2015 F-150 weight and engine specs released

http://www.freep.com/article/20140722/BUSINESS0102/307220122/ford-f-150-aluminum

Interesting article, as more information comes out about the 2015 F-150. Appears a Lariat Crew Cab 4x4 is over 700 lbs ligther than the 2014. Probably the coolest news was the 2.7L EcoBoost...325/375 is pretty impressive for a little motor, while towing 8,000 lbs. I was a little surprised that the 3.5L EcoBoost and 5.0 were unchanged. Wonder if the 2.7L will dethrone the new Ram diesel for MPG?

It's cool to see where trucks are going in the next few years (including Toyota, if they want to keep any market share). I'd imagine we are going to see more of this in the future. Thoughts?

 

Looks a lot meaner than the olds F150.

I can only imagine what Toyota will do with a new redesign. (Not that I'll trade mine in. Too much $$$ invested.)

 

I'm hit or miss on the styling. Some pictures, like this one, look great...others not so much. Saw some spy photos from testers in MI that weren't impressive to me. I love the 2014's, so I'm still debating picking up one if the price is right.

 

I'm glad to see them going in that direction. I think the key to an efficient vehicle is definitely weight savings. Not to mention handling, braking, and towing improvements. Trucks have gotten far too fat.

 

Kinda resembles the current Tundra (which I'm not a huge fan of). The weight savings is pretty impressive!

 

How do you like your F-150? What kind of MPG are you getting with the 5.0?

 

So far, I really like it. I've pushed it just over 19 on a no-traffic highway trips but I'm averaging 17.8 - 18.0 pretty consistently. My daily drive is into Boston in the morning and out of Boston at night so it's not smooth sailing by any means. I've only had about 2,500 lbs hooked up to it and it tows that like it's not even there.

Some of the things I'm not really are fan of are related to working on it. I tried doing some wiring on it the other day and that is a little more complicated than the Tacoma was (working on the Ford in general is more time consuming). For example, I have to drop one of the skid plates to change the oil and it's easier to remove the lower air dam to gain access. Minor things but annoying none the less.

Overall though, I'm very happy with it.

 

I like the new F-150's. At least they change/update things more than once a DECADE. I do wonder why they haven't added a gear or two to the transmission to help with the mpg.
Side note - wonder if the next gen Tacoma will have a 6+speed trans that will be backwards compatible with the 4.0.... ah, one can dream...

 

The F150's already have a 6 speed transmission. In my opinion, it doesn't need any more gears. 1st gear is really low to get things moving and it cruises nicely in 6th at highway speeds.

 

As much as I dislike Ram trucks, I like they are not scared to move forward with things such as rear coil suspension, 8-speed trans, and diesel 1/2tons. I see various other vehicles moving up to 8-speed or more transmission and it is positively impacting their mpg. So far Ford has been innovative with their use of turbos and now weight reduction/aluminum.

 

I'm more leery of too many gears in a truck transmission. Just seems like eventually all it's doing is shifting gears, especially in a bigger vehicle and when towing. Six is a nice number, from the ones I've driven, as far as a compromise. I know GM just announced an 8 speed for the 6.2 trucks.

 

Incredible

 

I mean 20 years ago someone could have said the same thing about 4,5,or 6 speed transmissions. Your leeriness seems to be based on opinion, what makes 6 the ideal number? Not trying to be insulting.

 

I don't know if it has its place in trucks but I'm a big fan of shifting constantly, in fact a CVT really would be ideal for hitting constant peak torque while towing.

If they ever made one strong enough I'd be buying the first model-year. I almost jumped on a brand new 2015 WRX for that CVT alone.

 

My leeriness is totally based on opinion, no argument there. From my experience, vehicles with 8+ speed transmissions are shifting constantly. At some point, the law of diminishing returns has to come into play I would think...especially when you consider how that transmission has to hold up to towing and heavy duty. That's all I'm saying.

 

Yeah I have no idea how a CVT would hold up in a heavy duty application. My mom's Altima has it, but that's my only experience with one. Works fine in her car. But I don't like constant shifting, as I've alluded to.

 

Same here unless it's a true heavy hauler where you actually need those gears to get the load moving. Plus, Ford tends to lean more toward the work truck mentality. Their transmissions aren't buttery smooth, you feel the gear changes. If my truck had 2 more gears, it would be constantly changing gears and it'd get annoying. Currently, I feel like it has good power in all gears and I'm still making pretty decent MPG in my opinion.

 

I/we should not be getting the same (or worse) mpg in our "mid-size" trucks as most full-size ones. I'm lucky if I get 18 on the highway and my truck is bone stock. An extra gear with revised gearing would certainly allow us 20 or more mpg.

Perhaps my opinion of the CVT's is biased, my ex-gf's Mitsu Lancer was a dog. I'll stick to gears

Not that I even begin to understand automatic transmissions, but I would speculate the engineering, torque converter, lockup, etc. all vary and contribute to the firmness of shifts. I think a firmer shift/quicker lockup means reduced wear/tear on the trans?

 

I'd be curious to see if they ever make one strong enough. My mom used to have one in her old Ford Five Hundred and it was getting pretty weak at around 100k miles (and she drives like a little old lady).

 

I agree 100% with your issue with the MPG. That's the #1 reason I'm not going to buy another Tacoma, especially the current bodystyle. Why deal with 240ish HP, 260 torque, less space and capacity, for the same (or worse) MPG? The mid-size market lacks all around in this sense. But, there is much more demand for the full-size and that's where the R&D goes.

IMO, if Toyota gave the Tacoma the 4Runner/FJ 4.0 and would give it a little better tuning (direct injection!), and add that transmission gear you mention, we would see more power and better MPG. That's what GM did with the 5.3 (direct injection and cylinder deactivation), and it's around 360/380 with 22 mpg highway in a bigger truck.

Your assumptions are correct on an auto tranny. In generall, a firmer shifting, quicker engaging transmission is going to be more stout and last longer than one that spends more time in between gears and worrying about transitioning from gear to gear. Like Pugga, I actually like how the Ford 6 speed auto shifts. It obviously shouldn't slam into gear, but a firm shift is a good thing.