2012 Ford F-150

A full bed of mulch, a trailer hitch loaded with a riding mower, and a driveway project that needs finishing before dark is exactly the kind of Saturday this F-150 XLT was made for. The 7,100-pound GVWR payload package means this truck is rated to carry serious weight, not just cleared for light hauling, so when you load it down, it handles the load the way it was engineered to. Picture yourself backing into the hardware store's loading zone on a Sunday morning, tailgate dropping, truck sitting level and steady while the staff loads the last of the pavers. The safety equipment on this truck is more comprehensive than most buyers expect at this price point, with electronic stability control, four-wheel ABS disc brakes, traction control, and a full complement of airbags working together the way they do on much newer vehicles. Front fog lights and fully automatic headlights mean those early morning job site runs or late evening drives home don't require you to think about visibility, the truck handles it. Cruise control and speed-sensing steering take the fatigue out of the longer stretches of highway, so whether you're covering ground to reach a work site or driving back after a long day, the truck pulls its weight on that end too.