Ford reveals the base-model ’15 F-150 2-wheel drive model equipped with a 2.7L direct-injected turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 will achieve 26 mpg (9.0 L/100 km) on the highway, a 5%-29% improvement over the outgoing truck depending on powertrain configuration, but short of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel’s 28 mpg (8.4 L/100 km) best highway figure.
Raj Nair, Ford group vice president-Global Product Development, says the F-150 represents a better value than the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel because of the price disparity between gasoline and diesel fuel as well as initial upfront costs.
The Ram EcoDiesel costs $ $4,770 more than the gas model, while Ford charges just $495 for the optional 2.7L EcoBoost engine.
“Diesel is $0.76 per gallon ($0.20/L) more expensive than unleaded (gasoline) today, so that’s $24 more expensive per tank,” he says. “More importantly, if both vehicles (were driven) 15,000 miles (24,140 km), you’d spend $449 more on a Ram EcoDiesel than an F-150 EcoBoost. For our customers fuel efficiency is measured at the wallet.”
According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.83, while a gallon of diesel fuel goes for $3.60.
Other F-150 engine offerings also benefit from the weight reduction of nearly 700 lbs. (317 kg) due to the new truck’s aluminum body. A ’15 F-150 with the 3.5L EcoBoost V-6 will achieve 17/24 mpg (13.8-9.8 L/100 km) city/highway, while the 5.0L naturally aspirated V-8 gets 15/22 mpg (15.6-10.6 L/100 km) city/highway. The base 3.5L mill will achieve 18/25 mpg (13.0-9.4 L/100 km) city/highway.
“This is so much more than just aluminum or fuel economy,” Nair says. “We really believe this is the best truck we’ve ever done and we believe customers will think the same.”
Nair says the new aluminum-intensive F-150 will serve as an excellent platform for more fuel-efficient technologies in the future, including a planned 10-speed automatic transmission being co-developed with General Motors.
A hybrid also is in the works, he says, adding it likely will be put into production within the next 10 years.
“We’ve got quite a bit of upside potential,” he says. “This lightweight platform sets us up well for the life of the architecture for those types of technologies.”
Another technology under development is active-wheel shutters, first shown on the Atlas concept truck at the 2013 Detroit auto show.
“Active-wheel shutters are still in the research phase,” Nair says. “It’s something we’re still investigating, and likely to come in on the car side first because of duty cycles.”
Meanwhile, Bruce Hettle, vice president-North America Manufacturing, says first saleable ’15 F-150s are rolling off the line at the automaker’s Dearborn, MI, truck plant and are headed to distribution centers. Within a week, retail customers will take delivery of a new F-150, he says.
