Topic: Ford Reveals 2015 F150 With Two New Engines, Aluminum Body

[Autos_Editor]

New high-strength steel frame, integrated loading ramp, and 700lb weight reduction highlighted

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[sailor723]

New high-strength steel frame, integrated loading ramp , and 700lb weight reduction highlighted

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There you go Hammy....you should have waited.

[Snowman]

Wow...what a great looking truck. The integrated ramp system will be a great selling feature.

[tortoise]

Is that 2.7L an I4?  Curious that V6's and V8's are mentioned throughout the article but they are quiet on what makes up their 2.7L Ecoboost.

[wing]

It's a small 6

[opg210]

Looks like it hit R2D2 at 100 mph

[WRX_Pilot]

Argh that grille... Tacky is an understatement.  I guess I'm out of the loop of what people want in styling now.

[Northernridge]

I like what I see. Ford seems to be the clear innovator in the truck segment right now (innovation doesn't always mean good outcomes tho). The weight reduction is amazing. Overall I think this truck looks better than the outgoing one, which also looked good. I agree the giant chrome plastic grill (love the R2D2 comment above) is gaudy, but I bet their is a mostly painted version like the Tundra. I also notice a 'squaring up' of exterior truck design giving Ford and Chevy a more similar silhouette then they've had in years.

Based on the one photo I prefer the F150 interior to the ugly new GM one.

One thing I will say for GM though, you usually have to drive the trucks to appreciate them while Ford has occasionally disappointed me on test drives in the past.

[Hammy]

New high-strength steel frame, integrated loading ramp , and 700lb weight reduction highlighted

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There you go Hammy....you should have waited.

Ha, yeah I read it this morning.... We can trade up in a couple years!

[Northernridge]

New high-strength steel frame, integrated loading ramp , and 700lb weight reduction highlighted

Read More...

There you go Hammy....you should have waited.

Ha, yeah I read it this morning.... We can trade up in a couple years!

Na, you and your wife have been advised to go with a utility trailer. 

[MarkStevenson]

Not my cup of tea. I'll have a Canyon instead.

[bridgecity]

Looks great, sounds great.  Love the weight reduction, however it would be interesting to know where aluminum was substituted for steel.

Edit: Remote tailgate release?  Seems like too much.  Maybe for a contractor it would be handy, but for the average truck user it sounds like something else to break.

[SaskSpecV]

Ford seems to be the clear innovator in the truck segment right now (innovation doesn't always mean good outcomes tho).

Agree that Ford is definitely taking a more cutting edge approach to full-size trucks than GM - and I also agree that this may backfire on them.  Especially if the aluminum body panels are going to be very difficult/expensive to repair, there will be some PISSED fleet owners. But if that isn't going to be a big problem, the weight reduction is great news!

I would disagree that Ford is the "clear innovator" in the truck market - RAM deserves a lot of credit too.  Diesel engine, air-suspension, 8-speed auto, RAMbox, etc... - they are innovating just as much as Ford. 

Now if only a MNFR would "innovate" a full-size truck that wasn't so bloody big!

[Northernridge]

Ford seems to be the clear innovator in the truck segment right now (innovation doesn't always mean good outcomes tho).

Agree that Ford is definitely taking a more cutting edge approach to full-size trucks than GM - and I also agree that this may backfire on them.  Especially if the aluminum body panels are going to be very difficult/expensive to repair, there will be some PISSED fleet owners. But if that isn't going to be a big problem, the weight reduction is great news!

I would disagree that Ford is the "clear innovator" in the truck market - RAM deserves a lot of credit too.  Diesel engine, air-suspension, 8-speed auto, RAMbox, etc... - they are innovating just as much as Ford. 

Now if only a MNFR would "innovate" a full-size truck that wasn't so bloody big!

Agreed Ram is innovating too. Ford does strike me as taking a more 'clean sheet' approach though.

[SaskSpecV]

From edmunds.com (not sure if this was on the autos.ca press release?)

"All 2015 F-150 tow ratings will be certified to the new SAE J2807 standardized tow rating procedure. The Big Three have previously been reluctant to adopt this standard because it would result in a loss of about 300 pounds of capacity and no one wanted to blink first. This time Ford is confident it has made enough gains to overcome this and still maintain or extend its advantage over the competition."

Good on you Ford...can now make an actual comparison of tow ratings (well, at least to Toyota).  Now get GM and RAM to follow suit.  What a novel concept - a standardized test which produces meaningful results!

[Fobroader]

Ford seems to be the clear innovator in the truck segment right now (innovation doesn't always mean good outcomes tho).

Agree that Ford is definitely taking a more cutting edge approach to full-size trucks than GM - and I also agree that this may backfire on them.  Especially if the aluminum body panels are going to be very difficult/expensive to repair, there will be some PISSED fleet owners. But if that isn't going to be a big problem, the weight reduction is great news!

I would disagree that Ford is the "clear innovator" in the truck market - RAM deserves a lot of credit too.  Diesel engine, air-suspension, 8-speed auto, RAMbox, etc... - they are innovating just as much as Ford. 

Now if only a MNFR would "innovate" a full-size truck that wasn't so bloody big!

The only thing about Dodge, I am truly afraid of what all that fancy air suspension, 8spd tranny....blah blah blah will be like after the warranty ends. Fords have generally been fairly reliable, where Dodges have been russian roulette. Anyways, what a great looking truck, Ill still take a 3.5 Ecoboost with a tailgate step and those cool loading ramps. Cant wait to see and drive one.

[tooscoops]

lots of innovation for sure... whether it's innovation for innovations sake or for the final consumers benefit, we have yet to see.

i like the aluminum use but we'll have to wait and see about alloys used, how well it all joins together and how it holds up... i hope it's a good thing. figure most cars have been using aluminum for certain things (hoods mainly) so they should hold up to vehicle use...

the 2.7... i don't know. they seem to have issues with ecoboost stuff now, why get a smaller engine to move what is still a big truck? though it's lighter, the drag coefficient still will give a small engine a workout.

overall... should be nice. though they say prices will be similar to current ones.... will incentives be similar too? i'd guess nope. and that's where the big difference will be.

[Northernridge]

lots of innovation for sure... whether it's innovation for innovations sake or for the final consumers benefit, we have yet to see.

i like the aluminum use but we'll have to wait and see about alloys used, how well it all joins together and how it holds up... i hope it's a good thing. figure most cars have been using aluminum for certain things (hoods mainly) so they should hold up to vehicle use...

the 2.7... i don't know. they seem to have issues with ecoboost stuff now, why get a smaller engine to move what is still a big truck? though it's lighter, the drag coefficient still will give a small engine a workout.

overall... should be nice. though they say prices will be similar to current ones.... will incentives be similar too? i'd guess nope. and that's where the big difference will be.

Good comments, lots going in the truck segment these days. You bring up an interesting point about light weight and engines...funny, my mind goes right to the benefit of more power not less in a lighter weight truck.

[Fobroader]

lots of innovation for sure... whether it's innovation for innovations sake or for the final consumers benefit, we have yet to see.

i like the aluminum use but we'll have to wait and see about alloys used, how well it all joins together and how it holds up... i hope it's a good thing. figure most cars have been using aluminum for certain things (hoods mainly) so they should hold up to vehicle use...

the 2.7... i don't know. they seem to have issues with ecoboost stuff now, why get a smaller engine to move what is still a big truck? though it's lighter, the drag coefficient still will give a small engine a workout.

overall... should be nice. though they say prices will be similar to current ones.... will incentives be similar too? i'd guess nope. and that's where the big difference will be.

Good comments, lots going in the truck segment these days. You bring up an interesting point about light weight and engines...funny, my mind goes right to the benefit of more power not less in a lighter weight truck.

Im with you....I buy trucks to haul and pull, so to me, lighter weight=less stability and more power=more betterer always  I guess the 2.7 could be ok for someone hauling lots of big, bulky, light things, packing peanuts, foam, bubble wrap....you know, takes up a bunch of room but weighs practically nothing.

[sailor723]

lots of innovation for sure... whether it's innovation for innovations sake or for the final consumers benefit, we have yet to see.

i like the aluminum use but we'll have to wait and see about alloys used, how well it all joins together and how it holds up... i hope it's a good thing. figure most cars have been using aluminum for certain things (hoods mainly) so they should hold up to vehicle use...

the 2.7... i don't know. they seem to have issues with ecoboost stuff now, why get a smaller engine to move what is still a big truck? though it's lighter, the drag coefficient still will give a small engine a workout.

overall... should be nice. though they say prices will be similar to current ones.... will incentives be similar too? i'd guess nope. and that's where the big difference will be.

Good comments, lots going in the truck segment these days. You bring up an interesting point about light weight and engines...funny, my mind goes right to the benefit of more power not less in a lighter weight truck.

Im with you....I buy trucks to haul and pull, so to me, lighter weight=less stability and more power=more betterer always  I guess the 2.7 could be ok for someone hauling lots of big, bulky, light things, packing peanuts, foam, bubble wrap....you know, takes up a bunch of room but weighs practically nothing.

Or the millions of people who just like the look/idea of a truck and use it 99% of the time as a one passenger commuter vehicle.