Aluminum-sided Ford F-150 gets mixed crash test results - China Post
But the Super Cab version, which has a smaller rear door and back seat, did poorly in a small front overlap test, which slams 25 percent of the front of the truck into a barrier at 40 miles per hour. The Insurance Institute also said it took longer for a local Ford dealer to repair the aluminum truck than an older steel one, and the aluminum parts cost more. In a statement, Ford said the new truck is the "safest F-150 ever" and noted that it has the government's highest five-star safety rating. But the company said it will make a design change in the 2016 model year to improve the crash performance of the Super Cab and Regular Cab models. Ford said the Super Crew — which got the top safety award — accounts for 83 percent of all F-150 sales. The Super Cab makes up around 12 percent and the Regular Cab accounts for 5 percent. Ford spokesman Mike Levine also said independent consultants have shown that average repair costs for the new truck are less than for the old truck. The results are a key test for Ford, which switched from steel to aluminum for the body of the truck late last year. Source: www.chinapost.com.tw
