Though pickups are no longer a hot item at dealerships across the country, it’s worth pointing out that when they were hot, Ford sold more of them than anybody. Their F-150 pickup truck has been the best selling truck in America for a few years running. Though they just released a brand new F-150 in 2004, Ford is now giving it’s best-seller a much needed makeover.

You see, this is not Ford’s fault, but rather the competition has stepped up quite a bit since ’04. Chevy’s new line of pickups is very impressive and the new Silvarado looks very modern. Dodge has even introduced a coil-spring rear suspension on it’s new Ram, a feature that no major pick-up truck has ever had.

Ford had to step up. The tooling costs of a brand new design were deemed too expensive to justify, especially in these rough times. So instead Ford has decided to freshen up it’s line-up by giving the F-150 a minor facelift. Not much is new apart from the different front end treatment, Lincoln-style tail lamps, and a few other minor fetures.

The F-150 is powered by an all V8 lineup now that the aging 4.2-liter V6 has been finally put to pasture. It starts off with a 248hp two-valve 4.6-liter V8 and can be streched all the way to a 5.4-liter three-valver with 310hp. The XLT is expected to remain the volume seller, while a new Platinum Edition will trump the King Ranch as the new top-of-the-line F-150 by including every optional feature standard.

The new trucks should be trickling into dealers as you read this. Just remeber that if none of this new stuff entices you, you can still get a smoking deal on an ’08 as dealers are desperate to get rid of them. Either way, your guaranteed to end up with a good truck.

-Source: Car And Driver

-Photos: Ford Motor Co.