Ford F Series pickups are America's best-selling vehicles, with more than three-quarters of a million trucks delivered in 2014. By comparison, that's almost as many units sold as Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, the nation's two best-selling sedans, put together.
The half-ton Ford F-150 pickup, the crown jewel of the F Series line, accounts for more than 600,000 of those sales. Ford could be forgiven if it simply stood pat and adopted the motto: "Don't mess with success."
FAST FACTS
Model: Ford F-150 4X4 Supercrew
Exterior color: Tuxedo Black Metallic
Interior color: Black
Engine: 5.0-liter V-8
Horsepower: 385
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Fuel economy: 21 mpg highway, 15 mpg city
Dealer: Mountain View Ford
Price (as tested): $52,730
But with great market share comes great responsibility, and Ford has stepped up for 2015, introducing an all-new F-150 that makes generous use of lightweight aluminum panels in the cab and bed, an improvement that makes the F-150 both lighter and stronger. Ford says the new F-150 is up to 700 pounds lighter than its predecessor.
Doug Cawood, new car manager at Mountain View Ford, said customer interest is high in Ford's new half-ton hauler, although F-150s outfitted with the company's much-publicized V-6 Ecoboost (turbocharged) engines are still in short supply. For our test this week, Cawood handed us the keys to a 2015 F-150 Supercrew truck with four-wheel-drive and Ford's tried-and-true 5.0-liter V-8 engine.
A 6.2-liter V-8 engine option has been dropped this year, and the torque champion in the line is now a twin-turbo, 3.5-liter V-6 Ecoboost engine, which boasts 420 pound-feet of muscle. The sticker price of our heavily-optioned V-8 tester in Lariat trim, before discounts, is $52,730. Prices for the F-150 range from $25,420 for a base work truck to north of $55,000 for a fully-optioned, Supercrew Platinum edition.
STYLING AND COMFORT
Unlike a sedan, which offers a virtually infinite number of design possibilities, the blocky lines and right angles in pickup trucks are dictated by their hauling function. As a result, truck designers must focus on the the face of the vehicle to add personality.
Most new F-150s sport grilles are monuments to chrome. Our test truck, though, shows off a satin metallic finish that gives it a less blingy, more masculine, look. We like it.
All F-150s have a three-bar grille design that shouts "Ford truck." Headlight clusters - shaped like the Cs on the helmets of the Chattanooga Mocs football team - bracket the grille.
In the back, the truck bed is bathed in LED lights and the tailgate on our tester has a "power down" feature. A hide-away step is incorporated into the tailgate, and it makes hopping up into the bed easy. Twenty-inch, six-spoke wheels add to the truck's upscale vibe.
Inside, our well-equipped tester features leather seating surfaces ($650), a worthwhile upgrade. The seats are both heated and cooled. Believe me, once you've had heated and cooled hind parts, you're spoiled forever. Both driver and front-seat passenger will enjoy 10-way power seat controls.
As part of the $1,500 Lariat package, our tester also has blind-spot monitors which are especially helpful when driving a rig this big. The center console houses a deep storage compartment approximately the size of the Grand Canyon. Both side mirrors fold inward to make inching the big F-150 into your garage less eventful.
The padded dash features an 8-inch touch screen that channels the MyFord Touch infotainment system, which has been streamlined and simplified for 2015.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
The new F-150 has incredibly light steering, which belies its 5,000-pound-plus curb weight. The massive truck looks like it would be a bear to wrestle around town, but you can literally steer the F-150 with one finger.
While we didn't get to test the torqued-up twin-turbo V-6, the classic V-8 power-train is smooth and quiet. The F-150 has a six-speed, automatic transmission and our tester includes four-wheel-drive.
For the record, your engine choices are a 2.7-liter V-6 Ecoboost (325 horsepower, 375 lb-ft. torque); a 3.5-liter Ecoboost (365 horsepower, 420 lb-ft. of torque); a 3.5 liter normally aspirated V-6 (282 horsepower, 253 lb-ft. of torque); and the 5.0-liter V-8 (385 horsepower, 387 lb.-ft. of torque).
Combine those options with three bed sizes and an infinite number of option packages, and there should be an F-150 just right for every customer's tastes and budget.
BOTTOM LINE
Ford has taken a big gamble by tinkering with the new F-150, but the potential payoff is enormous. When gas prices inch higher - as you know they will - saving pennies at the pump by using light-weight materials will seem prescient. Even the relatively thirsty V-8 should return 21 miles per gallon highway, 15 miles per gallon city.
Full-size American-made trucks like the F-150 tend to last forever, so those fuel economy figures are likely to come in handy over the next decade or two.
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.