On The Road Again 2, by Tatiana – In The Mix #22

June 11, 2009 Tatiana EL-Khouri 7 Comments

When I think about summer, I have fond memories of road trips. Growing up, every year my family took a summer vacation within driving distance of Los Angeles. We ventured all over, from Las Vegas, Arrowhead, Big Bear, San Diego, Yosemite, Monterrey, to Laughlin. I think this was the most American pastime my hodge-podge of cultures family engaged in, One of my favorite parts of the trip was loading up my bag with enough toys and food to keep me occupied so I wasn’t annoying my parents chanting, “Are we there yet?”

When I was first approached to do a test drive for Ford, I start reflecting on the current state of the American car industry. It took me back to my summer road trips and how much I miss them. When I was told I had a pick from a wide range of Ford cars to test drive, I automatically thought of the Mustang Bullitt or one of the sporty hybrids. I envisioned riding with the top down along the coastal PCH on a photographic journey.

After speaking to my mom about the opportunity, she suggested requesting a larger vehicle so the family could take a road trip. I was flooded with childhood memories and delighted to do a road trip. However when I realized the dates for my test drive were during the week, my thoughts of road trips went out the water. My family wasn’t able to take off of work and neither was I.

To my chagrin, I had no clue what I was going to do with such a large truck, the 2009 F-150 Platinum. To all those who said the truck wasn’t big, believe me it was a behemoth! My biggest concern with driving a large truck with an extended cab, was navigating and parking. To my relief the Platinum edition is outfitted with some of the coolest additions and tools. When first opening the door, I was pleasantly surprised by the drop down step that aided me in climbing into the truck. The rear view camera that was embedded in the rear view mirror was a lifesaver! The camera gave full view of my surroundings in the rear and even provided a convenient guidelines that included a green/safe section, yellow section, and red section. If that wasn’t helpful enough, the reverse sensing system aided as well when getting out of a tight space or navigating a compact parking garage.

The F-150 Platinum would have been a perfect road trip car. The truck seated 5 people comfortably, I was able to seat 3 adults in the back seats with oversized bags at their feet without any complaints of legroom. The plush leather interior not only had heated seats, but AC seats! That was one of my favorite luxurious features. Can you imagine taking the truck to the beach, coming back to the tuck and being able to immediately enjoy the plush leather seats and drop the temperature in the seats.

Overall I liked the way the truck handled on the streets and the freeways. I would highly consider the truck if I was in the market for a truck.

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