Autoblog

With safety becoming more and more of a priority in buyers' purchase decisions, automaker are striving for as many IIHS top scores and five-star ratings as they can collect. One technology that hit the ground running a few years back is the backup camera, which gives drivers of large SUVs, pickups, and minivans a clearer view of what's going on beyond the bumper. Ford designed its own camera technology for 2008 model year vehicles, with the image being shown in the rear view mirror.

The video screen only shows up when you're in reverse, and it gives you both video of what's behind you and the approximate distance you can travel before hitting something. Then the folks from Dearborn, MI threw in the beep sensor as a redundant measure. The technology works remarkably well, and the video screen is even visible in extremely bright sunlight. We got video of the camera tech during Ford's 2008 vehicle review event, so hit the jump to see how close we got to some little girl's bike with the new 2008 King Ranch Expedition. It was incredibly accurate.

The first time we laid eyes on Ford's new F-450, we knew that we wanted to run one through the ringer. Intended to satisfy those customers who find traditional "one ton" dually trucks to be a bit too limiting, this massive vehicle pegged our more-is-better meter. The F-450 is, in fact, so big as to make the title of this post a complete misnomer, as it takes something more like a barn to house this much truck.

With gas prices at record highs, Ford's heaviest and biggest trucks, the F-350 models and F-450, are surpassing all sales expectations.

The decked out Lariat and King Ranch variations of the F-350, as well as the F-450, are going gangbusters, with the King Ranch up 53-percent over last year, while the Lariat is up 30-percent. Overall, both models are leading their segment. With options topping $17,000 and sticker prices exceeding $60,000, the truck's decent sales are likely a breath of fresh air to the incentive-prone automaker.

Ford has more to brag about in its lighter trucks -- the F-250 also continues to be the top seller in its segment, and the F-150 historically has been one of Ford's most important vehicles behind the Taurus, set to relaunch this fall.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]