Revamped Ford F-150 gets 5-star safety rating - Examiner.com
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) has helped Ford silence critics of the automaker’s extensive use of aluminum in the redesigned F-150 pickup series. The federal safety agency, in February, put the aluminum-bodied SuperCrew version of the popular pickup through its crash-test paces. The top-of-the-line pickup earned five-star ratings in NHTSA’s tough front and side crash tests , Automotive News said yesterday in a follow-up to earlier stories about Ford’s success. Critics had suggested in earlier comments that the use of aluminum in major body panels would weaken the F-150. However, the federal safety agency’s testing program affirmed Ford’s choice of construction materials. NHTSA testing showed that the F-150 SuperCrew is the equal of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup line. If the switch to extensive use of aluminum had not been successful, it would have been a blow to Ford. Instead, NHTSA testing validated Ford’s decision. The combination of high-strength steel and specially manufactured aluminum allowed the automaker to cut 700 pounds out of the popular pickup line, allowing it to gain nearly 4 mpg. Source: www.examiner.com
