Ford F-150 pickup gets mixed results in crash tests - USA TODAY
Ford F-150 pickup gets mixed results in crash tests The crew cab version of the aluminum-bodied 2015 Ford F-150 earned high marks in all but one category of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash tests, but the extended cab fared worse. ly/1SjJaK5 The nation's best-selling vehicle, the 2015 Ford F-150 pickup with its aluminum body, got mixed reviews in independent crash tests that are among the most closely watched in the auto industry. The SuperCrew crew cab version got high ratings in tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but SuperCab extended-cab version was rated marginal in one critical test. The tests also determined that the truck's aluminum construction, designed to save weight and thus fuel, results in more damage to the truck in a low-speed accident than steel and costs more to repair. That finding could come as a blow to F-150, which is always a target for its chief rivals, Chevrolet and its Silverado and Fiat Chrysler's Ram division. IIHS' tests are important because Ford took a huge, expensive gamble by switching from steel to aluminum in its construction of the pickups. IIHS put the trucks through its normal barrier crash tests. And it also took the unusual step of crash-testing both a steel-bodied 2014 model and an aluminum-bodied 2015, then comparing the results. The extended-cab version, however, did well in four tests but was rated marginal for the small overlap front crash test, which simulates running into a pole or another vehicle on the driver's side. Source: www.usatoday.com
