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Review: 2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew [w/video]

Filed under: Truck, Ford, Reviews

Rollin’ With The F-150’s New 5.0

2011 Ford F-150 4x4 SuperCrew

2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew – Click above for high-res image gallery

As a race, we humans are obsessed with the notion of “best.” Whether it’s generations of on-point marketing or a strand of latent genetic code that pushes us to shack up with a better mate, we just can’t shake the disposition. It’s what drives our society forward – the quest for the latest product that promises a slightly improved experience or that one feature that eclipses the competition. It’s why we can happily saunter up to the feeding trough at the local buffet instead of poking at wild boars with pointy sticks. It is, simply put, a good thing.

The domestic full-size truck segment provides perhaps the greatest study in “best” available. Each new model year gives the Big Three one more shot at outdoing each other in the areas of power, towing capacity, interior room and fuel economy. Neither Ford, General Motors nor Chrysler skips the chance to brag about its latest advancements over the other two. But as with everything, there can be only true king. In this feudal system, it’s Ford F-150, which has attracted more buyers than the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 for years. Why? We took to the saddle of Ford’s latest entry-level F-Series equipped with the company’s new 5.0-liter V8 to find out.

Continue reading 2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew [w/video]

2011 Ford F-150 4×4 SuperCrew [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards

Filed under: Truck, Safety, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Nissan, Toyota

2011 Ford F-150 IIHS Full-Size Pickup Rollover Crash Test

IIHS Full-Size Pickup Rollover Crash Testing – Click above for high-res image gallery

Like their body-on-frame SUV cousins, full-size pickup trucks are more prone to roll over than a standard passenger car. That’s exactly why it’s so important to have a vehicle that earns good marks in roof-strength tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has just released the data on its recent volley of tests on full-size pickup trucks, and both the 2011 Ford F-150 and 2011 Toyota Tundra earned the coveted Top Safety Pick designation. The vehicles earned the highest possible rating of ‘good’ in the institutes crush test, where a large steel plate is pressed against one corner of the roof to calculate a strength-to-weight ratio.

Meanwhile, the 2011 Nissan Titan took home an acceptable rating in the rollover evaluation while the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado, 2011 GMC Sierra and 2011 Ram 1500 netted marginal scores.

IIHS says that the roof on the Toyota Tundra stood up to 4.5 times the truck’s weight while the F-150 handled 4.7 times the pressure. A vehicle must withstand 4 times its weight before five-inches of crush is detected before being awarded a Good rating. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards

Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra earn IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 May 2011 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feds expand F-150 fuel tank strap investigation to 2.7 million pickups

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

The Ford F-150 has been the best-selling truck in America for decades. That’s a very big feather in the Blue Oval’s cap, but when the truck line is bit by the recall bug, its massive volume can be a very bad thing.

The Detroit News is reporting that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it has upgraded its investigation into 2.7 million 1997-2001 F-150 pickups for fuel tank straps that have rusted and failed. If the straps rust and fail, NHTSA says there is a chance that the tank could drop and hit the road, causing a fuel leak. Back in September, NHTSA’s initial investigation included 1.4 million vehicles.

Of the 339 complaints NHTSA and Ford have received so far, one has resulted in a brief fire that quickly flamed out, while a second complaint lead to a fire that actually destroyed the vehicle. According to the report, there have been a total of nine documented incidents in which fuel has leaked from the tank as a result of a failed tank strap, though there have no injuries linked to these incidents.

For its part, Ford says it is continuing to support NHTSA’s investigation. The government safety agency says its investigation has “yielded information that strongly suggests the subject defect as the cause of the reported problem,” suggesting a recall may be on the horizon.

Feds expand F-150 fuel tank strap investigation to 2.7 million pickups originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 May 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson [w/video]

Filed under: Truck, Ford, Reviews

Wooing With Big Power, Questionable Bling

2011 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson

2011 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson – Click above for high-res image gallery

It was fun to own a truck for a while, but fuel prices and a global recession eventually caught up to the recreational truck owner. Sales of the Ford F-Series came in at 413,000 units in 2009, while 2010 improved to 528,000. Combined that adds up to roughly the same amount of trucks Ford sold in ’05 alone. Does the precipitous drop in truck sales mean that high-dollar pickups of the past are on the outs? Not even close.

The F-150 lineup now features Lariat, Platinum, King Ranch and particularly awesome Raptor variants, each with their own hefty price tag. The Raptor is an off-roading beast of epic proportions, while the Lariat, Platinum and King Ranch offer plush accommodations and equipment that are matched by great looks and supreme capability. And if none of those options appeal to the $50,000 truck buyer, Ford continues to offer the F-150 Harley-Davidson edition.

For 2011, Ford’s brand-borrowing super truck now boasts more power, new looks and an even fancier (for better or worse) cabin. We took the reins of a fully loaded Harley-Davidson-branded F-150 to see if this pricey pickup has the right mix of luxury and performance to bring back the low impact luxury truck owner. Continue reading…

Continue reading 2011 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson [w/video]

2011 Ford F-150 Harley-Davidson [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 May 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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V6 offerings make up 50% of retail Ford F-150 sales in April

Filed under: Truck, Ford

ford f-150 ecoboost

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford sold 45,435 F-150s in April, up 11 percent versus the top-selling truck’s April 2010 totals. That’s a solid month for truck sales with soaring fuel prices, but the finer sales details show that truck buyers are very mindful of prices at the pump.

Ford announced in its monthly sales totals release that V6-equipped F-150s accounted for 50 percent of retail sales, up considerably from the 40 percent mix in March. The 3.7-liter V6 offers truck buyers 305 horsepower and 23 miles per gallon on the highway, so it’s not surprising that some owners are opting for the smaller mill.

But the more popular V6 offering is the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which boasts 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. Ford says 75 percent of those V6 sales are of the EcoBoost variety, which makes sense, given the fact that the boosted mill accounted for 36 percent of all F-150 sales in April. The EcoBoost F-150 gets up to 22 mpg on the highway, which is still as good as or better than the other pickup trucks on the market.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150: First Drive

2011 Ford F-150

V6 offerings make up 50% of retail Ford F-150 sales in April originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 May 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford’s EcoBoost V6 accounts for 36% of all F-150 sales

Filed under: Truck, Ford

2011 ecoboost f-150

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost – Click above for high-res image gallery

When gas prices hit $4 per gallon in the past, pickup sales suffered as a result. We have to wait until April sales are released to know how much truck sales have been hurt by the latest spike at the pump, but it’s clear that the Ford F-150 is getting a big boost from its turbocharged V6.

Automotive News reports that 36 percent of all F-150s are equipped with the optional EcoBoost V6, which costs between $750 and $1,750 depending on the model. What’s more, the EcoBoost model is reportedly accounting for 40 percent of all F-150 orders, and there is currently a scant 13-day supply of the boosted trucks.

Traditionally, full-size truck buyers have been more inclined to opt for larger V8 engines, but the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 appears to have changed some minds. The mill’s V8-like 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque means that capability won’t be compromised, while fuel economy rises by up to 20 percent. The Environmental Protection Agency gave the boosted F-150 a 16 mile per gallon city rating and a 22 mpg rating in highway driving.

At the same time, Ford claims a maximum tow rating of 11,300 pounds with an EcoBoost-equipped F-150, depending on the model configuration. For comparison’s sake, F-150s that come with the 411-hp, 6.2-liter V8 can also tow 11,300 pounds, but fuel economy tops out at only 18 mpg in highway driving.

With the EcoBoost F-150 off to a rousing start, the next big question is whether the boosted V6 has staying power in the event gas prices drop back down to more normal levels. We’ll have to wait and see, but with power and capability that matches other trucks in the F-150 lineup and a significant fuel economy savings, we can’t see why not.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150: First Drive

2011 Ford F-150

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Ford’s EcoBoost V6 accounts for 36% of all F-150 sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford laying off 200 temporary workers at F-150 plant

Filed under: Truck, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Ford, UAW/Unions

2011 Ford F-150

2011 Ford F-150 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The United Auto Workers will soon be sitting down with Detroit automakers in an effort to reach a new contract agreement. Some in the know feel Ford will be the targeted OEM in the negotiations due to the automaker’s recent successes, and a recent criticism levied by UAW leadership is that The Blue Oval employs more temporary workers than General Motors or Chrysler.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Ford took a step to rectify that issue on April 7, when it laid off 120 “temporary” workers at its Dearborn truck plant. The automaker will reportedly relieve another 80 workers of their duty in the coming weeks, bringing the total pink-slip count to 200. Ford has some 2,000 temp workers in plants across the country, compared to 1,000 at GM and next to none at Chrysler.

Ford spokeswoman Marcey Evans tells the Freep that the workers were only brought on to launch the 2011 F-150, and that they knew that the position was temporary. Gary Walkowicz of UAW Local 600 points out that he’s sad to see the temps go, adding that some have been receiving half pay and zero benefits since 2002.

While it’s never nice to hear of layoffs, the cuts make some sense to Ford due to the fact that the automaker has displaced full-time workers all over the country in need of new positions. We’re thinking Ford will try to find work for as many of those workers as possible leading up to contract talks.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150: First Drive

2011 Ford F-150

Photos copyright (C)2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL and Ford Motor Company
[Source: Detroit Free Press]

Report: Ford laying off 200 temporary workers at F-150 plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opinion: Time to raise the speed limit, how does 150 MPH sound?

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Autoline on Autoblog

Ever since automobiles first appeared over 100 years ago, every automaker has tried to make them go faster. And they succeeded. Nearly every year, cars became more powerful with higher top-end speeds. But then, in the mid-1950s, we hit a plateau. The national speed limit was set at 70 miles per hour, and we’ve been stuck at that rate ever since. As a result, the automobile has made absolutely no progress as a transportation device in over half a century.

Speed itself is not a safety hazard. It’s the difference in speeds between cars that lead to accidents.

Actually, in 1974, it got worse. The national speed limit was lowered to 55 mph, ostensibly to save fuel and lives (it did neither). Such an agonizingly slow rate of travel proved too much to take for most Americans. We demanded that the limit be raised, and we got it back to 70 mph. Now it’s time to demand another raise.

I’m not talking about some sort of modest increase to, say, 85 mph. We need to put a comprehensive plan in place to gradually move the limit up, over the next couple of decades, to 150 miles an hour. And we need to do that with no sacrifice in fuel economy or safety.

Continue reading Opinion: Time to raise the speed limit, how does 150 MPH sound?…

[Image: Getty]

Continue reading Opinion: Time to raise the speed limit, how does 150 MPH sound?

Opinion: Time to raise the speed limit, how does 150 MPH sound? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autemo gives the ’75 International 150 pickup the rendering treatment

Filed under: Classics, Truck, Etc., Design/Style

1975 International 150 Pickup Automotive Rendering

1975 International 150 pickup rendering by Autemo – Click above for high-res image gallery

The resurrection of my International Harvester 150 pickup is moving along at a pace that could be described as somewhere between glacial and imperceptible. That’s especially curious considering that the hulk has a rather ravenous appetite for time and money that’s only eclipsed by its affinity for defecating disappointment all over the garage floor. Needless to say, any time I look at the big IH right now, I’m filled with sensations typically associated with ipecac.

And homicide.

So when the good folks at Autemo offered to take a crack at rendering the butternut millstone into something close to my ultimate vision for the project, I was a little skeptical. It wasn’t that I doubted the site’s skills. Autemo is a gateway between enthusiasts and a global network of artists with a similar passion for vehicles. If you’ve got a laundry list of modifications in mind, the crew at Autemo can render them into photo-realistic images in a hurry so that you know exactly what they look like before you spend buckets of cash on parts. So far, the site has served up designs to over 250 clients.

But I’m a man of meager goals, especially when it comes down to this truck. The simple fact is that I’d pawn an organ or three just to be able to pilot the beast across town without having to worry about careening into oncoming traffic, erupting into a fireball or, most dreaded of all, have to be towed home by an inferior model pickup.

There is no greater shame.

That’s not to say that I don’t have a vision for what I’d do with the machine if I had more money than sense. Jack Davies, the founder of Autemo, urged me test his rendering abilities with whatever wants I could dream up no matter how specific. I set aside a solid afternoon for daydreaming and got to work.

Continue reading Autemo gives the ’75 International 150 pickup the rendering treatment…

Gallery: 1975 International Pickup Project Vehicle

Gallery: Autemo Renderings

Renderings by Autemo.com

[Source: Autemo]

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Autemo gives the ’75 International 150 pickup the rendering treatment originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lamborghini Gallardo Tricolore commemorates 150 years of Italian unification

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lamborghini

Lamborghini Gallardo Tricolore

Lamborghini Gallardo Tricolore – Click above for high-res image

Typically, automakers unveil new cars at or before a major auto show, not after. Then again, Lamborghini indeed had its hands (and show stand) full at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month with the all-new Aventador. This special edition Gallardo simply would have been overlooked.

Following the Bicolore edition announced a month ago comes the new Tricolore, which commemorates the 150th anniversary of Italian unification. But rather than upgrade on the former with the addition of a third color, the Tricolore arrives in white with the three colors of the Italian flag as an offset stripe, running over the top of the car and through the cabin. And hopefully, unlike its cross-town rival’s latest grand prix racer dedicated for the same occasion, its name won’t be subject to legal action.

The limited edition model is set to be unveiled next week in Turin, when we can expect more details – including the quantity to be built and the specific drivetrain configuration. The Gallardo’s 5.2-liter V10 engine is currently offered in 550-, 560- and 570-horsepower states of tune, driving either the rear wheels or all four, and with manual or e-gear transmissions. Stay tuned for more.

[Source: OmniAuto.it]

Lamborghini Gallardo Tricolore commemorates 150 years of Italian unification originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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