New F-150 squeezes out a few more mpg
DETROIT -- It used to be all about the brawn in the pickup market: Which one could tow more, which could carry more heavy stuff, which one could leap the taller buildings.
But now automakers are embarking on a new battle: Who can offer a sufficiently brawny truck that also gets at least 20 miles per gallon on the highway?
Ford delayed for two months its new F-150, which now will roll into dealerships sometime next month, and has developed another version for it: The SFE, which stands for Superior Fuel Efficiency. Ford promises the truck will get 20 to 21 miles per gallon on the highway, a 6% to 8% increase over the standard models.
Meanwhile, Chrysler's new Dodge Ram, hitting showrooms now, also has updates to fuel economy. The two-wheel-drive Ram 1500 with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 engine will get 20 miles per gallon highway, as will V-6 Rams.
The pickup market has taken a battering this year. Pickups made up about 13% of the overall car market at the end of February but fell to just 8% of the overall market in the summer.
As soon as the market began falling, Ford started looking for ways to make the new F-150 use less gas. It meant going over every aspect of the new F-150, which already had been designed to use less gas.
Getting better fuel economy takes "a lot of little actions, hundreds of little changes," says Matt O'Leary, chief engineer of the F-150. "It takes a lot of attention to detail, and a lot of analyzing everything that drains energy from the vehicle."
Two key designs in the body of the F-150 help make it more aerodynamic. The back of the cab is indented, and the tailgate has a slight fin, which helps move air more easily.
The SFE package, which will be offered at no extra charge to buyers of the F-150 XLT with the 4.6-liter V-8 and for $1,000 more for buyers of the base XL, also includes low-resistance tires and technology that shuts off fuel when the truck is decelerating.
Ford says customers won't have to trade power and load or towing capacity for fuel economy.
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