The 2015 Ford F150 Debuts in Detroit as the Strongest and Most Durable Ever

There were a great many new product debuts that we expected to see at the 2014 North American International Auto Show but the 2015 Ford F150 was not one of them – with the new half ton truck being billed as “the strongest and most durable F150 ever” by the company while a bold new looks separates this new generation Ford truck from the previous years.

First thing first: we don’t know all that much about the 2015 Ford F150 just yet. Ford Motor Company made a big deal about the debut of the next generation F150 as surprisingly, it was the main focus of their Monday morning press event and the centerpiece of their sprawling display in Detroit’s Cobo Hall (rather than the 2015 Mustang). However, Ford was very short winded in terms of actual hard figures on the 13th generation of the Ford F150 – instead offering up some vital key facts and leaving the rest to our imaginations.

The most important thing that we do know about the 2015 Ford F150 is that the Motor Company relied heavily on aluminum alloys in the construction of the new half ton pickup. While the fully boxed ladder frame of this new F150 is high strength steel, much of the rest of the chassis structure is made out of aluminum and while you might wonder if aluminum is too weak for a hard working pickup – Ford points out that this same type of aluminum is used in the construction of the military grade Humvee’s current in action overseas. This combination of high strength steel and super strong aluminum alloy allowed Ford to shave a whopping 700 pounds from the curb weight relative to the current (2014) F150. Best of all, to put to bed any concerns of this truck not being able to stand up to abuse due to the lightweight nature, Ford also points out that the architecture of this new F150 was used to run – and finish- the grueling 883 mile Baja 1000 race under the skin of a current F150 race truck.

In fact, Ford stated that the 2015 F150 would be the strongest and most durable F150 of all time and with the Ford half ton truck program entering its 67th year – that is a serious proclamation. Helping this new F150 to be the strongest F150 ever are a few of the same engines from the current F150 lineup with the 3.7L V6 base engine, the 5.0L V8 and the 3.5L EcoBoost while the 6.2L V8 will not continue on. Joining these engines for 2015 is a new 2.7L EcoBoost V6 that will focus more on fuel economy and less on power so while this new EcoBoost V6 wont pack the power or the working ability of the popular 3.5L EcoBoost, it could offer the best fuel economy in the entire American truck segment…especially when you consider that this Ford pickup is 700lbs lighter than the outgoing model that is already quite efficient.

Strength, efficiency and durability aside, the most noticeable change for the 2015 Ford F150 is the total redesign of the exterior. This new F150 closely follows the styling cues of the Ford Atlas Concept that debuted last year in Detroit and while the production version of the 2015 F150 isnt quite as bold as the Atlas, this new F150 looks like a truck that will easily continue Ford’s streak of the F Series being the bestselling vehicle and truck in America. Along with new lines in the sides, roof and bed, the 2015 F150 has a front end that sports more than a little styling direction from the Ford Super Duty lineup with a set of massive “stacked” headlights flanking a gigantic (and I mean gigantic) grille which comes in a variety of different shapes depending on the trimline chosen. This front end is more upright and it meets the grille at a sharper angle than the current F150 but – again – it is more like the current Super Duty and I can only see that being a good thing for Ford Motor Company. Along the sides, the 13th generation Ford F150 doesn’t look all that different from the 2014 F150 with the exception of some sculpting tweaks here and there but out back there is a new set of taillights and a restyled tailgate face that combine to allow the 2015 F150 to stand out from the outgoing models. This back end isn’t as wildly different as the front end but it is more than enough for the next generation of the top selling Ford F150.

Click any of the thumbnails above for a closer look at the 2015 Ford F150 in a variety of colors and trimlines and stay tuned to TorqueNews.com for all of your biggest automotive information!