If you own a Ford F-150, it won’t surprise you that it was just awarded the Motor Trend 2012 Truck of the Year®. In fact, the F-150 has won that honor four times – the most awards for any truck since Motor Trend began presenting the Truck of the Year award in 1989! And, with more than a half-million sales through November and a lead of almost 150,000 sales versus the nearest competitor this year, the Ford F-Series is on track to extend its streak of truck leadership to 35 straight years.

Motor Trend editors applauded F-150 because, they said, “F-150s are built to work and felt better the more they were challenged. Ford offers an enormous variety of configurations and designs, making the truck tailorable to just about any need. It’s the combination of advancement in design, engineering excellence, efficiency, safety, value, and the performance of intended function that has earned the Ford F-150 the title of Motor Trend’s 2012 Truck of the Year.”

Do you have your own reasons why you think the Ford F-150 should be your personal truck of the year? Leave us a comment here or submit it as a story through Your Stories.

Helping spark the truck’s continued success is the powerful and fuel-efficient 3.5-liter EcoBoost™ engine, which now accounts for more than 40 percent of F-150 retail sales and is on pace to exceed 100,000 sales in less than a full year on the market.

And here are a few more reasons to love the 2012 Ford F-150:

• Class-exclusive electric power-assisted steering (EPAS)
• A 4.2-inch LCD message center, which features information related to fuel economy, towing performance and off-roading, SYNC® AppLink™ and SIRIUS Travel Link™ also are among the customer conveniences available
• 36-gallon fuel tank on 4X4 F-150 EcoBoost equipped units providing best-in-class 756 miles of driving range
• Two speed automatic 4×4 system on Lariat, King Ranch, Harley Davidson and Platinum models for improved all weather traction
• Hill Start Assist, which helps keep the truck from rolling backward at a stop, making it easier to pull away when on a slope or hill, especially when towing
• Best-in-class payload capability of 3,120 pounds

All of the changes for the 2012 model year complement a powertrain lineup that debuted in 2011. The powertrain lineup delivers a mix of best-in-class fuel economy, horsepower, torque, and capability. Ford is also the first and only manufacturer to equip its entire full-size pickup truck lineup with fuel-saving six-speed automatic transmissions as standard. Engine highlights include:

3.7-liter four-valve Ti-VCT V6:

•           Best-in-class 302 horsepower at 6,500 rpm vs. V6 competitors

•           Unsurpassed 278 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm vs. V6 competitors

•           Best-in-class 17 mpg city and best-in-class 23 mpg highway (4×2)

•           Best-in-class 6,100 pounds maximum trailer tow vs. V6 competitors

5.0-liter four-valve dual-overhead-camshaft Ti-VCT V8:

•           Best-in-class 360 horsepower at 5,500 rpm vs. standard V8 competitors

•           Best-in-class 380 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,250 rpm vs. standard V8 competitors

•           21 mpg highway, unsurpassed 15 mpg city (4×2)

•           Best-in-class 10,000 pounds maximum trailer tow vs. standard V8 competitors

6.2-liter two-valve single-overhead-camshaft V8:

•           Best-in-class 411 horsepower at 5,500 rpm vs. all competitors

•           Best-in-class 434 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm vs. all competitors

•           13 mpg city, 18 mpg highway (4×2)

•           Best-in-class 11,300 pounds maximum trailer tow vs. all competitors

3.5-liter Ti-VCT EcoBoost:

•           365 horsepower at 5,000 rpm on regular fuel

•           Best-in-class 420 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500 rpm vs. premium V8 competitors

•           Up to 90 percent peak torque available from 1,700 rpm to 5,000 rpm

•           22 mpg highway, 16 mpg city (4×2)

•           Best-in-class 11,300 pounds maximum trailer tow vs. all competitors

•           Best-in-class 3,120 pounds payload vs. all competitors

Visit ford.com for more information on the 2012 Ford F-150.