2009 Ford F-150 Overview Change Vehicle

This 2009 Ford F-150 overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2009 Ford F-150, and includes safety, reliability, and fuel economy information for the 2009 Ford F-150.

A scant five years after its last complete redesign, Ford revamps the best-selling F-150 pickup one more time, adding power, improving payload and towing capacity, increasing fuel economy, standardizing safety features, and innovating new technologies.

Outside, new sheetmetal is wrapped around cabs that are roomier than ever. Updated box designs feature available side and tailgate load assist steps and an optional cargo management system, while rethought storage solutions inside the F-150 now accommodate a variety of smartphones, music players, and even laptop computers.

Comfort levels benefit from redesigned seats, now available with heating and cooling on upper trim levels, as well as more rear seat leg space thanks to a six-inch cab stretch. The rear bench on SuperCab and SuperCrew models is mechanically articulated, meaning it can be flipped up with one hand to make as much as 57.6 cubic feet of cargo room. Bigger buttons and knobs improve dashboard ergonomics.

For 2009, the F-150 can be equipped with Ford’s SYNC wireless communications and entertainment system, complete with 911 Assist, Vehicle Health Reports, and Sirius TravelLink features. Most models include a standard USB port and auxiliary input jack, and on some trim levels a 700-watt Sony surround sound audio system can be specified. There’s a new voice-activated navigation system option, too.

The new Platinum model, sitting at the top of the F-150 lineup as the luxury model, includes most of these features, along with a rearview camera parking and trailer hitching assist system. All F-150 models have Ford’s Easy Fuel capless fuel filler system, and an integrated trailer brake controller is optional on most trucks.

With three cab styles, four box options, and seven trim levels to choose from, Ford gives full-size pickup buyers a total of 35 different F-150 configurations. Plus, there are 13 different wheel designs.

Holding down the bottom of the lineup is the Ford F-150 XL, equipped with a black grille, painted bumpers, 17-inch steel wheels, and vinyl seats. The XL also includes air conditioning, a tilt steering wheel, a stereo, intermittent wipers, and a cargo box light. Select the SuperCrew version and you’ll also get power mirrors, power door locks with remote keyless entry, carpeting, and floor mats.

The sporty but affordable F-150 STX is the next level up, and comes with a body color surround for the grille, body-color bumpers, cloth seats, a CD player, an auxiliary audio input jack, and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Want a shiny chrome grille and bumpers, along with a more powerful 4.6-liter, 3-valve V8? The F-150 XLT is your truck, and it also comes with cruise control, power windows, an outside temperature display, a compass, automatic headlights, and rear privacy glass.

FX4 models are dedicated off-roaders. They’ve got a 5.4-liter V8, 4WD, an electronic locking rear differential, skid plates, an off-road suspension, and 18-inch wheels. Visually distinguished by a black grille with body color surround, body-color bumpers, and fog lights, the F-150 FX4 also has a class IV trailer hitch, a six-way power driver’s seat, satellite radio, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Step up to the Lariat from the XLT, and the F-150 includes fine mesh grille inserts and fog lights on the outside. The Lariat’s interior is decked out with leather, dual-zone climate control, a 10-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, and heated side mirrors with embedded turn signal indicators. Power adjustable pedals, a trip computer, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and illuminated sun visor mirrors are also included on the Lariat. Ford’s SYNC wireless communications and entertainment system is also standard, as well as an iPod adaptor.

King Ranch models have rear bumper sensors, a rearview camera system, running boards, and a power sliding rear window. Inside there’s upgraded leather, heated and cooled captain’s chairs with 10-way power adjustment for the driver, a center console equipped with a shifter, a six-disc CD changer, and Homelink.

The new F-150 Platinum, which replaces last year’s Lincoln Mark LT, is set apart with a satin chrome grille and eggcrate inserts, satin chrome tailgate trim, monotone paint, chrome capped outside mirrors, and polished 20-inch alloy wheels. Premium tuxedo-stitched leather, Lacrosse Ash genuine wood, and real aluminum dash trim, decorate the cabin, which Ford claims is quieter on the highway than a Lexus LX. Platinum models also have a power tilt steering wheel, rain sensing wipers, and power-deploying running boards.

Ford offers numerous options for the F-150, depending on trim level. Buyers choosing the F-150 for work commercial purposes can take advantage of innovative Ford Work Solutions such as an in-dash computer with Internet access, a radio-frequency indentification tool inventory tracking system, and Crew Chief fleet telematics and vehicle diagnostics. The F-150 is also available with features more commonly found on luxury sedans, like a voice-activated navigation system and rear seat entertainment.

With no loss of fuel economy, the F-150’s standard engine is now a V8 rather than a V6. The 4.6-liter, two-valve V8 makes 248 horsepower and 294 ft.-lbs. of torque at 4,000 rpm. According to the EPA, buyers can expect to get between 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway with this engine, depending on the model.

New for 2009 is a 4.6-liter, three-valve V8 equipped with open valve fuel injection to produce more horsepower and fewer emissions. This engine is rated to deliver 292 horsepower and 320 ft.-lbs. of torque at 4,000 rpm. F-150s with this engine return as little as 14 mpg in the city and as much as 21 mpg on the highway.

The most powerful engine choice is a 5.4-liter, three-valve V8 that burns regular unleaded or a blend of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol (E85). Using gasoline, this V8 generates 310 horsepower and 365 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,500 rpm, and on E85 it makes 320 horsepower and 390 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3,500 rpm. EPA fuel economy estimates for this engine, when operated on unleaded gas, range from 14 mpg in the city to 20 mpg on the highway.

Ford connects the standard V8 to a four-speed automatic; a six-speed automatic is standard with the three-valve V8s. Manual or electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer cases are offered on 4WD models and, properly equipped, the 2009 F-150 can tow up to 11,300 pounds and carry a 3,030-pound payload.

For 2009, the F-150 is equipped with a new, fully-boxed frame with high-strength, hydroformed steel side rails that produces a 10 percent increase in torsional rigidity while dropping the truck’s base curb weight by 100 pounds.

All 2009 Ford F-150s come standard with side-impact and side-curtain airbags, ABS, stability and roll control, and trailer sway control. There’s also an SOS Post Crash Alert system that can help authorities find the F-150 in the event of an accident that deploys both front airbags.

Crashworthiness is outstanding according to the NHTSA, which gives the truck its top 5-star rating in all crash-test measures. For rollover, the NHTSA gives the F-150 a 4-star rating with two-wheel drive and a 3-star rating with four-wheel drive. Likewise, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) calls the F-150 a Top Safety Pick, with Good ratings for frontal offset, side impact, and rear crash protection standards.

J.D. Power and Associates calls the 2009 F-150 the highest ranked large pickup for initial quality, in a tie with the Toyota Tundra. Despite this quality accolade, the market research firm says that longer-term reliability is expected to be slightly better than average.

By acting quickly to counter improvements made in recent years by General Motors and Toyota to the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Toyota Tundra, and to prepare for battle against a completely redesigned Dodge Ram, Ford positions itself to retain sales leadership in a competitive field by giving the F-150 a dramatic update for 2009. Bigger, more powerful, and more capable than ever, the 2009 Ford F-150 strikes us as a truck designed and engineered by people who understand what truck buyers want in a full-size pickup.