The 2015 Ford F150 is a Head-Turner

by Ian Harwood on Wednesday, April 9th, 2014

We saw glimpses of this with Ford’s concept truck but did not expect it to become reality so soon…

 

 

The all-new 2015 Ford F150 turned some heads at the Vancouver International Auto show including mine.

Here’s close look at what’s new and different. I think the first thing that impresses is the new styling. The LED back lit headlights are a real stand out and the grille is a three-bar traveling all the way down to the bumper, very nice.

Next noteworthy change is the super lightweight military grade aluminum alloy body, weighing almost 318 kgs less than the previous model. We saw glimpses of this with Ford’s concept truck, the Atlas, but did not expect it to become reality so soon. No waste of materials building this new truck. Any unused aluminum during manufacture is reclaimed.

When it goes on sale late this year, there will be five trims available: XL, XLT, Lariat, Platinum and King Ranch. Chrome appearance packages are available with them all. Monochromatic sport appearance packages are available with all but the King. Optional power running boards drop down into position only when the doors are opened and remain tight against the body.

Some of the safety concerns expressed around driving a pickup are addressed with the use of sensors in the advanced personal safety system that control deployment of the dual stage front airbags, front seat side airbags, and side canopy air bags. Advance-Trac and roll stability control comes standard.

MyKey technology allows you to program the ignition keys with reminders to drive at appropriate speeds, limit the volume on audio system, limiting the vehicles top speed, muting the audio system until the front seatbelts are fastened.

There are second-row inflatable safety belts, which work like a traditional belt but include a tubular airbag that inflates in the event of a crash and distributes the force of the impact across a wider area of the passenger’s chest

A feature called Curve control, automatically provides more aggressive four-wheel braking when the truck is going into a corner too fast.

There are host of safety systems. Adaptive cruise control, allows drivers to set a cruising speed and use radar technology to monitor traffic ahead and maintain a safe distance between vehicles. The lane keeping system is designed to help avert unintentional drifting of the vehicle outside the intended driving lane. It automatically detects the left or right-hand road lane markings using a camera mounted between the windshield and interior rear-view mirror. The Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert uses radar hidden in the taillights to detect a vehicle entering a driver’s blind spot while driving or backing up.

Can’t believe I’ve got this far talking about a truck without mentioning power! – One of the engine choices is a new 2.7L EcoBoost engine that has undergone more than 16 million kilometres of testing. The other motors are the new 3.5L V6 EcoBoost that combines the efficiency of twin independent variable camshaft timing, and flex fuel capabilities, a 3.5L EcoBoost engine, which we are familiar with and a 5.0L V8.

The trucks equipped with EcoBoost engines will benefit from standard Active Grille Shutters. Active Grille Shutters stay open when extra engine cooling is needed, such as during low-speed stop-and-go driving or while working in hot weather. They automatically close to reduce aerodynamic drag at cruising speed.

Fuel economy numbers and prices should be released soon.

Contact: ian [dot] harwood [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca