Auto News 5

Americans have never been much for the metric system. We love our country miles and our cups of sugar, and we're happy to tell you what an ounce of prevention is worth. There's one metric measurement, however, that's as American as the ten-gallon hat, one that sets aflutter the hearts of Ford Mustang aficionados coast to coast: 5.0 liters - "five-oh" to the faithful. Cheekily rounded up from 4942 cubic centimeters, it's the engine displacement - denoted by an iconic emblem behind the front wheel arch - that defined Mustang performance for more than a decade, one so fundamental to the nameplate that Ford has brought it back to huge fanfare for 2011.

This thing is a total workhorse. I must have put 500 miles on this truck during my time behind the wheel and put it through all kinds of scenarios. One weekend I hauled my race car, trailer, and equipment to the track; the next weekend I crammed the cab full of people and the bed with their camping gear for a weekend trip to Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR race. Both weekends the truck proved to be right in its element and received numerous compliments from other Ford truck owners, and a few snarls from Chevy and Dodge guys.