tom_vilsack

Do F-150 owners really want all this tech crap in there trucks? Just seems like more Gizmo's that will break and add to $$$ repairs!

As far as styling goes,it seems they must have used the same rookie over design team that built the new Mustang....because that front end is horrible looking!

laserred38

You can get an STX today which is pretty basic, but add the basic Sync package, and you have a nice truck for $30k. My buddy just got a 2013 with the 5.0, Sync, 4x4 and it was $30k plus tax. Not bad for a lot of truck! It's not top of the line, but it's a great value, and it doesn't have all the chrome that the XLTs and up have.

cdynaco

excerpts:

How Ford snuck a 2015 F-150 past everyone at the Baja 1000

By Zach Bowman Published January 15, 2014 Road & Track

Last year, the phone rang at Foutz Motorsports—Ford wanted to do something different. With the aluminum-bodied F-150 headed for production and an all-new 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 coming to the order sheet, the company wanted to race a 2015 F-150 in the 2013 Baja 1000. The catch? No one could see the new truck before it was unveiled in Detroit.

Ford pulled a prototype pickup from its test fleet: a 2015 model in 2014 clothing. In order to keep spy photographers at bay, Ford went through the hassle of stamping a number of 2014 bodies in aluminum for road testing. It was the perfect camouflage.

“This truck is all the 2015 powertrain, frame, the suspension stuff, the 2.7-liter EcoBoost motor, and then they actually stamped the old molds out in aluminum so we could hide in plain sight,” Foutz said.

He grabbed a prototype and set to work. Unlike previous race trucks, Ford was dead set on using as may production parts as possible. Aside from a set of lift springs, Fox shocks borrowed from the Raptor, a fuel cell in the bed, a cage, and a set of 35/12.50 R17 prototype BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires, the truck is bone stock. It even has the factory transmission cooler.

“We broke all the rules for racing. This is as stock as you can possibly get. It’s all the stock arms and four-wheel drive components.”
Ford even insisted on using the factory air intake and filter.

Interestingly enough, the switch to an aluminum body structure actually allowed Ford to use a thicker gauge metal for greater durability while still saving substantial weight. How much? Between the new aluminum body and the new high-strength steel frame, Ford trimmed 700 pounds from its bread-and-butter pickup. On the street, it means better fuel economy. On the trail, it means the F-150 race truck is far easier on equipment.

In a race notorious for pounding hardware into submission, Ford managed to wrap up all 1000 miles of trail without so much as a tire puncture. That’s nearly unheard of.

After the race was over, Ford asked Greg to pull one more stunt: drive the truck, unchanged, from Mexico to Michigan.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/...ntcmp=features

rhumb

Quote:

How about a tough *** F150 4x that we have depended upon for decades with significantly better mileage?

Well, I think a lot of that (non entertainment) hi-techie stuff is what will actually give you a tough *** F150 4x4 with significantly better mileage. It takes more than a towering overdrive gear to get 30mpg highway, meet current safety and emission standards and last past the last payment.

I'll presume fairly stripped out F trucks will be available for serious dray work duty while a mile long option list will be there for those faux urban tough guys can plush out their "trucks" to limo like comfort levels.

Overall I like it. The styling is nice without going the full-blown clown-show tough-truck rolling caricature that so many others are doing, being good, clean and functional without being boring. It will be interesting to see how such extensive use of these AL alloys will work out in reality too as it sounds like the F series will be sort of the test horse for using them extensively (will we then be seeing more extensive use on the Stang in the future, sounds like the 2015 probably didn't shed much, if any, weight given Ford's dissembling when asked about that).

PS Any more info on the Nano Egoboost V6? Is it just some smaller development of the current V6 or basically a whole new motor? Might an Egoboost 2.7 eventually find its way into the Stang lineup somewhere?

laserred38

I doubt it. The 2.3 4 cylinder is going to make almost the same power.

AlsCobra

It looks even taller that the current version. The current truck now needs someone over 6'2" to get anything out of the bed. Ground clearance hasn't changed in years but the sheet metal is getting taller and taller which just isn't very convenient. I may be one of the few left that doesn't enjoy sitting up high when driving. Really not sure the reason all full size trucks have went up in height. It serves no purpose. I see the higher end edition F trucks even come with stairs and a handle to climb into the bed. On a 2wd.

cdynaco

Yeah I agree about the bed height. Obviously the dweebs on the drawing board never get out of the office and try to reach in the dam thing for something.

Ethanjbeau

The difference between the good and the bad engineers.

Overboost

Glad to see the forum "engineers" picking it apart. Seeing it in person (without a tape measure), I didn't notice any increase in height over the outgoing truck.

cdynaco

Cute. As usual. Who says the previous model was any easier to reach in the bed?

Evil_Capri

People sure purchase a lot of them, so one would think FMC performs their due diligence fairly well.

AlsCobra

People purchase a lot of beauty care products too. Yet there's a lot of ugly out there.

Evil_Capri

Well if so many people have the same complaints seems sales would be a good indicator.

cdynaco

Hey I'm as loyal as it gets to the F150 4X. But that doesn't mean I like everything Detroit does to it lately. I don't like the fugly in your face grill, I don't like the tall unusable sides (not everybody is 10' tall), I could care less about the new tech stuff in my pickup truck, I freaking hate I can't get a manny tranny now , and I hate the poor mileage (have for 30+ yrs).

Around here we use our trucks. Ranchers, farmers, all kinds of horse people from roping events to shows to cattle drives, left over loggers, hunting & fishing & camping, hauling dirtbikes & ohv's and snowmobiles out to the millions of acres of forest, snowplowing, getting us over 5k passes in every direction in the winter, etc... And yes, we commute/travel in it (often empty).

This area used to be dominated by Ford pickups (in spite of the jackwad Ford Dealer that was here for decades) as evidenced by GM shutting down its only dealership during the crunch. It was plain to see. The only reason people bought Dodge was for the Cummins and that was usually if they had trailers they were towing regularly.

However, the last few years the new/newer Dodge/Ram trucks are just about equal to Fords new/newer trucks from what I see (in spite of the jackwad Dodge Dealer). And I've been watching the changeover. Don't have stats, don't know why, but it is my observation. I'm disappointed.

So because I "dare" express my dislikes of my favorite truck - vs being a cult member pretending the new/newer F150's are perfect in every way - is in hope that Ford keeps its crown - by listening to the large demo of buyers like me that dominate the western United States. Which means it stays more than a city truck for soccer moms or people that get an inch or two of snow a few times in the winter or just want to have a truck in their driveway. I (we) want a useable truck (without needing a step ladder) that is as dependable as its always been, performs just as well, looks good, and finally starts to lower my fuel bill.

That's my opinion based on experience and actual usage of my truck, and my needs/reasons for buying a Ford F150 4X. Your opinion may differ.

Evil_Capri

Rolleyes all you want, and I don't remember reading anyone stating the F-150 is perfect. I was simply questioning the opinion that if the trucks are now non-workable it would seem sales would suffer, and the market would bare the results. . . . well as much as it could given all the darn regulations the automakers have to deal with, which I suspect have more to do with the growth of trucks.

AlsCobra

It's workable as much as the competition. Chevy truck guys don't buy Fords. Ford truck guys don't buy Chevys. Same with Chrysler. This has very little to do with sales. The pickup is not much of a work vehicle nowadays anyway. Crew cab short beds everywhere. There is a pickup in at least 90% of the driveways around here. What I'm stating is that you need a step ladder to check your oil or air filter, and you need to be really tall or have unusually long arms to reach over the bed rails. GM and Chrysler is high too but the beds are not as deep and more usable. So if your job requires you to work out of the bed of your pickup, the Ford may not be the first option. Unless you're a 6.5 ft spider monkey.

Overboost

If you want to see a truck remodel go wrong, look at the GM twins. Despite an "all-new" truck, the sales haven't followed. I give Ram credit for stepping the game up after becoming their own brand. They've done some truly great things to the truck, and I hope it puts pressure on Ford and GM to keep moving forward with great products.

The big thing here is a potential paradigm shift in truck design. It started in 2011 when the Ecoboost (not EGoboost, as some say) was unveiled. It was met with skepticism and doubt, and here we are a few years later with almost a HALF MILLION of them sold (425,000 to be exact). Despite being the end of life in the current truck, they can't seem to make enough. That's a good problem to have. They should (operative word here) have seen a sales drop with the new Ram and new GM trucks, but didn't. Now, with the new truck, we have a major change in the body structure of it, and the potential to throw the market on it's head to catch up. Ford is taking the risk, and I hope it pays off. As I mentioned, seeing the truck in person is totally different than the pics. The Tuxedo Black Platinum truck I saw is STUNNING. The brightwork on the grille and headlamps compliments the dark color extremely well. The signature lighting on the LED headlamps/tails is as good as anything Audi has. Even the base truck, in XLT or work truck trim looks GREAT.

Hopefully the 2.7 GTTDI engine shares the same success that the 3.5 is having. I hope the power figures and capacity of trucks with that engine surpasses the old 5.4 Triton trucks and makes people think long and hard about it. There's still plenty of non-tech filled choices in their lineup. They did the smart thing by trimming the trim packages to something a bit more manageable.

2k7gtcs

Some people would prefer the high sides to protect their cargo inside than a low side.

You just get used to it. And the day I buy a truck with a step ladder to get in the bed is the day I get my AARP card.

laserred38

One thing I would've liked to see would be the Chevy's steps integrated into the bumper. I think that was a really nice feature, to get into the "too tall" bed sides. I'd also like to see some lockable in-bed storage like the RamBox and Nissan Titan's lower compartments.

Overboost

Agreed. It's a simple solution to the problem. They do, however, have the retractable step at the front of the bed for reaching items up there.