2009 Ford F-150 Testing with Dirty Job's Mike Rowe

Take a test drive with Professional Drivers as they put the 2009 Ford F-150 through its paces in Durability, Towing, Handling and Fuel Economy. You will see out of Ford, Chevy, Dodge and Toyota who is the clear winner. (click on F-150 image)

Catch a glimpse of the new '09 F-150 and your eyes will thank you. We've redesigned F-150 from every angle and the results are striking. From the powerful, athletic Super Duty-inspired front end to little things like all-new badging, we made every line in the sheet metal count. The result? The new '09 F-150 looks as unstoppable as you'll feel driving it.

With Better Suspension than its Competitors Stronger Frame, Better Fuel Economy and Trailer sway control the F-150 is tough to beat.

Best-in-class capability Best-in-class payload The new F-150 continues our legendary payload capability, shouldering massive loads with ease. F-150's lighter yet stronger frame delivers a payload capability of 3,030 lbs.* (1,374 kg), which is best in class. And its deep box lets you pack in lots of cargo. Equip your F-150 with the Heavy Duty Payload Package** and increase the GVWR to 8,200 lbs. Bigger payloads can mean fewer trips, saving time and money.

Fuel economy improvements Improved aerodynamics and weight reductions help the new F-150 cut through the air with less drag. This contributes to increased fuel efficiency and reduced noise. New open-valve injection on three-valve engines produces better fuel swirl for faster and more complete combustion. And the six-speeds on F-150's new transmission deliver smooth and seamless shifting. The result: more power, better fuel economy, and lower emissions.

The new trailer sway control is advanced technology that's standard on every F-150. A yaw motion sensor in the AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control™) system detects trailer sway through the motions of the truck. AdvanceTrac then automatically corrects the motion by reducing engine torque and using selective wheel braking to help keep both truck and trailer under control.

Landscape Ontario Congress 2009

Every year we have a booth at the Landscape Ontario Congress. The show was a real success we had amazing attendance with Landscapers from all over Canada including US and International Visitors. This is the Largest show of its kind in Canada with over 12000 visitors each year we had over 200 people visit our booth alone.


This year we had on display a 2009 Ford F-650 with a Eloquip Landscaper Dump Body. The F-650 really attracted a lot of attention with its Chrome Grille fully loaded interior and shiny aluminium body. This truck was a real value at $63,500.00 including the Dump Body.


The Landscapers we talked with were looking forward to another busy year with many of them still working on projects that were not completed in the Fall. Of course with the snow we have had for the last 2 years they are very busy all winter long. In our Booth we had the support of Colin Ball, Ruth Anne Lust and Kim Williams this year in our booth we worked hard but all had a lot of fun as well. It is nice to meet existing clients and meeting potential new ones. Our Owners are there every year to help and support the Commercial Team and are very interested in the needs of our very important Commercial Clients.






Sean Lockhart
Donway Ford and Sterling Trucks

Mulally upbeat about 2009

Decision to pass on bailout good for image, but firm now must get people to showrooms.
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
It is hard to imagine the head of any automaker -- foreign or domestic -- being optimistic about 2009. But Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally is downright ebullient.
While he is all too aware of the dangers posed by the deepening recession, Mulally says Ford's decision to pass on the initial federal bailout of the U.S. auto industry has resonated with many Americans. The challenge now is getting them to come into the showroom and buy a Ford car or truck.
"This has turned out to be quite an opportunity for us, because it has put a real spotlight on Ford," Mulally told The Detroit News in an interview Monday. "We just need to continue to tell our story."

General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC will spend the first three months of 2009 trying to implement restructuring actions that will assure their long-term viability -- a condition of the $17.4 billion loan package President George W. Bush approved earlier this month so they could stave off bankruptcy. That will mean wresting significant concessions from workers, suppliers, creditors and investors. They also will have to seek approval for major expenditures of $100 million or more.
Ford is bound by no such restrictions. The automaker is only required to return to Washington in March with GM and Chrysler to provide an update of its turnaround efforts.
But Mulally said the company is working closely with Washington. Congress and the incoming Obama administration want a reorganization of the entire U.S. auto industry -- not just GM and Chrysler --and Ford still hopes to secure a $9 billion line of credit from the government as a hedge against a worsening economy.
Industry watchers say Ford's decision to forgo emergency federal loans has given it an advantage over its Detroit rivals, but only if Ford can gain enough traction in the market to stay off the public dole.
"They might have a competitive advantage if things turn around," said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. "The problem is that, if sales remain as poor as they've been for the past couple of months, it's going to drain their pot, too. If things stay like they are, they're going to be in the sewer with everybody else."
Ford has sidestepped that fate largely because of a $23 billion financing package Mulally secured shortly after taking over as CEO in late 2006 that gave the automaker a sizable cash cushion. To stay out, he says Ford needs more than money; it needs the American people to fall in love with its cars and trucks again.
"The fact that we obtained financing for this transformation is one key piece, but there are a number of pieces to the transformation plan that are very unique and that differentiate Ford," Mulally said.
He names several factors that he sees as key differentiators between Ford and its Detroit rivals: the company's decision to sell its foreign brands and concentrate on fixing the Blue Oval; its efforts to consolidate its global operations and focus them on that goal; the progress made on quality and safety and new products like the fleet of small, fuel-efficient cars that will begin arriving from Europe in a little more than a year.
Mulally cited recent surveys by J.D. Power and Associates and Consumer Reports that put Ford's quality on par with the best Japanese automakers as "proof points" of the progress Ford has made.
"We are competing with the very best in the world," he said. "That is a very marketable, very exciting development."
Ford does not expect auto sales to rebound in 2009, but sees an opportunity to steal market share from its struggling competitors. Over the past two months, Ford has gained a point of U.S. market share after yielding share to foreign rivals for the better part of two decades.
To sustain that gain, Mulally said Ford needs to play offense.
"We're going to use every medium we can. It's all about getting the message out," he said. "It's going to help people know that they've got great choices with Ford -- that we're well on our way, that we're financially viable, that we've got great products, a great production system and that we're making tremendous progress."
Mulally is eager to enlist employees, dealers and suppliers in that effort. But Wall Street says he also must hit them up for the same kind of concessions that GM and Chrysler will have to negotiate under the terms of the federal loans if it is to remain competitive.
Ford is confident that the UAW, at least, will give the automaker any deal the union gives the other two Detroit automakers.
That confidence is well-founded, said UAW member Brian Pannebecker, a worker at Ford's axle plant in Sterling Heights.
"There is a special relationship between Ford and the UAW, and that's largely due to the (Ford) family," he said. "There's a lot of loyalty there. A lot of workers put their 401(k) money into Ford stock. They want to see the company succeed."

New Lincolns will park themselves

Engineer says sensor system beats the competitors' cameras.
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
Ford Motor Co. said Monday that it will introduce a new automatic parallel parking system as an option on some Lincoln models next year, aiming to match rival offerings from Lexus and other luxury brands.
Ford's system, called Active Park Assist, would be the first such offering from a domestic manufacturer.
It is slated to debut on the Lincoln MKS sedan and MKT crossover next year, and will be introduced at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in January.
Unlike the Lexus system, which uses cameras, the Lincoln system uses sensors mounted on the front and rear of the vehicle to guide it into a parking space. Ford claims its technology leapfrogs its competitors' because it does not require the driver to select the parking space manually.
On the Lexus system, drivers must first line their car up with the vehicle in front of the place they want to park. They must then push a button to activate the system and use a touch-screen display to select the parking space. Once they have done that, the car steers itself into that space while they control the gas pedal and brakes.
Ford's system eliminates several of those steps. When drivers wish to park, they simply push a button to activate the system and cruise the street until their car finds a suitable parking space. When it does, the system tells them to stop, asks them to confirm that they wish to park in that space and then uses the vehicle's electronic power steering to guide it in as they control the gas pedal and brakes.

It works on hills

"It's fast and simple to use and more accurate," said Ali Jammoul, chief engineer of chassis and steering systems for Ford North America. "There is no driver interface. It does it automatically."
The Ford system prevents drivers from trying to park in spaces that are too tight for their vehicle. And, unlike rival offerings, it will work on hills.
Analyst Erich Merkle of Crowe Horwath LLP said parallel parking systems are fast becoming a requirement for luxury brands.
"You're going to see it become more prevalent on luxury vehicles," he said, adding that he expects Cadillac and others to introduce similar systems soon. "It's an incredibly competitive market, and consumers are asking for more and more -- and this is one of those features consumers are going to want to see. You can never have too much anymore."
The Lexus system debuted in 2006 on the Lexus LS460 L and is still available only on that model. The car carries a base price of $73,585, and the parking system is part of an $8,530 option package.
Ford has not yet announced pricing for its system.
The Dearborn automaker is devoting considerable resources to bolstering the Lincoln brand, which it sees as critical to its success in the U.S. market. Once Lincolns were just rebadged Ford cars and light trucks, but newer Lincolns now boast unique styling and features. Cutting-edge technology is a big part of the Lincoln equation, Ford said.

Debut set for next year

It began working on the parking assist system with supplier partner Valeo SA about 18 months ago.
"We think it is best in class," Jammoul said, noting that the system can fit into any space that is at least 20 percent larger than the vehicle itself, while Lexus' system requires a space that is more than 50 percent larger. "We find tighter spots, and we also park closer to the curb and at less of an angle. The system has to do it better than you can. That was our objective."

Ford tops safe car list

KEN THOMAS
The Associated Press
November 25, 2008 at 6:55 AM EST

WASHINGTON — The insurance industry named dozens of new cars and trucks, led by Ford Motor Co. and its Volvo subsidiary, to its annual list of the safest vehicles Tuesday, helped by the increased use of anti-rollover technology.
Ford and Volvo had 16 vehicles in the 2009 model year on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list of the safest new cars, followed by Honda Motor Co. with 13 vehicles.
Seventy-two cars, trucks and SUVs received the top safety pick designation for 2009, more than double the number of vehicles in the 2008 model year and three times the number in 2007.
“The sheer number of this year's winners indicates that automakers have made huge strides to improve crash protection,” said Institute president Adrian Lund.

The selected vehicles are the best in protecting people in front, side and rear crash tests based on institute evaluations during the year. The vehicles are required to have electronic stability control, or ESC, to qualify for the award.
IIHS said electronic stability control is now standard equipment on virtually all new SUVs and three-quarters of passenger cars for the 2009 model year. ESC is standard on more than one-third of 2009 pickups.
Ford was led by the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize cars with optional ESC; the Ford F-150 pickup, Ford Edge and Ford Flex midsize sport utility vehicles; and the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner small SUVs. The list also included the Mazda Tribute, which has the same underpinnings as the Escape and Mariner.
Ford CEO Alan Mulally argued last week in Washington that the automaker had made safety strides when he testified along with other Big Three executives seeking massive government aid.
“Every year, we're going to improve the quality, we're going to improve the fuel efficiency, we're going to improve the safety, and we're going to keep improving the productivity so we can offer the consumer the very best value,” Mr. Mulally told a House committee.
Honda and its Acura unit had vehicles in nearly every category, including top-sellers such as the Honda Accord; the Honda Civic 4-door with optional ESC; and the Acura MDX and RDX midsize SUVs; and the Honda Fit with optional ESC. The Fit is the first mini-car to earn the safety award.
Volkswagen AG and its Audi brand had nine vehicles on the list, including the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat and the Audi A3, A4 and A6.
General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. both had eight vehicles on the list. GM's included the Cadillac CTS and the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook large SUVs.
Toyota's top performers were the Toyota Corolla with optional ESC, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra and Scion xB.
Using the awards, consumers can compare vehicles without having to review results from multiple tests. Automakers pay close attention to the institute's findings and frequently note positive ratings in television commercials.
The institute has advocated for an early adoption of anti-rollover technology such as ESC ahead of a government requirement for the systems by the 2012 model year.
Electronic stability control senses when a driver may lose control and automatically applies brakes to individual wheels to keep the vehicle stable and avoid a rollover. It helps motorists avoid skidding across icy or slick roads or keep control when swerving to avoid an unexpected object in the road.
IIHS said Chrysler LLC was the only major automaker that did not receive a single award. They said Chrysler could have picked up five awards if the head restraints had been improved in the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring, the Sebring convertible and the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country.
Chrysler spokesman Cole Quinnell said he could not comment on whether the head restraints might be upgraded in the future. He said Chrysler vehicles are equipped with a variety of safety features and the institute's results “are just one of the sources of information about a vehicle's crash performance.”