"LTK" (wkoblinsky)
10/20/2014 at 16:18 • Filed to: None
4
20|
"LTK" (wkoblinsky)
10/20/2014 at 16:18 • Filed to: None | 4
| 20 |
So, Ford invited me down to Boston to experience the new F-150 today. Activities included towing, drag racing, autocross, and technology walkthroughs. I have to say the new F-150 is definitely not a new way to drive a truck, but it is head and shoulders above the competition in just about every category. I got some swag; I got a stupid grin on my face; I even got a free lunch.
I was able to do the autocross/drag four times, but only once on a truck with a camera. Luck would have it that I got stuck behind someone slow on that run.
txgenius
> LTK
10/20/2014 at 22:24 |
|
http://www.tgdaily.com/social/128886-…
Kornatoski
> LTK
10/21/2014 at 06:29 |
|
...except "good value" of course...
jondoe
> Kornatoski
10/21/2014 at 08:30 |
|
Their are many hurdles Ford has to overcome with their aluminum truck before it can be called a success. First of all the aluminum will raise the price of the vehicle, the body repairs in particular means higher repairs, higher insurance rates and the list goes on and on. Buyers will hold back and have a look and wait attitude. Buyers do not want to be the guinea pig in debugging this truck. To put in the mix many buyers still believe steel is the best choice and do not care about a little more weight. Also, consider aluminum parts glued and riveted together. Many auto body shops don't even have the special equipment or expertize to repair aluminum. Bonding parts with glue and welding aluminum takes special equipment and that will increase insurance rates. Something else to consider is how safe is an aluminum truck in a fire. A scary video of a Ford aluminum truck literally melted to the ground. Aluminum melts at a much lower temperature. Here is the results of one catching on fire and burning to the ground sending shivers down my spine.
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2014/08/spied-…
As for myself, my next truck will be a GM. With the current GM truck weighing less than the current Ford and with GM plans to use more high strength steel, the weigh differences will be negligible.
Travis, Senna of The High Seas
> LTK
10/21/2014 at 08:41 |
|
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Came here expecting to see a review of the new F-150's rock crawling ability.
Left slightly disappointed. :(
Coty
> jondoe
10/21/2014 at 10:07 |
|
By the 5 people a day who are in my office wondering why the hell we don't have an aluminum F-150 yet, I'm not sure your wait and see comment has much merit.
Truck-Driven
> Kornatoski
10/21/2014 at 10:39 |
|
The only GM truck that weighs less than the new F-150 is the Canyon and it is barely lighter.
anothermiatafanboy
> jondoe
10/21/2014 at 10:53 |
|
Its been the best selling vehicle in the country for how many years in a row now? People aren't going to hold back and wait. Many people wont even care or notice its made of aluminum.
|
LTK
> jondoe
10/21/2014 at 12:01 |
|
Ford has worked very hard to overcome all of these issues. From 6000-series aluminum to repairability focused design to helping equip bodyshops, Ford is doing everything possible to render all of these complaints moot. And after driving the new F-150 back to back with the Silverado (in several configurations), I can tell you you're settling.
|
LTK
> anothermiatafanboy
10/21/2014 at 12:02 |
|
it didn't feel tinny, just buttoned down and responsive. Doors are noticeably lighter, but that's about it.
|
LTK
> Travis, Senna of The High Seas
10/21/2014 at 12:05 |
|
Now I feel like I've let you down.
|
LTK
> Kornatoski
10/21/2014 at 12:08 |
|
I agree trucks have gotten ridiculous in the price department. The only confusion I have to offer is the mainline models should be only slightly more expensive once rebates kick in in earnest next year and a fully loaded truck with everything from massaging seats to panoramic roof will cost about $60k, or not much more than a current top of the line truck with much less equipment.
erikgrad
> jondoe
10/21/2014 at 14:04 |
|
You had better hurry up and get your GM truck, because GM already has contracts with Alcoa for aluminum on the next generation of pickups. It's still a few years away, but they are fast tracking it as much as possible. Auto body shops will suffer to some extent from these changes, no doubt, insurance rate changes are expected to be nominal when compared to the overall insurance market, Ford has been working behind the scenes on that.
Pramoda Ravi (Promo)
> jondoe
10/21/2014 at 14:07 |
|
Holy crap...
|
Travis, Senna of The High Seas
> LTK
10/21/2014 at 18:11 |
|
Yes, but it was slightly stupid of me to think that Ford would let you go rock crawling in a brand new, stock press truck.
|
LTK
> Travis, Senna of The High Seas
10/21/2014 at 20:05 |
|
They let the journos take em out to the wilds at the earlier events, so it's not all that crazy...
|
RobWH
> jondoe
10/21/2014 at 23:41 |
|
The one thing you may be shocked to see, and I promise this will happen, will be at the end of next year, when Ford remains the best selling truck in the country.
Truck buyers are LOYAL, period. Not only that, the new F150 has the highest tow capacity in its class, the most options overall, will have the best gas engine economy, etc.
What's with the weight comparison of the current GM to the old Ford? I mean, you'll only have a month or less to get the old Ford and the weight of that truck will no longer matter, so why use that as a point of debate on a truck you plan to buy in the future? Getting it next week, or what? Oh, and the new Ford already uses high strength steel. It also weighs about 300 lb less now. That's not really small.
You may as well wait till 2017, when GM follows Ford into the world of aluminum. If there's 1 thing I really don't like about Chevy, it's that they continue to FOLLOW the industry in technology, except Corvette. They even follow Cadillac...
If you buy a GM next, it's because you think it looks better and have ZERO intentions of working your truck.
|
RobWH
> Travis, Senna of The High Seas
10/21/2014 at 23:43 |
|
Really? You cannot be serious about saying you expected it to be rock crawling. I mean, "it rocks." hardly suggests it's crawling rocks.
Did you go to your 1st Rock-n-Roll concert expecting people to be rolling rocks around? C'mon... no chance.
|
Travis, Senna of The High Seas
> RobWH
10/21/2014 at 23:49 |
|
Well every now and again we get "Will it Baby?" articles, so I thought it might be a sort of pun off that. And really, I only thought that for a split second before logic kicked in.
|
RobWH
> Travis, Senna of The High Seas
10/22/2014 at 00:21 |
|
Thank you for that last sentence! LOL
|
jondoe
> RobWH
11/26/2014 at 08:51 |
|
What I see coming from Ford is hype. Hype is written all over Ford, and it works evidently. GM on the other hand has many superior products and techniques. Take for example, the aluminum parts has to be glued and riveted together. GM does not have to glue or rivet. With GM they use a patented process to joint parts together. If Ford had this process the whole world would know of it.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/11/g…
They are many things GM could show the world and brag about, but they don't. Take this frame twist, and this is after Ford's improved design. It use to twist so much that the tailgate use to warp.
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/10/2…
I'm sorry, I don't buy Ford's hype like you do and I could go on and on with with videos like these.
If I buy a full size truck, it will have a V8 that gets better gas mileage than the much touted Ecoboost.