THE FERRARI OF TRUCKS; The new F-150 remains the benchmark for pickups.(Auto File)

In racing, they say it's harder to lead than to follow. Ford's F-150 must have cracked the code for sheer domination because for 22 years it has been our nation's top-selling vehicle.

For most of this battle it was only a three-workhorse race between Ford, Dodge and Chevrolet. But then came along Toyota in 1999 with the Tundra, and this year Nissan introduced the Titan. With Honda's truck entry looming on the horizon, any slip-up by the F-150 could see its reign atop the sales chart screech to a halt.

To find out what makes this truck a perennial best-seller, we thrust the Lariat 4x2 SuperCrew with the top-range 5.4-liter sohc V8 into our AutoFile test gauntlet. It pumps out 300 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, up from the old truck's 260 hp and 350 lb-ft. In this race, though, that is only enough to trounce the Tundra's 240 hp and 315 lb-ft.

We clocked a respectable 8.44-second 0-to-60-mph time, which easily outpaces the 9.7-second run posted by the Dodge Ram 1500 (AW, Oct. 28, 2002). But that was with the 4.7-liter V8. Factor in the 345-hp, 370- lb-ft Hemi engine and those numbers should be bettered.

Handling, as well, is just enough for the F-150 to keep pace. It ran through the pylons at 40.3 mph and laid down 0.73 g on the skidpad (the Ram did 42.0 mph and 0.76 g). Stopping from 60 mph took 132 feet, beating the Ram's 134 feet and equaling the nearly 1500-pound-lighter Lexus RX 330 (AW, Feb. 2). Not bad for a two-and- a-half-ton machine.

That mass did contribute to the most frequent owner complaint: thirstier-than-advertised gas mileage. We confirmed this allegation, averaging 13.71 mpg in mixed driving compared with the EPA estimates of 15 city and 19 highway.

Thus far no slip-ups, but no definitive signs, either. So why all the Truck of the Year fuss? As usual, numbers rarely tell the whole story.