When customers like you shop for a new vehicle at Randall Reed’s Planet Ford in Humble, they want style, comfort, reliability and, of course, safety. That’s exactly what you’ll find in the Ford F-150 SuperCrew. The best selling truck for 38 years has earned the government’s highest possible crash safety rating .
The Ford F-150 is the toughest, smartest and most capable truck ever. It features 31 new safety-related innovations. With so many layers of safety, it’s no surprise that the SuperCrew has earned a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s New Car Assessment Program.
“The five-star safety rating is a terrific example of One Ford collaboration and innovation,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “Our truck team worked together for years to deliver this accomplishment, using an unprecedented combination of advanced materials throughout the all-new F-150. The 2015 model is engineered to be the safest F-150 ever, which matters to customers who depend on this truck to not only get the job done, but also get them safely home.”
Many wondered how the new truck design would perform in safety test. The F-150 has improved performance thanks to a 700-pound weight savings through the use of high-strength steel in the frame; high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy in the body; and smart engineering.
According to Ford, a cross-functional group comprised of Ford truck product development veterans and researchers worked to optimize vehicle weight savings and manufacturing design to deliver improved durability, capability, fuel economy and crashworthiness. The team created and patented new structures, materials and joining methods that were tested virtually with supercomputer simulations, then retested in Ford’s advanced labs.
Brains Behind the Brawn
Crash testing of the F-150 started with supercomputers before the first units were ever crash-tested in a lab. Ford engineers developed digital safety models with nearly 1.4 million separate elements to examine how even the every part of the truck would stand up to a variety of crash situation.
Backbone of Safety
At the heart of why the F-150 is so safe begins at the bones of the truck — Ford’s signature, fully boxed frame. An extra crossmember was added and engineers increased the use of high-strength steel to improve the vehicles stiffness, durability and safety. Despite the improvements, the team actually helped reduce the frame’s weight up to 60 pounds.
Ford’s safety engineers found that different shapes could aid in safety. For example, the team developed a patented 12-corner front crush horn to dissipate more energy in a front impact. The uniquely shaped structure helps manage crash forces so the frame buckles predictably to keep those forces away from occupants in the cabin.
The Aluminum-alloy Body
Ford’s advanced research and safety teams worked in tandem to engineer the trucks new high-strength, military-grade, aluminum-alloy body structure to manage what happens in the event of a crash.
The truck’s cab features hydroformed roof rails, extruded roof bows to provide lateral strength across the top of the cab and extruded rocker rails to reinforce lower body strength.
Additional safety improvements can be found down to details including how the truck was joined together. For example, welding was not always the most effective way to join parts, so the team developed ways to connect parts using high-strength adhesives. This resulted in structural strength equal to or greater than traditional welds.
Additional Features:
The F-150 now offers an advanced restraint system that includes an adaptive steering column that adjusts energy management depending on occupant size and safety belt usage. In addition, the system includes dual-stage airbags and side-curtain airbags.
That is just the beginning. Here are a few of the new safety highlights:
- Safety belt pretensioners added to the belt anchor side that further tighten the lap belt around front seat occupants
- Curve Control, a technology that slows the truck when it senses the vehicle is going too fast in certain curves
- Available inflatable rear seat belts for SuperCrew (first-time feature)
Driver-assist features
One exciting feature the Prestige Ford (serving Dallas, Rockwall, Mesquite, Plano, Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Richardson) team loves, is the all-new driver-assist and semi-autonomous technologies, including adaptive cruise control and active park assist.
Ford’s lane-keeping system is particularly exciting. It is designed to help prevent drivers from from drifting out of their own lane. The system road lane markings using a camera mounted between the windshield and interior rear view mirror. Anytime a driver is detected as driving, a warning vibration in the steering wheel is used to alert the driver. The lane-keeping aid can also provide assistance to help guide the F-150 (and other select models) back into the lane as needed.
Ford Tough, Still Efficient
It may be lighter but it still can toy a big load. The new truck can tow up to 1,100 more pounds and haul up to 530 more pounds than the 2014 model. Plus, the F-150 has the highest EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of any full-sized gasoline pickup on the market. When it is equipped with the available 2.7-liter EcoBoost® , the F-150 4×2 gets an EPA-estimated rating of 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined.
So, ready to come into Randall Reed’s Prestige for a test drive. Then take the short drive down 635 off Garland Road to 3601 S. Shiloh in Garland, TX. You can shop online 24/7 at www.PrestigeGarland.com.