don’t presume that a vehicle is great just because it sells well," wrote Car and Driver Editor CSABA CSERE. "But even we are impressed that the Ford F-series has been the bestselling pickup in America for 29 consecutive years. This year also marks the third year in a row that we have picked it as our 5Best Pickup."
In evaluating the truck nominees, Car and Driver's testers drove the vehicles over challenging roads in southeastern Michigan. Since trucks are useful for utility, the testers paid special attention to factors such as seating space and comfort, size and versatility of luggage space, the suitability of each vehicle for hauling a wide range of cargo.
All of the Pickups aimed for the obvious wish list of truck qualities: towing capacity, cargo capacity, styling and quality. What set the F-150 apart were two unique factors.
"The first is interior design and finish," Csere wrote. "Everyone understands that pickups haven’t been the utilitarian work vehicles they once were. Even so, we are always amazed and delighted whenever we open the door of an F-150 and view the beautiful cockpit that Ford has crafted. Everything from the shape of the dashboard to the design of the instruments to the quality of the switches and knobs is first-rate."
The second area is structural rigidity. Car and Driver lauded the F-series' body-on-frame as being as rigid as most sedans with the resulting sense of quality and confidence. That sense of quality and confidence is one that no other truck can match, according to Csere.
“No other manufacturer knows the truck customer better than Ford,” said Ben Poore, Ford Truck group brand manager. “We have lived and worked with our truck customers for decades and we know how to build trucks better than the rest. That’s why we’ve been the leader for 29 straight years.”
Ford F-150 New for 2006 Model Year
