North American Truck of the Year

geotex1 wrote:
The insurance companies are not keen on them - I know this to be fact.

Could you please elaborate on this? :@

Its been ongoing that folks are "guessing / suggesting" that insurance is going to be much higher for the 2015 F150.

I suggest it will not.

Even started another thread to try and find out which way its going, but few have been purchased yet by folks on this forum I guess?

Not at all,we all can't agree unless this is a fanboi forum :-)
They deserve major props for the volume being attempted and Iam sure they will succeed.
I think the GM mid size offering(s) are a much bigger risk and they should be recognized,because the Colorado/Canyon could go either way,if they sell well it would mean mid size trucks are back to stay awhile and GM will have rebuilt a market niche

hone eagle wrote:

geotex1 wrote:
Being an engineer, I applaud innovation but I'm also very critical in that the essence of good engineering is to design by/to function. I'm not convinced Ford had that in mind for a working truck, but to be fair the actual percentage of truck buys who buy trucks to have something in the bed a handful of times a year has risen exponentially... Don't need much truck to haul groceries and hockey equipment. Repairs to that aluminum body are going to be expensive every way around. The insurance companies are not keen on them - I know this to be fact. Will be interesting to see how it ultimately proves out.

Nothing innovative at all ,Aluminum has been around in automotive bodies forever in whole or parts.
Insurance companies could care less they will charge what ever extra it will cost to repair and so far it seems to be between $100 and $200 a year,each individual will make their own decision.
To me the never rust is a major plus,and yes I know al oxidizes.

I agree with the insurance position being overplayed. But don't discount what Ford has done. This is not just some engine option that can be mitigated with other options. This is a wholesale change on their flagship vehicle to a different material. If you do not think this take guts from a corporate level you have never run owned a business to identify with this decision. Whether it is successful is an entirely different matter. But this IS a bold move.

FYI, I did not mean this as a dig to your comment and was not relating any business experience to you specifically but in general.

geotex1 wrote:
Being an engineer, I applaud innovation but I'm also very critical in that the essence of good engineering is to design by/to function. I'm not convinced Ford had that in mind for a working truck, but to be fair the actual percentage of truck buys who buy trucks to have something in the bed a handful of times a year has risen exponentially... Don't need much truck to haul groceries and hockey equipment. Repairs to that aluminum body are going to be expensive every way around. The insurance companies are not keen on them - I know this to be fact. Will be interesting to see how it ultimately proves out.

Nothing innovative at all ,Aluminum has been around in automotive bodies forever in whole or parts.
Insurance companies could care less they will charge what ever extra it will cost to repair and so far it seems to be between $100 and $200 a year,each individual will make their own decision.
To me the never rust is a major plus,and yes I know al oxidizes.

Ford deserves the award. They earned it with the new F150.

Being an engineer, I applaud innovation but I'm also very critical in that the essence of good engineering is to design by/to function. I'm not convinced Ford had that in mind for a working truck, but to be fair the actual percentage of truck buys who buy trucks to have something in the bed a handful of times a year has risen exponentially... Don't need much truck to haul groceries and hockey equipment. Repairs to that aluminum body are going to be expensive every way around. The insurance companies are not keen on them - I know this to be fact. Will be interesting to see how it ultimately proves out.

I know many here do not like the complexity of the new vehicles and I understand that. But there are a lot of exiting new ideas coming out of Detroit from all the manufacturers. I wish I had bottomless pockets, it would be nice to have one of each and decide what to drive each day of the week.

That was a no brainer. The new F150 is pretty revolutionary. Teeny engines (the 2.7L EcoBoost is only 167 cu. in. :E) that produce good power and risking it all on a new body material. Good for them.