On the Road Review: Ford F-150 XLT SuperCab 4X4 - The Ellsworth American
For over thirty years, the Ford F-series pickup has been America’s top selling single automotive nameplate. It does not take a lot of imagination then to realize that this vehicle has been the driving force behind Ford’s success—in good times and bad. So it goes without saying that Ford carefully considered all of the potential consequences to converting the F-150 from steel construction to an aluminum-bodied truck, something no competitor had done. Sure, there have been several aluminum-bodied cars for years, but their sticker prices are usually tens of thousands more than the workhorse pickup and on vehicles with decidedly premium clientele. However, Ford faced a dilemma. By switching to lighter aluminum construction—just the body, the frame is still fully-boxed steel—the F-150 could better utilize Ford’s new, smaller EcoBoost turbocharged engines and have a greater chance of meeting pending fuel economy... With the goal of reducing overall weight by a notable 700-pounds, Ford pursued the aluminum strategy. The truck is smoother in all regards, lending a greater air of driver confidence in where the truck is on the road, and how it will react to your inputs. In the course of the last four weeks, the Ford was the second of three pickups to visit. Source: www.ellsworthamerican.com
