Truckin’ magazine names Ford F-150 FX2 Top Half-Ton Pickup in ‘Truck of the Year’ shootout

Ford knows that full-size truck buyers like to personalise their pickups and so do the experts at Truckin’ magazine. But it takes more than style to win with consumers. After testing four half-ton pickups in a well-rounded set of challenges, the Ford F-150 FX2 SuperCrew is now the Truckin’ half-ton Truck of the Year.

“Ford stepped up to the plate and hit a grand slam with the EcoBoost F-150 FX2,” said Truckin’ Feature Editor Maxwell Matthewson. “They gave the consumer everything they wanted in one package: impeccable styling, remarkable performance, and gas mileage that doesn’t punch you in the gut at the fuel pump.”

Ford is giving buyers more options to personalise the truck.

The new FX Appearance Package is available on both FX2 and FX4 trucks and delivers a unique look with stealthy, flat-black accents. The look is set off with black fender and tailgate badges that feature red lettering, which is carried into the interior with a red-stitched steering wheel.

The FX’s interior also features black leather seating surfaces with red perforations and red piping. Unique interior touches include black-painted dash accents, brushed-metal surfaces, and satin shifter knob, door handles and air conditioning vent bezels. The package is available with all seven FX exterior colors.

Also new for 2012, the FX Luxury Package now offers cooled front seats, which combine with the previously available heated seats.

New 20-inch six-spoke wheels with flat-black paint are just one of the specialized styling cues on the exterior. A unique body-side decal is matte black with color read-through for a distinctive appearance. A chrome exhaust tip, black-finished grille, and blacked-out headlamps and taillamps round out the exterior upgrades.

“The new FX package delivers a distinctive style that truck buyers are looking for without compromising on any of the F-150’s rugged qualities,” said Raj Sarkar, F-150 Marketing Manager. “Earning this recognition from such a discerning group of personalization and performance experts as Truckin’ is gratifying.”

With a twin-turbocharged direct-injection gasoline EcoBoost V6 engine making 365 hp and 420 lb ft of torque, the Ford F-150 delivers power and performance comparable to competitive, naturally aspirated V8 engines, while delivering significantly improved fuel economy, up to 20 per cent better.

The 2012 Ford F-150 FX2 with EcoBoost offers 22 mpg on the highway (4x2) – mileage that’s superior to competitors’ full-size V6 and V8 conventional gasoline trucks and beats even midsize pickups with V6 engines.

The half-ton shootout appears in the April 2012 issue of Truckin’ magazine, on newsstands now. The test compares the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4WD Crew Cab LTZ, Ram 1500 Sport Crew Cab 4x4 and Nissan Titan 4x4 Pro-4X pickups to the winning Ford F-150. F-150 delivers class-leading towing capability of 11,300 pounds and hauling capacity of 3,030 pounds – a combination no other competitor can match.

Posted in: 4x2,Award,EcoBoost Engine,Editor,Ford,Ford F-150 FX2,Half-ton,Marketing Manager,Maxwell Matthewson,Pickup,Raj Sarkar,SuperCrew,Truck of the Year,Truckin' Magazine,V6 Engine