Does the new F-150 make the Tacoma obsolete?

My old 2003 F-150 Supercrew weighed about 1000lbs more than my 2006 Tacoma Access cab yet my Tacoma has a payload of just 300lbs less. This is a great compromise and I get better gas mileage as well. The reports on the new F-150 remove almost all of this savings, in that they cut 700lbs from the new F-150, using a complete aluminum body structure. They also suggest that they increased payload by removing this excess weight.

Maybe I'm putting too much thought into this but in my eyes this is going to change everything. All manufacturers will have to switch to aluminum bodies as well. Considering the size of the F-150 vs a Tacoma, I suddenly feel like I'm driving around a heavy old club.

Imagine a new Tacoma that weighed 700lbs less than the current one?

I thought I'd put this out there just to get some thoughts from others. Maybe no one agrees, maybe some do.

 

Totally...

 

no. they don't even compete with each other.

this was a waste of thread.

 

That you voluntarily participated in

 

The F150 doesn't fit in my garage, so midsize trucks are not obsolete.

And F150 got a little fatter since you owned one. The lightest F150 supercrew 5.5 ft bed is 5300 lbs, the tacoma short bed is 4000lb.

Additionally, the 700 lb figure probably applies to their heaviest truck, I imagine the weight savings being less on other configurations.

With all that said I too will be curious too see what weight the truck actually is and what real world mpg it can achieve. (I dont trust their estimates since the Cmax issues)

 

I think the biggest reason would be "more for your money". even if its a little more pricey you can do "more" with it easier. And being american,there is no reason we should not have more.

 

I don't think it makes the Tacoma obsolete, because many will still want the smaller overall size. But it is a game changer in the full size segment, especially for people buying work trucks. Being able to carry up to 700 more pounds is big increase in payload. And the weight savings translate directly into mpg increases when unloaded. Overall, I'm glad the big three are investing in improving their trucks because it will force Toyota to improve theirs. I think Ford chose to go with the aluminum body instead of a small diesel, and Dodge went with the small diesel, obviously. Toyota seems reluctant to bring their small diesel to the US, so maybe they will go with an aluminum body. GM seems to be the laggard in improvement right now, along with Toyota.

 

Just remember aluminum isnt near as strong as steel or anything else. So your engine can pull another 700lbs but the frame and body cant actually hold the weight it will twist and fatigue so much faster. You wouldnt replace steel support beams with aluminum would you?.... and think how easy a soda can crushes? Going to put your family in that? And if they say its just as strong that means they added more aluminum which will come out to just as much weight if not more. They did this with atvs and it ended being a waste of time!

 

Ford is claiming the aluminum they are using has the same strength as the steel they are replacing.

 

Looks like he's going by curb weight. http://www.toyota.com/tacoma/features.html#!/weights_capacities/7504/7554/7594

 

Which means instead of having 2lbs of steel you have 5 of aluminum. Any joe smo knows no aluminum isnt as strong as steel. Its not possible haha plus it costs more

 

Tons of work boats and fishing boats made out of aluminum out here , they seem to be fine and don't " crush like a soda can " lol

 

Ford vs Toyota - which one do you think lasts longer? Has less issues? Will retain its value?

Yeah... NOT the Ford. Ford might be the best American car company, but it still doesn't compare to Japanese cars, in my experience.

 

You need to use a bigger boot

Aircraft have aluminum as well. Aluminum come a long way.

 

No matter how you slice it it's still a piece of shit ford...

 

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/capacities/

http://www.toyota.com/tacoma/features.html#!/weights_capacities/7504/7554/7594/7188

I was comparing curb weights as that is what the OP stated. I also agree aluminum, assuming they speced the right alloy (6061 for instance), can be as strong and lighter than steel. Airplanes are made out of aluminum and have to put up with large stresses, much larger than any full sized truck. It does cost more though. Maybe Toyota should switch over, no more rust

If I had two Tacomas and one was made of Al and one was steel, I would pick the Al one if it saved me 4-500 lbs in weight and didn't cost too much more. There is also some high strength steels out there that offer weight savings as well, of course at an additional cost.

So there's the rub, manufacturer always have to decide for themselves how much they are willing to spend on the cost of the materials (which leads to msrp) to increase the performance of the vehicle. The technology is there to make an awesome 3000 pound Al and carbon fiber Tacoma that would have a better payload, acceleration, and mpg, but would anyone buy it if it added 20k to the cost of a heavy steel tacoma? Probably not.

 

How many boats get tboned or rear ended? Or are held to the frame with a few bolts and support a ton? Zippo. They float and buzz around. Aluminum has its place. Cab or supports is not it!

 

Apparently the aluminum is "military grade". I'm not convinced. It's all in the body panels, etc. The frame is steel.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/2015/

 

It has not saying its junk just not made for support i wouldnt trust it with my life or my families in an accident.

Plus the pricw will prob go up

 

Boats that land on the beach themselves take a pretty hard beating , you maybe don't understand how hard work boats get used , I'm not talking about run abouts

PS , steel body panels don't survive T bone or rear end collisions either and are generally designed to crumple in order to absorb the kinetic energy produced in an accident , aluminum body panels would be designed to do the same