2015 Ford F-150
It’s the myth. It’s the legend. It’s the Ford F150 pickup truck, and it stands at the top of the heap when it comes to American trucks. So, in 2015, has Ford improved on the legend by moving to aluminum? Our expert takes a look under the hood — and the body — going past the marketing hyperbole to find out if Ford’s latest entry still deserves the crown.
The Song Remains The Same For the Ford F150
The 2015 F150’s styling seems for all that time and exertion like only a mid-cycle model refresh. They’ve made some minor alterations to the overall look of the vehicle and added LED lights but for all intents a purposes, it’s the F150 we’ve come to know and love.
Other changes are purposeful and likewise subtle. For example, the door handles are held in deeper hollows which makes it remarkably easier for you to open a door when wearing work gloves. Ford has also added a bigger footstep for the tailgate. Small adjustments that lead to big convenience for hard workers.
An evolutionary, function-before-form strategy also speaks to the cabin design. XXL-size buttons and knobs are laid out to be easy to reach and manipulate. The changes are about evolution, not revolution say their engineers.
The shift lever on the center console still resembles a large ole’ shifter like you’d anticipate in a pick-up, but now your arm is supported by it while we pat at the touchscreen for the navigation system. It’s all quite reasonable, but we wish the cabin seemed finer — neither the design nor the substances fit what’s offered in the Ram 1500.
Ford F150 EcoBoost: A Well Mannered Brute
We start our test out driving some versions of the 2015 F150 that attribute the twin turbo EcoBoost V6, beginning with the new 325-hp, 2.7-liter variant pictured below. This EcoBoost engine feels plenty receptive, with lots of passing power at higher rpm and little turbo lag. It never seems inanimate as we scale some of the hills that give its name to Texas Hill Country.
For its part, the 365-hp EcoBoost V6 feels totally speedy. With the 6.2-liter V8 now allowed for Super Duty trucks, this twin turbo 3.5-liter V6 is now the top engine you can get in the F150 line, and it feels up to the job. (A normally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 will still be offered for the F150, however.) Throaty engine intake noise from the turbo V6 is piped into the cabin to approximate V8 sound, but actually, there’s no need to apologize for the cylinder count. Ford says the engine has accounted for 44 percent of F150 income in 2014.
Needless to say, part of the F150’s operation owes to the fact that these engines have less truck to lug about. Ford says the aluminum body, together with a more rigid and lighter new framework composed of high-strength steel than before, cuts on some 700 pounds from the weight of the previous-generation f 150.
Ford F150 Less Weight Equals Nicer Ride
Weight loss also leads to an improvement in ride quality, another important aim of the plan for the aluminum-bodied 2015 Ford F-150. Especially, Ford needs to remove the secondary shake when they ride through bumps that most pick-ups experience. The broader, more rigid frame and retuned body that is hydraulic mounts for the decrease in body shake.
An aluminum pick-up, no surprise drives like a pick-up. The 2015 Ford Ford F-150 is not substantially worse. The directing effort is a bit light for our flavor, but the directing activity is direct and fast, and it controls foreseeable dynamic results from the truck. When we speed through the corners, the front and back wheels feel like you’re in a taxi that’s pulling a trailer as though they really belong to one vehicle, instead of that feeling.
This is true even when we really pull on a 9000-pound trailer. The 3.5-liter V6 doesn’t complain when asked to perform at speed while hauling a heavy load. And the improved braking in tow mode helps out when you need to quick brake for sudden changes to the road conditions ahead — like a light turning red before you expected or someone braking for a chipmunk in the road.
Aluminum Makes it Better
It’s not difficult to drive the 2015 Ford F-150, shrug, and believe, “Yup, it’s a Ford F-150.” However, the Ford development team considers this a tremendous success. They’ve spent years making an aluminum F150 will continue to attract the legions of customers who’ve been quite satisfied with their steel F150s.
The new F150 does its very best not to boast or brag of its strengths. But don’t be deceived. In in the manner it goes down the road, and its frame and structure, its cabin, the 2015 Ford F-150 is a considerably more genteel tool – but it is a tool meant for work nonetheless.
You can see what Ford F150s are available now here.
0 Comments