When we say the 2015 Ford F-150’s aluminum alloy body is tough, we mean it. But it’s not about saying it, we want to show it and answer your tough questions about how durable the new truck actually is. So we pushed it to the limit and came away with more evidence that this is one tough truck. You had some pretty tough questions about how we put the 2015 F-150 through the ringer, so here are your tough answers.
Isn’t aluminum weaker than steel?
We could go into the science of the whole thing… OR you can watch this video to find out how we tough-tested the aluminum alloy body and got some great results.
So other than driving the new truck all over a bunch of different terrains, what did you do differently to make sure it’s actually “tough”?
The new F-150 has been pushed to the limits both inside a lab and outdoors in some extreme conditions. Our world-class team of engineers used computer simulations and posed some real-world challenges that the truck passed with flying colours. But if that wasn’t enough, we put some of our hardest working customers behind the wheel and loaded it down, went up steep grades, and took sharp curves. We will put over 16 million cumulative kilometres on the truck before it rolls off the line. Seriously, you can rest assured the 2015 F-150 is Built Ford Tough.
It gets cold in Canada. Like REALLY cold. How well does this new truck handle freezing temperatures?
As part of the testing procedure, we made sure to put the truck through some extreme heat and arctic-like cold. Specifically, we put the truck through weather conditions ranging from 49 degrees Celsius to -40 degrees Celsius. In short, the 2015 F-150 can handle those Canadian winters.
So it looks like you guys tested the truck, but did anyone else?
Along with using world-class engineers to lab-test the durability of the new truck, we also put some of our hardest working customers behind the wheel. Workers in construction, mining and utilities, all those who understand the rigors of their respective jobs, have all helped us test the durability of the high-strength aluminum alloy cargo box.
Where did you test the new F-150?
We didn’t just recreate extreme driving conditions; we took the new truck through some of our planet’s toughest terrain. We crisscrossed the continent pulling heavy trailers and hefty loads through desert valleys and over high-altitude mountain passes. We even disguised the new F-150 and raced in the Baja 1000, where it earned the distinction of completing all 1,421 gruelling kilometres.
In case you missed it, check out the video on durability testing and stay tuned for our next video where we focus on manufacturing.