What truck won the MotorTrend Truck Of the Year award for 2012?

The Ford F-150 won Motor Trend’s 2012 Truck of the Year award.

Motor Trend selected the F-150 after testing it against the Nissan NV, Ram Laramie Longhorn, and Toyota Tacoma. The competition evaluated how well each truck performed its intended functions, including hauling, towing, braking, acceleration, handling, efficiency, safety, and value.

The 2012 F-150 stood out partly because of its available 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. That twin-turbocharged, direct-injection engine produced strong torque while offering an alternative to traditional V8 power. Motor Trend tested both an EcoBoost Platinum model and an XLT equipped with the 5.0-liter V8, finding that the truck remained capable and composed both unloaded and carrying a payload.

A common mix-up is the award year. Motor Trend announced the 2012 winner in late 2011, because the award applied to the 2012 model year. The F-150’s win also belongs to the conventional gasoline pickup lineup; it should not be confused with later awards for other Ford trucks, such as the F-150 Lightning’s 2023 MotorTrend Truck of the Year title.