2015 F-150

[blksn8k]

Not sure how long they have been on sale but I saw my first 2015 F-150 on the highway today. As soon as I saw the tailgate with its distinctive trim piece I was pretty sure it was a 2015. It was entering from Rt 8 onto I-76 West in Akron, OH. It wasn't until I saw the grille in my mirrors that I was certain it was not a 2014. The styling is not that much different from last year's model. It looked good in black.

 

[Dan Long]

On a similar note, I saw a new silver Chevy Colorado, crew cab 4x4 in the Home Depot parking lot this morning. It was the first one I've seen in person, and man, it was really ugly! The cab looked like it was taken from a sedan, slightly inflated, and thrown on a frame with a truck bed, and the square wheel wells were hideous.

:throwup::throwup::throwup:

 

[Keith S]

@ Dan Long - I love how many people bring up the square wheel wells as if it is a new thing they are doing. When in all truth they, Chevy/GMC, have had square wheel wells for quite some time; ever since the late 70's.



With that being said, yes I agree square wheel wells do not look good. Also, they make the truck look even worse if you try to put some thick meaty tires on it.



For the new F-150 I cant seem to get over the head lights...they remind me to much of Chevy's old design which I also disliked. I wonder how popular an all aluminium truck will be to thieves....

 

[Gavin Allan]

Those square wheel wells are getting more and more square. Chevy and GM have put them on just about every truck and SUV and they are HIDEOUS! :throwup:

 

[blksn8k]

I'm not sure what all the fuss is over an aluminum body. Hell, my 89 Thunderbird SC had an aluminum hood and so does my Sport Trac. They have known how to make aluminum body panels for a long time. Making an entire body is new for a full size mainstream pickup truck but if it saves several hundred pounds and makes the vehicle more capable I don't see why that should be a negative. I have to chuckle when I see GM's latest commercials where they make a big deal out of the fact that they still use steel in their truck beds when they have already announced that their trucks will also have aluminum bodies beginning sometime in 2018. I guess we're not supposed to know that. This article is almost a year old now:

 

[Gavin Allan]

I laugh every time I see a 3 year old Chevy pickup with rust above the wheel wells. I remember a guy I worked with in 1977 had a Chevy pickup with rust above the rear wheel wells. Almost 40 years later, Chevy still hasn't figured out how to stop it.



Recent Dodges have a lot of rust around here too. Seriously- Fords seem to take ten years or more to develop the same amount of rust that 3-4 years will do on a Chevy or a Dodge.

 

[H D]

New F150 looks great.



And c'mon, the Colorado looks fine to me. It certainly looks a whole lot better than Ford's offering.

 

[Dan Long]

You're right, the square wheel wells aren't new, but they just seem to stand out really badly on the new trucks, and I can't say I was a fan on the old ones either. I'd seen some pics online and thought it was a decent looking truck, but the one I saw in person today seemed very oddly proportioned and awkward.



The new F150 does look great for the most part, but I do agree Keith, the headlights could be better... as for the aluminum body and it's ups and downs, check out this video.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oDQZu8K51ZY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[H D]

I just had to see Part 2:



<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Um7UpIA4X0s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Dan Long]

Yeah, I forgot that the body shop trip was in a separate video.... that one probably illustrates the pros/cons better than the first part did!

 

[blksn8k]

This was touched on in the videos but I have to wonder how many STEEL body panels actually get repaired these days. Most body shops will just replace a damaged panel before trying to repair it. It's quickly becoming a lost art anyway.

With CAFE requirements going nowhere but up and the need to be able to compete with the capabilities of other manufactures' current offerings I think Ford made the right call. As long as customers continue to demand trucks of this size and capability, even if few ever actually use it, this was inevitable and the others will be playing catch-up.

There is, however, another factor that is probably hurting Ford's strategy a little and that is the current lower price of gas. With the lighter weight of aluminum these trucks should be more efficient than their competition but that is somewhat of a moot point right now. But we all know that gas prices won't stay this low forever and its unlikely that CAFE standards will ever be lowered.

 

[Gavin Allan]

As long as customers continue to demand trucks of this size and capability, even if few ever actually use it, this was inevitable and the others will be playing catch-up.

That's just it-- Ford is missing out on a huge opportunity to sell trucks to folks like several of us who do not need a full-size truck, do not want a full-sized truck, or who cannot fit a full-sized truck in our garages.



Sorry for :btddhorse:. Just seems silly that Ford wants me to drive a fricken Ridgeline or POS Colorado. Meanwhile, they have about 6 models of fugly Mommy-SUVs all near the same size for soccer moms... :angry::fire:

 

[blksn8k]

Bingo! I couldn't have said it better myself.

While I really do like the new F-150 I doubt I will ever buy one simply because I have little use for something that big. I have a couple of trailers for when I do need to haul something too large to fit in the Sport Trac and it tows them just fine. As long as I can carry four or five adults in reasonable comfort and fit a dead deer in the bed I am good to go. :fire: