The winner and still champion?

Automotive Design & Production, March, 2003 by Christopher A. Sawyer

The best selling vehicle in Ford's lineup, and the best selling vehicle in America for more than 20 years, the F-150 is under increased pressure from competitors -- both foreign and domestic -- and consumers who want more for less. Its sales will determine the health of the Ford Motor Company for many years to come.

Other than emphasizing Ford's reliance on the success of a single vehicle line, the fact that Ford has been able to sustain its place at the top of the truck heap with the F-150 suggests the company has a special understanding of the American truck buyer. No doubt the fearsome loyalty truck buyers show to a brand has helped, but the continuation of this bond is by no means certain. After all, the generation that first turned to imported cars--especially those from Japan-in large numbers, and their children--who also have shown a marked tendency to buy from the import stores--have more available choices than their parents, and show less loyalty to a particular brand. And with Toyota about to update the Tundra, and Nissan launching its appropriately named Titan, the battle for dominance in this segment is about to get ugly. No matter who comes out on top, the simple fact remains that more competitors means fewer sales, and smaller potential profits for domestic automakers, especially Ford.

BODY AND CHASSIS

Underpinning the new look is a new chassis, a fully boxed design with seven cross members, an E-coat finish and hydroformed front rails. "Through rails"--cross members welded into laser-cut holes in the side rails--are used throughout, and all frame brackets are welded instead of riveted for long-term durability. The result is a frame that is nine times stiffer in torsion and 50% stiffer in bending than the one it replaces. IT also sits 1.0-in. closer to the road, and directly behind the front bumper.

Both the rear-drive and 4x4 versions of the F-150 use a long-spindle front suspension that features a cast iron knuckle, cast aluminum lower control arm and coil-over-shock damping. The front wheels are allowed to "recess" or move rearward after encountering a bump or uneven surface via specially designed bushings supplied by ZF Lemforder. "The lower control arm bushings' ratio of lateral to longitudinal response is 29:1," says Dan Gomper, Vehicle Dynamics supervisor, "and was achieved by casting voids in target areas of the bushing to increase longitudinal 'give' in a controlled way." Other bushings in the suspension use molded-in metal plates to limit lateral movement. A ball-jointed anti-roll bar, whose bushings are always under tension in order to maintain contact with the anti-roll bar and improve the response of the new rack and pinion steering system, completes the set.

The rear suspension consists of the expected live axle, though the rear dampers have been placed outboard of the frame rail this time in order to create a longer lever arm for better control over ride motions and reduced impact harshness. The leaf springs are 20% wider than before, which makes them the same width-3.0-in.--as the rear leaf springs on the current Super Duty pickup. Front and rear track have been increased by 1.5-in., and vented disc brakes are used all around; the fronts making use of stiffer twin-piston calipers for better response. Electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and ABS are standard equipment for 2004.

Atop this sits a body--a number of body styles, actually--that are significantly more rigid. Each features a high-strength steel reinforced torque box that prevents the front tires from intruding into the passenger compartment in a frontal collision. Two-layer, 2.2-mm high-strength steel is used in the body rocker section between the A-and C-pillars, and structural adhesive and spot welds joins the floor panels together. Despite a six-inch increase in Regular and Super Cab body length, the new bodies are 75% stiffer than the previous generation F-150's. Shear-style body mounts-where rubber separates concentric tubes that are separately mounted to the body and the frame--isolate the cab from ride vibrations.

DESIGN

The 2004 Ford F-ISO builds on established themes that have made it the best selling full-size pickup for the last 20 years. It carries forward the general themes of the last generation truck, and overlays them with the outline and details of the 2003 Mighty F-350 Tonka concept vehicle. Design director] Mays calls the result, "rugged but refined," and in keeping with Ford's "tough truck" ethos.

Stance and section height give the F-150 ruggedness and stability without making it appear unwieldy or brutish. The strong "waterline" establishes a visually stable base, and can be color keyed to the various trim levels, Up front, the hood-mounted trapezoidal grille also changes to match the trim level, going from a body-color surround with a dark, divided grille, to a large chrome border framing a honeycomb insert. The latter is the most cohesive, and works well with the round-element headlights used across-the-board.