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.