New 2015 Ford F-150 goes lighter, smarter ? and maybe better than ever

[swshawaii]

Aluminum?

 

[Gavin Allan]

I wonder what corners Ford will cut to pay for this expensive technology and new features?



Bet the collison repair folks are pooping brick$ too. This will kill the mom and pop shops in the rural areas.

 

[blksn8k]

Gavin, did you ever check what the hood is made of on your ST?



I like where Ford is headed with this new F-150 but it is still way too big for my needs. Now if they would just put that new 2.7L EcoBoost in the global Ranger and sell it here...

 

[Doctor CAD]

TOO FRICKIN BIG!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gary s]

imo, good move.



looks nice and the new tech is good.



cant believe, the silverado got truck of the year :banghead:

 

[Tom Schindler]

Motor Trend also gave the car of the year award to Renault Alliance, Citro?n SM, Chevrolet Vega and Citation. That says it all.





Tom

 

[Kevin Lang]

Aluminum is a glorified clay :sad:



I hope it works out as I'd like to see Ford beat the bailed-out automakers and I'd like to see the end of that "most efficient V8 engine in a truck, with better fuel economy than Ford Ecoboost V6" commercial (the one where the lone man is driving his empty truck across a desert highway, which seems like he picked the wrong vehicle for the job IMO).



There are mom & pop style auto repair businesses that survived Cash for Clunkers?

 

[TrainTrac]

Bet the collison repair folks are pooping brick$ too. This will kill the mom and pop shops in the rural areas.

The same thing could be said for such 18th & 19th century professions such as coopers when steel drums were invented, stagecoach operators when railroad transportation came along, and buggy/wagon makers after Henry Ford made autos affordable for the masses.



Besides, I'd bet that the exorbitant compliance costs associated with the myriad of ever-changing, complex state and federal EPA regulations have already had a severely negative impact on the "mom & pop" shops.

 

[Richard L]

I think more an more vehicles will be using a lot more aluminum, carbon fiber and other lightweight materials to make the vehicles more fuel efficient.



Saving 700 lbs by extensive use of aluminum is not new, but it is a major paradigm shift for a pickup truck.



Only time will tell if Ford's F150 stays as King of truck sales in the US.



The problem with Motor Trends Car/Truck of the Year is that they only judge the vehicle based on the revolutionary changes without regard to the cost, usefullness, sales success or dependibility of the vehicle. Often times they pick vehicles that have barely made it to the dealers showrooms? As previously stated, Motor Trend Car of the Year awards includes many poorly designed vehicles. Sometimes the engineering revolution that earned the Motor Trend car of the Year, is the same engineering feat that later causes the vehicle to be considered a big failure.



...Rich

 

[Gavin Allan]

I hope it works. Seems like a huge gamble. Ford seemed to do OK with the big gamble on EcoBoost a few years ago. Who knows- maybe they really have their act together.



This video is pretty impressive:

 

[Richard L]

As long as Ford does not increase the cost of the new F150 too much where it is no longer competitive, price wise, and as long as the truck has similar performance, towing, etc capabilities of the older models, then it should do alright.



I'm sure there are some old-school pickup purist who will think that the loss of 700 lbs in a pickup makes it unsafe or incapable of handling the mission of a fullsize pickup.



...Richard

 

[gary s]

"I'm sure there are some old-school pickup purist who will think that the loss of 700 lbs in a pickup makes it unsafe or incapable of handling the mission of a fullsize pickup."



agree. the same people who have an issue with new technology that are improving items

 

[H D]

If it can haul and take abuse like it always has, as I suspect it will, while getting better gas mileage, what is not to like? I seriously doubt Ford would release a less capable truck. They aren't foolish enough to start making truck commercials that say, "yeah, Chevy and Toyota can haul more, but we get 4mpg better." Trucks will always be judged based on their performance and "toughness." The fact that 95% of full size truck owners (think suburbanites) would never know the difference is irrelevant.



If you notice the commercials for Ford's smaller cars do boast about fuel economy but they still mention it as a bonus feature to the great power and technology offered.