Lots of pickup trucks claim “best in class this” and “best in class that.” While these claims are technically (and legally) true, the term is so overused it sometimes loses its meaning. After all, there are more than a few classes of vehicles. Furthermore, when automakers break it down to “best in class,” they are really only pitting a small handful of vehicles together. The 2019 Ford F-150 makes this claim several times. So, what does it mean?
Specifically, the 2019 Ford F-150 is a mid-sized pickup truck that competes against other pickup trucks of similar weight and design. Like any class of vehicle, these pickup trucks are in direct, often fierce competition. And Ford has been in the thick of this competition for decades, with no end in sight of said fierce competition. All that aside, what does “best in class” mean, and is it important? That all depends on your outlook and what you are looking for in a new truck. Take a look below at some of the “best in class” claims and see if they are some of the things worth bragging about.
2019 Ford F-150 Engines
The heart and soul of any truck is its engine, both literally and figuratively. Literally, unless you are Fred Flintstone, your vehicle is just for show without an engine. Figuratively, pickup truck buyers look very closely at engine performance. Many truck owners want the performance necessary for hauling and towing great weights. After all, that is the primary reason for many truck owners to purchase a truck in the first place. The 2019 Ford F-150 offers five different engines with varying levels of power, towing capacity and fuel efficiency.
The base engine is a 3.3 liter V6 with 290 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. It can tow up to 5,000 pounds, making it perfectly suitable for most towing jobs.
Next up is the turbo V6, a 2.7-liter engine that gets 325 horsepower and is paired with a ten-speed transmission. It is an upgrade from the base engine, but still far from all Ford has to offer.
The twin-turbo V6 is the real heavy hitter. It gets up to 450 horsepower and an incredible 510 lb-ft of torque. This enables it to tow 12,000 pounds, more than double the capacity of the base engine.
The biggest engine available on the 2019 Ford F-150 is the 5.0 liter V8 that gets 395 horsepower and can tow a “best in class” 13,200 pounds. That is an awful lot of weight behind a truck, and far more towing capacity than the vast majority of pickup truck owners need on a daily basis.
The last engine is a 3.0 liter V6 Power Stroke Diesel. While not as powerful as the other engines, it does get 30 miles to the gallon, making it a much more fuel efficient engine.
Now, as far as “best in class” goes, the monster 5.0 liter V8 can out tow any of its competitors. As far as pickup truck owners go, that’s usually a good thing.
2019 Ford F-150 Safety Features
Safety features are one of the leading areas of technological innovation in recent automotive trends. Some of the features that come standard on cars, trucks, and SUVs in today’s market weren’t even conceived of at the turn of this century. That field has grown and evolved very rapidly and continues to do so. Vehicle makers all over the world recognize the ever-present need for safety and have started making more of these features standard.
You may be the safest driver on the planet, but that just means those that share the road with you are less safe than you. You can only trust your own safe driving habits so far. Just about every person that gets behind the wheel of a vehicle will inevitably get into some kind of wreck, whether they are at fault or not. Among the standard safety features of the 2019 Ford F-150 are front, side, and overhead airbags. So when that other person out there does cause a wreck, you and your passengers will be instantly shielded from all sides, including above. In the event of a wreck, the engine immobilizer shuts off the engine. This will keep the inhabitants of a vehicle safe from any adverse engine reactions, including a very rare but possible explosion. Stability control is another safety feature that helps the driver regain control of the 2019 Ford F-150 if it starts to sway.
With all of these features (and many, many more), the 2019 Ford F-150 was given a five-star crash rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Even though it is far from the only truck to receive this honor, you could still say it is a “best in class” designation.
2019 Ford F-150 Towing and Hauling
Now, here is where a truck like the 2019 Ford F-150 really earns “best in class” titles. When compared with its “class” competition, the F-150 excels in both towing and payload capacity.
The F-150 has a towing max of 13,200 pounds. The Dodge RAM tops out at 12,750, the Chevy Silverado 1500 has 12,200, the Toyota Tundra 10,200 and the Nissan Titan tows only 9,740. Those are significant numbers to pickup truck drivers who regularly tow boats, ATVs, campers or other recreational equipment. It is also useful to those who tow trailers with yard equipment or other work-based loads. Those who use their trucks for work can see the advantage the 2019 Ford F-150 has.
The 2019 Ford F-150 has an even more significant advantage in payload capacity. The F-150 has a max hauling capacity of 3,720 pounds. The second closest is the Chevy Silverado 1500 at 2,500 pounds. That’s almost half again the Silverado’s hauling load. The Dodge RAM has 2.320 pounds, the Nissan Titan 1.950 pounds and the Toyota Tundra 1,730 pounds. The 2019 Ford F-150 can literally haul more than twice what the Toyota Tundra can.
To cap it off, the 2019 Ford F-150 features a new addition to its towing package called Dynamic Hitch Assist. With Dynamic Hitch Assist, a driver can perfectly align his trailer hitch with his trailer using the backup camera. When activated, lines will appear on the dash screen that will help line up the hitch and trailer. This turns getting hitched up to your trailer a two-person job into a one-person job. That will surely entice more than one buyer.
So, “best in class” does mean something
Depending on what you are looking for in a pickup truck, the term “best in class” is very subjective. The 2019 Ford F-150 is best in class towing and hauling. If you are looking at the 2019 Ford F-1509 as a family vehicle or everyday commuter truck, those figures won’t mean much to you. You would probably be far more interested in the best in class fuel economy of 22 miles per gallon combined city and highway.
However, if you are one of the millions of pickup truck drivers in the US, Canada or elsewhere in the world who uses your truck for utility more than convenience, the 2019 Ford F-150 is the best in class and has the towing and hauling numbers to prove it.
