2015 Ford F-150 Platinum 4 × 4 3.5L Ecoboost Review [With Video]

2015 Ford F-150 Platinum 4 × 4 3.5L Ecoboost Review [With Video] -

Ford F-150 is an important vehicle for Ford and not too exaggerated to say that it is an important vehicle for America. In 2014, the F-150 was not only the most popular truck in America, it was the most popular nothing in America, selling more than 740,000 examples. For those who like their number, which is more F-150s than any Hyundai sold in the United States combined.

Redraw the F-150 is not only to Ford's profits on the line. Hundreds of vendors and countless employees are worried about aluminum Ford bet.

first let's talk aluminum. There seems to be much confusion about the first Behold the agreement "any collection of aluminum." The F-150 aluminum bodied . If you were worried about how to resist an aluminum frame, fear not, the body of the F-150 mounts on a high-strength steel frame, which is half the reason for the high number of towing and payload. The other half is the aluminum body. Although there have been many arguments about the alleged 700 weight of an economics book, Ford said nearly 450 lbs of body comes only aluminum. In a simplistic sense, for every pound you out of the body, you can put it back in the form of the payload. This is the main reason why the F-150 has numbers payload 400-0 lbs that are higher than the comparable GM models and RAM.

The majority of the body is made of 00 series aluminum, which is about 33% lighter than the steel sheet of the same thickness. Ford discusses heat most aluminum panels of the F-150 to improve strength and can save some money by using less expensive 5000 series aluminum in areas such as the floor of the cabin and interior parts . According to an engineer at BAE Systems, aluminum also better dent, ding and corrosion resistance than steel, which is why it is used in military vehicles where these properties are important. If you think about the ease of an aluminum soda can bend a steel can of the same thickness would tooth easier and, according to the engineers, break more easily. This is a huge advantage in the bed of the F-150, where Ford was able to make them thicker panels and still gain weight. The bugaboo is of course the cost of the repair. Body shops have less experience with aluminum, it is more expensive to replace and labor costs are higher at present.

Exterior
As you 'd expect from a modern American pickup, the F-150 is bigger, bolder and angrier at the front than the model it replaces. If you are willing to pony up the money, Ford will sell you the first full-LED headlights of the segment, but I found the brightness of the projector to be a little lackinglike all the major players in this segment. At the back we find a new tailgate design that is not only lighter, because it is aluminum, but also amortized as Japanese competition so it does not break on you. The advantage of aluminum tailgate is immediately obvious because it was much easier to close than the competition even if our model was integrated tailgate step.

Although I think the RAM is attractive, growing overbite is a design I 'D left on the floor of the cutting room, and GM square wheel arches have always scratching my head. Therefore, the collection of aesthetic prices will at Ford since the 2015 model brings just enough "butch" without looking ridiculous.

Interior
When designing a vehicle that runs from $ 26,100 to over $ 62,000, there will always be compromise . If you use the same internal parts base in all models, you must either be prepared to do the basic models look and feel more, or be willing to have hard plastic in the end upper trims. Ford, like GM and Chrysler, chose the latter. This means our Platinum model almost fully equipped sported real wood trim and soft leather, but were far inch hard plastic door panels and trim pieces. Note: this is not a negative, it is simply a fact. I personally do not problematic use of hard plastics Ford because it is the standard in the segment of pickup trucks. It would be a problem if no one else did.

Although I think that inside the RAM is more beautiful, especially in the brown and tan version, the F-150 is the king of the hill in terms of the quality of parts, especially in the platinum lining where you get acres of aluminum and fit and finish trim beats the competition. Although I found the front seats in the base Silverado to be more comfortable than the Ford, the Platinum model gets massage and anti-fatigue Ford system. Basically it is the same system that we saw in the Lincoln MKS. Ford puts more air bags in the seat and back cushion that are related to a compressor and valve system controlled by computer. In addition to providing adjustable lumbar support multi-the software can inflate and deflate the bags in order to "massage" back and improve circulation in the leg. At first it seemed that the truck was slowly groped my ass, but after half past one in the seat I was hooked. Most luxury cars with similar systems only work for 15 to 20 minutes, but the Ford system stays on until you turn off the car or the compressor noise is yours.

infotainment
Ford's infotainment touchscreen system is expected to be replaced by the much anticipated 3 SYNC system from next year . Until then, the F-150 soldiers on the same infotainment systems we've seen for some time. Base models get a 4.2-inch color LCD radio with voice recognition software SYNC and 4 speakers. Top trucks end jump to 11 speakers (including a subwoofer) and the screen grows to an 8-inch touch screen with navigation, satellite and HD radio.

Dropping LCD screens in the instrument cluster is fashionable, and Ford has three to choose from. Base models get a small 2.3-inch LCD screen, mainly for computer triggering functions; Truck mid-level use an LCD screen of 4.2 inches and end upper trims get customizable 8-inch screen. Compared to the RAM and Chevy nightclub dashes, Ford LCD looks more polished and more sensitive than the system in the Chevy

Training
different paths The big three have chosen to feed efficiency nirvana. Chrysler is to double the automatic ZF 8-speed, GM has designed a new family of 6 and 8-cylinder deactivation aggressive cylinders and Ford chose a strategy with two pins with aluminum body and engine turbo V6 small displacement.

The engine range starts with familiar 3.5L V6 Ford used in everything from the explorer Taurus. Good for 283 horsepower and 255 lb-ft, the V6 is a little down on power vs Chrysler 3.6L V6 and certainly less "torquey" that new pickup only 4.3L V6 GM. Instead of a V8, the next stop is a 2.7L V6 with 325 horsepower with two turbos. Although it down on power vs GM 5.3L V8, keep in mind the Ford is lighter than the Chevy and 375 lb-ft of torque comes to a boil earlier and more behind long as the GM V8. 5.7L HEMI Chrysler and 8 automatic power yield better speed, torque and 0-60 performance, but fuel economy is significantly reduced.

Then is the only V8 on offer, but it is not the high-end engine option. Producing 385 horsepower is 387 lb-ft, the 5.0L produces more torque just above idle and 3,000 RPM, but some actually speeds 2.7L V8 beats. Halo engine is the same 3.5L twin-turbo V6, we have seen for some time. For 2015, it is granted to 365 ponies and 420 lb-ft of torque, but Ford has hinted that he will get some important updates for the next Raptor.

All four engines are coupled to a four-automatic and available wheel drive 6-speed. That puts Ford two speeds behind most models of RAM and 6.2L Chevrolet that eventually gets heavy 8 GM speeds. new 10-speed Ford Raptor automatically receive and we should see that the filter down to other V6 models, but Ford did not say when. At the same time, the more efficient F-150 is the model RWD 2.7L Ecoboost 22 MPG combined, while the less effective the 5.0L V8 4 × 4, ring 17 MPG combined. Meanwhile, the Chevy range 17-20 (despite cylinder deactivation on the 4.3L V6) and RAM going 15-24 with a thirst 5.7L V8 and diesel fuel sipping at the upper end.

player
Although the F-150 was put on a diet, the V6 base still feels a bit slow compared to competition. RAM is heavier in 1500 has a pair of hair, a lower first gear and 33% more gears to choose together. 4.3L V6 GM offers much lower torque range that allows him to feel peppier when towing.

Of course, the naturally aspirated V6 and V8 engines are probably less important for the F-150 shopper from a huge 63% of sales were bi-turbo fitted. Ford did not break out sales of 2.7 and 3.5L Ecoboost engines separately, but I suspect that the new 2.7L engine is quiet popular. While our tester was equipped 3.5L, spent a day in a model of 2.7L dealer provided for comparisons.

Although the 3.5L Ecoboost is fun, I think the 2.7 fits my needs better. The turbos are largely for light torque reduction you get V8s compared to the competition, and although the 5.7L HEMI and automatic 8-speed is faster and easier to tow with the 2.7L engine is simply the truck more well rounded engine there. There are more than enough torque to tow 7,500 lb trailer with ease, from 2,000 pounds in the bed, or stack them in your children SuperCab. Over 110 miles in the RWD 2.7L tester, I averaged 21 MPG, below the numbers from the EPA, but still above the V8 competition.

The twin-turbo 3.5L engine allows up to 12,0 pounds towing in some configurations thanks to healthy torque figures. 0-60 Once in 6.45 seconds, among the fastest time in this segment, but with the new 8-speed automatic GM Silverado 6.2L is the fastest. Fuel economy in the model 3.5L Ecoboost was dull, comes to 16.4 mpg during our week near 1MPG behind Silverado 2014 6.2L before GM added 8 speed to the mix.

apples to apples comparisons are difficult because of the multitude of choices cabin, bed, axles, tires, wheels and drive train in all trucks in this segment, but you can bet if everything was equal the F-150 would be the champion of the handling simply because it is lighter. Regarding the race, the RAM 1500 wins hands down due to the coil springs in the rear and the air suspension system available cushy.

I alluded to earlier, but the main advantage of reduced weight load of the F-150 is fuel economy, but the load capacity. It is most obvious when comparing a model to love model as shown below. The three models are $ 1,000 with another F-150 being the most expensive at $ 43,950 and RAM cheapest at $ 43,010. I chose the 2.7L V6 in the Ford because it is considered an alternative to entry-level V8.

Ford announced a payload capacity of 3,300 pounds and maximum towing limit 12,0 lbs, but like any other truck, most configurations are below the maximum. Taking away here is that the payload is still higher than the competition. Keeping in mind that the payload is the total cargo and passengers it is easy to see how this improves convenience. In the F-150 you and your two friends 10 pounds can enter 1500 lbs of concrete Home Depot with ease. In the Ram or Chevy you would have to make two trips. Opt for the 5.0L V8, and the payload passes 3,020 pounds and towing increases in 0 in the same configuration. If this is not enough the 3.5L Ecoboost will tow 10,700 in roughly the same configuration. Note that the conventional tow over 10,000 pounds, it will take a commercial class A or not-A commercial license class in some states, so depending on where you live, towing over 10,000 may not be important.

If my money was on the line, I think I'd be torn between 2.7L F-150 and Ram 1500. Ecodiesel in this mash-up, the Ecodiesel with the suspension of the air would be my largely choice because I tow more that I carry and Ecodiesel has not only a higher towing capacity but path he pulls also greater with the epic couple and the 8-speed automatic. Will make the best RAM truck? No, it's just the one that suits my needs better. After a week with the F-150, I must say that the engine of 2.7L is an automatic 10-speed far from perfect and the 3.5L Ecoboost would be perfect if fuel economy was 4 MPG better.

Ford provided the vehicle, insurance and a review of gas

Specifications as tested

0-30: 2.4 seconds

0-60 6.45 seconds

1 / Mile 4: 15.12 seconds @ 92.56 MPH

average fuel economy: 16.4 mpg