Bryan1 Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) Ford silences its critics with a midcycle F-150 that is simply dominant Ford gambled more than $1 billion and abandoned seven decades of steel bodywork to create a 2015 F-150 with an aluminum body. Dropping a claimed 700 pounds would improve fuel economy, increase towing capacity, improve power-to-weight ratios, and create a truck with fewer parts subject to rust. The move was bold and expensive. Two truck plants closed for 13 weeks each to gut the body shop. Months of downtime meant the lost sale of 60,000 trucks valued at $40,000 or higher, followed by a slow rollout. Ford endured a year of lost market share and profits. Critics called it an unnecessary and costly mistake. Once the new F-150 arrived, Ford had to fend off GM’s allegations that aluminum wasn’t as tough as Chevy steel. And Ford still was trailing the fuel efficiency chase to the Ramdiesel. Ford fought back, saying reducing weight was just step one in a more comprehensive reimagining of the F-150. Still to come were a new powertrain lineup with new engines, improvements to existing ones, and a new transmission. Patience, Ford pleaded. We’re just getting started. Three years ago, we determined the new F-150 had a nice body but that not all the details had been sorted out. The F-150 lost the Motor Trend 2015 Truck of the Year title to the Chevrolet Colorado. Fast-forward to today. For 2018 Truck of the Year testing, Ford gave us four variants to show the breadth of the changes under the hood. Ford has been busy; the interiors have gotten nicer, the infotainment system more intuitive, the steering better. The F-150 chassis is stupendous, the innovations have increased, and it has earned an NHTSA five-star safety rating. It was unanimous. The Ford F-150 is Motor Trend’s 2018 Truck of the Year. “It was a pretty resounding win,” road test editor Chris Walton said. “Nothing really came close.” Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/news/ford-f-150-2018-truck-of-the-year/ PS Mike Levine @mrlevine 9h9 hours agoMore Super proud and happy for our team to see that Ford F-150 and Super Duty have won back-to-back Motor Trend Truck of the Year awards for the entire 2017 and 2018 F-Series lineup: https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2017/11/27/new-f-150-named-2018-motor-trend-truck-of-the-year.html … Edited November 28, 2017 by Bryan1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 One of my favorite colors... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 ...and 2019 will be won by Ranger. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 One of my favorite colors... Agreed...I love that color! Had I waited for a 2018 Super Duty, that's the color I would have ordered. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rperez817 Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 ...and 2019 will be won by Ranger. I hope so! New Ford Ranger will probably be my next truck when I'm ready to buy one in 2019 or 2020. 2019 Truck of the Year competition will much tougher than 2018 though. New, completely redesigned trucks from FCA and GM are coming out for 2019. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Does it being the "truck of the year" really affect your decision to purchase a Ranger? Sure it'd be nice for it to win, but it's the same truck whether it wins or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Does it being the "truck of the year" really affect your decision to purchase a Ranger? Sure it'd be nice for it to win, but it's the same truck whether it wins or not... Won't effect my decision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 When your a truck company the benefit is you can pour all your effort into well..building a great truck..if only they had the tenacity and will to build a passenger car that could dominate like there truck..well congrats to ford.,a truck company winning in a truck segment..color me surprised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Does this award mean Ford upped its advertising budget? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 "Ford upped its advertising budget?" Maybe, but Ford won it last year and should have won it in 2015. Looks like they sent 4 trucks this time to be sure to get the win. PS GM fanbois buttheart on PUTC: "The judges were impressed by the two new naturally aspirated, direct-injection engines..." I'm presuming we're hearing that Motor Trend judges were impressed with a 3.3 liter V6 in a truck that weighs close to 5 thousand pounds with a couple of my passengers on board. Among the great cars that have 'earned' the Motor Trend award are the Gremlin and the Chevy Vega. Hardly a distinguished award. Posted by: papajim | Nov 28, 2017 1:51:35 PM http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2017/11/motor-trend-names-the-2018-ford-f-150-truck-of-the-year.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Agreed...I love that color! Had I waited for a 2018 Super Duty, that's the color I would have ordered. I saw a F150 in Magma Red at the dealership a few days ago. I had to check the sticker to make sure it wasn’t bronzefire. It has a lot more metal flake and had a nice two tone dark/light appearance depending on the angle of the sun. I considered it briefly but my current Fusion is red and I had a similar color Lincoln LS (Autumn Red) so it’s probably going to be magnetic or race red. I would consider Blue Jeans but strangely it doesn’t come with the sport package on either the XLT or Lariat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 "Ford upped its advertising budget?" Maybe, but Ford won it last year and should have won it in 2015. Looks like they sent 4 trucks this time to be sure to get the win. The real answer is it’s a great truck and there was basically no real competition. Sierra 3500 HD and a Colorado with a new engine but no other changes. Remember that only new or significantly updated vehicles are even considered. It’s nice that it won but it means absolutely nothing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 True but they also talked about full-size trucks in general and how Ford is leading the pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 I saw a F150 in Magma Red at the dealership a few days ago. I had to check the sticker to make sure it wasn’t bronzefire. It has a lot more metal flake and had a nice two tone dark/light appearance depending on the angle of the sun. I considered it briefly but my current Fusion is red and I had a similar color Lincoln LS (Autumn Red) so it’s probably going to be magnetic or race red. I would consider Blue Jeans but strangely it doesn’t come with the sport package on either the XLT or Lariat. I considered both Blue Jeans and Magnetic as those are both beautiful colors. I'm not a fan of Race Red though. I really don't like the way Ford limits colors on models/trims. It doesn't really make that much sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) I considered both Blue Jeans and Magnetic as those are both beautiful colors. I'm not a fan of Race Red though. I really don't like the way Ford limits colors on models/trims. It doesn't really make that much sense. My issue with Race Red is that it looks great in pictures but in person it sometimes has an orange tint. Wife thinks Im crazy but Ive seen this mentioned by lots of other folks. The big issue with me for the sport package is the console shifter. I dont mind blue jeans with the chrome appearance package but it has the column shifter. Edited November 28, 2017 by akirby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 My issue with Race Red is that it looks great in pictures but in person it sometimes has an orange tint. Wife thinks Im crazy but Ive seen this mentioned by lots of other folks. The big issue with me for the sport package is the console shifter. I dont mind blue jeans with the chrome appearance package but it has the column shifter. That's the same reason I don't like the Race Red...it looks orangish. So you DON'T want the column shifter? I used to want it, but with the quad cup holders my SD has, I'm glad it didn't come with the console shifter. The column works just fine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan1 Posted November 29, 2017 Author Share Posted November 29, 2017 Race Red is one of the worst colors and gives me a headache. But I'd take it for free or a very heavy discount. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Race Red is one of the worst colors and gives me a headache. But I'd take it for free or a very heavy discount. I wouldn't even take it for free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 (edited) I couldn't care less about Motor Trend, they are just piling on board what everyone else already knows because IMO, they are the critics that have been silenced...... Edited November 29, 2017 by jpd80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 That's the same reason I don't like the Race Red...it looks orangish. So you DON'T want the column shifter? I used to want it, but with the quad cup holders my SD has, I'm glad it didn't come with the console shifter. The column works just fine. I don’t like the column shifter. I’ve gotten used to console shifters the last 20 years and cup holders aren’t usually a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 I don’t like the column shifter. I’ve gotten used to console shifters the last 20 years and cup holders aren’t usually a problem. That's why I thought I wanted the console shifter in my truck, but I actually like the extra space. I quite often have a cup of water and a cup of coffee (as does my wife) on trips, so I'd rather have the cup holders. I do wish the +/- shift buttons were a bit more accessible than they are on the column shifter though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooter Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Every time i had a column shift and bench seat she got pregnant..yea i will go with console shift 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Agreed...I love that color! Had I waited for a 2018 Super Duty, that's the color I would have ordered. Go ahead and order it. I'll drive it for you 'til you're ready for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerLS Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 I considered it briefly but my current Fusion is red and I had a similar color Lincoln LS (Autumn Red) so it’s probably going to be magnetic or race red. Race Red looks good on F150s, but it really shines on RCSB F-150s. Not that anybody would buy one of those... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 Race Red looks good on F150s, but it really shines on RCSB F-150s. Not that anybody would buy one of those... Silly people...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.