Ford's F-150 borrows some transmission tech from the Mustang - Digital Trends
Ford thinks so. It equipped the F-150’s six-speed automatic transmission with a sport mode to help make the aluminum-bodied truck more entertaining to drive, and says it cribbed some tech from the Mustang to do it. On the F-150, sport mode is... When in sport mode, the transmission holds the lower gears longer, which allows the engine to stay in the meatier area of its power band longer, improving response and reducing the need for downshifts. Typically, automatic transmissions will try to select the highest gear possible to drop engine rpm, improving fuel economy and making for a more quiet ride. But this often means downshifting back into the power band’s sweet spot to get more power when the driver wants to accelerate. Ford’s 2016 F-150 can do it for you. Sport mode also matches engine rpm to whatever the transmission happens to be doing as the truck decelerates into a corner, helping to smooth out downshifts. Since both vehicles were in development at roughly the same time, they were often driven together in tests, which gave engineers the idea to share the calibration, Ford says. The company also adapted the Mustang’s “aero curtain” aerodynamic aids to the F-150. Sport mode is standard on all F-150 models , and can be activated whether the truck is in rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive automatic, or four-wheel drive high. Source: www.digitaltrends.com
