2015 F-150 weight and engine specs released

For comparison purposes, I had a 2007 dcsb 4x4 Tacoma and I went to a 2013 dcsb F150 4x4. I was getting right around 20 MPG with my Tacoma and now I'm getting around 18 MPG with the new truck. I've always felt the issue with the Tacoma was it is geared too low. On a long highway trip, I'd drop to the 17 - 17.5 MPG with the Tacoma where as the Ford gets better on long highway trips.

As far as autos go, I would say you're correct, the quicker you can shift between gears and the torque convertor can lock up, the better. But if you're always shifting, you lose power when you shift and the torque convertor being unlocked causes the transmission to build up heat. Optimizing the number of gears and their ratio for fuel economy while making it able to tow and haul depends largely on the engine. If the engine has a narrow power band, having more gears and close together might make more sense but if the engine makes good power across a wide RPM range, widening up the gears and having fewer of them might be more efficent overall. I'm just saying based on my opinion, the current 6 speed transmission is a nice pair to the current 5.0L engine. I feel like it doesn't hunt for gears, tows well and gives me good MPG numbers.

 

Yeah, full size get the bulk of the R&D.... but why can't there be some "trickle down" technology. After all the 4.0 is offered in the Tundra too, why they never made a 6 speed for that is beyond me. AND the Tacoma and 4Runner use the same drivetrains it's not like they'd have to re-invent the wheel. Not asking for cold fusion.... just an extra gear (and maybe a sunroof. hahah).

 

I hear ya man...agree completely.

 

Maybe toyota should think about aluminum frames so they don't rust...

 

You'll find with the new 6-8 speed transmissions they'll skip gears they don't find necessary. However the intermediate gears are there in case they're a better ratio than the ones above or below.

 

This is very true. which is why I'm really thinking a CVT would be ideal if it could handle the power. While towing you're going to want totally different gearing than you'd want while in the city or on a highway unloaded. As we start to move more towards forced induction the benefit will be much greater from having more gears because of how picky RPM bands are in relation to when boost is produced. Ford should never have given the Ecoboost and the 5.0L the same transmissions, even if it has twin turbos to keep boost up in lower RPMs, it still should have been regeared to how that engine makes power.

The only problem with these 8-speed boxes is that they're just adding more weight (obviously with each new gear) and it just won't scale well, which is why I like the idea of a CVT.

I've got to believe if Subaru is producing one strong enough to hold up to WRX power levels and abuse then they can't be too far away from making it viable for non-towing vehicles. ~270/270 hp/tq is nothing to sneeze at through a CVT and they do a beautiful job with an economy mode that works like a traditional CVT, sport (which emulates a 6-speed paddle shift) and spot# which emulates an 8-speed paddle shift transmission. We're getting close....

 

All Toyota needs to do is jump on the forced induction bandwagon. Diesel or gas doesn't matter as long as it has a turbo or a supercharger from the get go. I'm partial to turbos in a factory setup.

Ford has the right idea I think though. I just want a midsized truck with a manual that gets 23-25mpg highway and isn't completely gutless.

It's all rather moot though. I'm keeping the taco for 10-15 years and the trd supercharger is probably the next big mod that I'll do.