2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Testing with Mike Rowe

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2011 Ford F-150 

It's not going to be easy to suasion truck buyers that they can have all the power, performance, and durability of a V-8 with just six cylinders, but that's th missionin front of Ford with its new 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine for the new F-150. Maybe you've seen the firsthire purchase of Ford's torture test campaign, rolled out as a multipart Internet short-form documentary with the "Dirty Jobs" guy, Mike Rowe, highlighting all the tests Ford put the new engine through in six months.

Ford completely revamped the F-150 powertrain lineup by offering four new engines, including a new all-aluminum 3.7-liter DOHC V-6, an all-aluminum 5.0-liter DOHC V-8, an all-new all-aluminum 3.5-liter EcoBoost direct-injection twin turbo DOHC V-6, and the 6.2-liter SOHC V-8 we've already seen in the Raptor and new Super Dutys. This new EcoBoost engine (also used in the SHO Taurus) is Ford's first application of the technology in a pickup truck, offering considerably better fuel economy numbers while holding onto maximum payload and towing numbers for the F-150 frame. It won't be an easy sell for loyal V-8 customers who are accustomed to the strength and durability of their favorite small-block half-tons. To counter their skepticism, Ford marketing gurus (no doubt after consulting with a few (engineers) have devised a multi-stage torture test worthy of the Marquis de Sade.
                                 

 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost 

The plan goes something like this: Pull an 3.5L EcoBoost off the line at random; run it on a shock-test dyno for the equivalent of 150,000 miles; drop that engine into a 2011 Red Candy Metallic SuperCrew XLT 4x4; send it deep into the Oregon forests to do heavy-duty log pulling; then have it do some more 24-hour torture testing pulling a heavy load at acelebrity raceway; then take the vehicle back to Davis Dam for some more towing with a few competitors; then finally yam the engine out of the F-150 and put into a competitive desert racetruck to run the Baja 1000. And then engineers will tear it down to see what kind of wear they find. So far, the engine has performed the perfect, without a single hiccup, but the torture is far from over. In fact, it's quite easy to identify this exact engine's ID number along the way. It's prominently displayed at the front of the right cylinder head as #448AA.
                      

                                           2011 Ford F-150  Engine

Post Title → 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Testing with Mike Rowe

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Ford unleashes the 2011 Harley-Davidson F-150

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Although hardly unexpected, there was little physical evidence proving the existence of a new, 6.2-liter V8-powered Harley-Davidson F-150 in the works for 2011, but Ford has just made it official.
Heritage of Ford and Harley
The latest collaboration between Ford Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Motorcycles marks the 15th such model, all of which have been based on Ford trucks ranging from the F-150 all the way up to the F-450. Over the years Harley-Davidson edition Ford trucks have ranged from having standard V8 engines, to special supercharged engines, to standard turbocharged diesels, and now to a special high-performance V8 which is only found under the hood of one other F-150, the SVT Raptor.
Most capable Harley-Davidson F-150 ever
Ford says the 2011 HD F-150 is the most powerful and most capable model in the history of the collaborations yet, packing 411 horsepower, 434 lb-ft of torque and up to 9,300 lbs of towing capacity. In addition to seriously upping the power quotient, the latest F-150 HD edition also gains some serious standard features, such as voice-activated navigation, a 4.2-inch productivity screen built into the gauge cluster, rear-view camera, ambient lighting, first and second-row heated seats, a power moonroof and remote start.


Unique styling to separate from the rest of the line-up
With the Harley-Davidson F-150 comes a substantial list of premium features, and of course a premium price point to go along with it. As a result, Ford made several changes to the standard F-150 inside and out in order to make it worthy of its unique badging and premium pricing.
The exterior of the 2011 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 is marked by a bold new front fascia with a six-bar billet-style satin chrome grille. The headlamp housing is tinted darker, with matching tinted rear taillamps as well. Changes to the front fascia also included a unique blacked-out lower grille.
The side of the F-150 features monochrome painted door handles, mirror caps and fender flares - along with a unique, powered and fully integrated deployable running board. Along the top of the bed are the words "Harley-Davidson" finished in satin chrome.
Also standard are 22-inch Euroflange forged wheels with a polished center wheel cap and low-profile performance tires. The paint selection is limited to classic Harley-Davidson colors: Tuxedo Black and Ingot Silver, each with new graphics on the hood and body side of the truck. The graphics are executed in an engine-turned finish and feature dimensional satin chrome "Harley-Davidson" lettering. Ford says the graphics were intended to be reminiscent of the "speed scallops" used on hot rods.
Inside the HD F-150 you will find unique brightwork, a mix of a black piano finish and brushed aluminum, as well as unique Harley-Davidson badging.
Pricing has not yet been released, but expect dealers to begin taking orders in the very near future.

Post Title → Ford unleashes the 2011 Harley-Davidson F-150

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Ford F-150 Supercrew Lariat Review

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If you were wondering why Lincoln chose to discontinue building the Mark LT pickup this year, meet the reason:

The Ford F-150 4X4 Supercrew Lariat.

A fact fewer and fewer people seem to know: Full-size pickup trucks can be fairly cheap. A base Ford F-150 XL standard cab starts at $20,815.

But not this one. Base price: $37,990. And the Ford PR folks slathered on more than eight grand worth of options (special color metallic paint, limited slip axle, navigation, a chrome step bar, moonroof, the Lariat Plus package, 20 inch aluminum wheels, a trailer brake controller and heated and cooled leather captain's chairs) for a bottom line before discounts of $46,195.

Thank goodness for the $1,000 Lariat premium discount...it's really only $45,195.

Incredibly, the Lariat isn't the top of the line...meaning $45,195 isn't all the money you can spend for a Ford truck. The King Ranch edition starts about six grand higher than the Lariat base price...and the Platinum goes $1600 above the King Ranch.

Meaning you can break $50,000 here.

Mileage? Well, rent a car to go to the Sierra Club meetings. The EPA says 14 city/18 highway.

So...given all that, how is it?

If you want a full-size, four-door truck loaded like only Lincoln Town Cars used to be (and more tasefully at that)...and it appears that's exactly how truck buyers like them these days, then this is the one.

At least, I think. It's definitely one-upped the Chevy Silverado. There's also a new Dodge Ram pickup for 2009, but Chrysler pulled it out of the Phoenix press fleet a few weeks before my scheduled week in it. Will we see one again? If you know the answer, a courtesy call to the UAW workers biting their nails over Mopar's future would be nice.

                                                           

Keep your gear dry with a Ford F150 tonneau cover from AmericanTrucks.

Post Title → Ford F-150 Supercrew Lariat Review

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Ford F-150 Harley Davidson Review

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Upside to the current downturn in car (and especially truck) sales: There are still vehicles on dealer lots that should have been gone a long time ago...and you can get screaming deals.

Case in point: The 2008 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson. It's the most powerful factory-built F-series truck ever. Just how powerful is that? 450 horsepower and 500 lbs/ft of torque from a 5.4 liter supercharged V8 engine. And all that's wrapped in some of the baddest-looking truck on the road. What do you get? Let's just quote liberally from the Ford press release:

Unique chrome billet grille and lower front valance.

Body color bumper, mirror caps, ground effects, door and tailgate handles.

Blacked-out headlamps with black bulb shield and dark tinted, smoked-out taillamps.

Windshield with Bar & Shield logo dot pattern and Alliance logo.

New 22-inch polished forged-aluminum wheels with the Bar & Shield logo on center caps.

Forged aluminum "105th Anniversary Harley-Davidson F-150" Medallions on the fenders and tailgate.

Chrome dual exhaust tips and tie-down hooks.

Rubber bed mat with HARLEY-DAVIDSON Bar & Shield logo.

The Vintage Copper and Black color scheme is carried onto the interior that features Black/Dusted Copper leather-trimmed front captain's chairs and rear bench seat with die-cast Bar & Shield logos embedded in the leather. Other interior features are:

Two-tone leather shifter, console lid and steering wheel.

High-gloss piano black floor console and center stack with the Bar & Shield logos, as well as chrome vent rings and unique instrument cluster.

Serialized nickel plate displaying the production VIN and number.

Brushed stainless steel pedals.

The center stack, matching door-trim panels and lower part of the windshield feature numerous miniature Bar & Shield logos. In fact, the center stack panel was inspired by similar panels found on certain Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

We'll stop quoting the press release here and tell you that the week-long test of this truck was one long giggle. More fun than I usually have with cars and that's saying something. This one was a loaded 2-wheel drive model...$13,000 worth of options (pretty much everything available) running the final total up to a whopping $50,035.

Now remember, this is an '08. The all-new '09 F-150s are arriving at dealerships as you read this. The limited run of '08 Harley-Davidson editions should have been in happy owners' garages months ago. But you know what happened to truck sales. A quick search online as this is written shows a few examples languishing on dealer lots with price tags as much as $10,000 cheaper than MSRP. Now's your chance.

Post Title → Ford F-150 Harley Davidson Review

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