2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Edmunds.com

2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

We purchased a 2015 Ford F-150 to test the lighter, aluminum-bodied truck to see if it delivers the same level of toughness along with improve mileage.

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barryhuber

Why navigation is 2014? Everybody has a phone with navigation. Just doesn't make sense that's even an extra cost feature in this age. That's like getting a car without AC or power windows. GPS is essentially free at this point for car makers. The big screens are already part of all new car designs. The technology is decades old. So what really costs Ford $100-200 for navigation?

barryhuber

barryhuber said:

Why navigation is 2014? Everybody has a phone with navigation. Just doesn't make sense that's even an extra cost feature in this age. That's like getting a car without AC or power windows. GPS is essentially free at this point for car makers. The big screens are already part of all new car designs. The technology is decades old. So what really costs Ford $100-200 for navigation?

Um 2015.

jeepsrt

"This was a custom order, so we paid the sticker price." I "custom" ordered my Raptor in 2012 and got $4000 off of sticker, I would think you could at least get something off since it's a regular F-150.

Eddie1971

Aluminum body. Another gimmick like the "Eco-Boost". Ford is garbage for the masses.

ebeaudoin

I will be reading every single update of this truck. I'm an avid reader of all of Edmund's long-term tests, but this one in particular has me giddy. Can't wait to see some of the ranges you post with that 36-gallon fuel tank!

bankerdanny

jeepsrt said:

"This was a custom order, so we paid the sticker price." I "custom" ordered my Raptor in 2012 and got $4000 off of sticker, I would think you could at least get something off since it's a regular F-150.

What is a "custom" order (vs custom without the quotes)?

Dealers pay interest on every new vehicle (and some used) on the lot. Factory-to-dealer incentives related to sales volume or particular models only apply to in-stock vehicles. Likewise factory to customer rebates only apply to in-stock. So if you buy off the lot or if you buy a vehicle that the dealer can obtain from another dealer (typically by trading another one off the lot) there are incentives they can use to negotiate price.

But a true custom order directly from the factory is only going to have whatever the profit margin would be available . On trucks that is a pretty big number, but even so there is little incentive for the dealer to negotiate down the price of a vehicle truly built to your specific taste just like a tailor charges more for a bespoke suit.

barryhuber

bankerdanny said:

jeepsrt said:

"This was a custom order, so we paid the sticker price." I "custom" ordered my Raptor in 2012 and got $4000 off of sticker, I would think you could at least get something off since it's a regular F-150.

What is a "custom" order (vs custom without the quotes)?

Dealers pay interest on every new vehicle (and some used) on the lot. Factory-to-dealer incentives related to sales volume or particular models only apply to in-stock vehicles. Likewise factory to customer rebates only apply to in-stock. So if you buy off the lot or if you buy a vehicle that the dealer can obtain from another dealer (typically by trading another one off the lot) there are incentives they can use to negotiate price.

But a true custom order directly from the factory is only going to have whatever the profit margin would be available . On trucks that is a pretty big number, but even so there is little incentive for the dealer to negotiate down the price of a vehicle truly built to your specific taste just like a tailor charges more for a bespoke suit.

Maybe true on trucks. On luxury cars I always custom order and pay around invoice (or less with some incentives).

jstrauch81

jeepsrt said:

"This was a custom order, so we paid the sticker price." I "custom" ordered my Raptor in 2012 and got $4000 off of sticker, I would think you could at least get something off since it's a regular F-150.

Same here, I about spit my water out of my mouth when I read that. Who pays sticker? I understand it's a 2015 but still..

stever

bankerdanny said:

Dealers pay interest on every new vehicle (and some used) on the lot.

I've been surprised the last few years to hear about more than a few dealers out there with so much cash on hand they don't have to floor-plan their inventory. I guess interest rates are so low they figure it's more profitable to tie up their money in cars instead of CDs. It would be fun to find out what the real number is.

With self-financing the dealers get to use the holdback on stuff like salaries, and they don't have to send a certain percentage of car loan business to the floor-plan lender. Not sure when this article was written, but the interest savings could be $100 a month on every car on the lot. (MAFCU.org)

alexhc09

Because they opted for the 3.73 rear end, this truck will not get the advertised fuel economy. Most likely it will get around 19 or 20. It will be interesting to see what they think.

bigeddy

No one should pay sticker price. A sold order like this should be at least invoice minus holdback and factory incentives because the dealer does not need to store or advertise it. Edmunds is setting a bad example.

bankerdanny

Invoice minus the holdack and dealer incetives, so basically true cost with $0 profit, and then they pay commission, so they actually lose money on the sale before factoring in overhead. Why would they want to do that? You can't make up $0 profit "on volume."

s197gt

apparently you have never heard of "first citywide change bank".

http://www.hulu.com/watch/4258

http://www.hulu.com/watch/2315

"a lot of our customers ask us how me make money doing this. the answer is simple: volume."

bankerdanny said:

Invoice minus the holdack and dealer incetives, so basically true cost with $0 profit, and then they pay commission, so they actually lose money on the sale before factoring in overhead. Why would they want to do that? You can't make up $0 profit "on volume."

chol92594

Eddie1971 said:

Aluminum body. Another gimmick like the "Eco-Boost". Ford is garbage for the masses.

Ford isn't my favorite car maker on the planet, but you can hardly call EcoBoost or the switch to aluminum a gimmick. Many manufacturers have been favoring smaller, forced-induction engines in recent years as a way to improve fuel economy without sacrificing performance. Switching to aluminum saves weight, which augments the usefulness of an EcoBoost engine by giving it less weight to haul around. Many manufacturers have been using lighter materials on their models to save weight and improve economy/performance. The groundbreaking thing with the F150 is that it's being done to a truck, not a car or unibody SUV. Ford has already said that the frame is not aluminum and that the new F150 is not any weaker due to its use of aluminum. Plus, bodyshops have been working on cars with aluminum body panels for years now, so there isn't really any reason to worry about complications with collision repair as long as the truck is being serviced be a reputable and competent staff.

mr_bots

Should shove a borescope down the intake every 5-10k miles, or at least once right before you get rid of it to see how the 2.7 does on carbon build-up. Seems pretty documented the 3.5 EB doesn't do well at all, maybe the thoroughly different 2.7 would be better? Infact, you should do this on all the DI vehicles in the fleet. F150, Colorado, etc.

myob

Sticker price? Some consumer car website you guys are. Truecar had them with discounts from day one. Check elsewhere for information on what to pay for one people.

d_d_in_ky

On 5-Feb-2015,we took receipt of a XLT Super Cab with a drive train consisting of; a 3.55 differential, 4x4 with the 2.7 liter V6. According to the sticker the towing capability is 6500# GVWR. We bought it using the X-Plan as I am a retired tier 1 supplier employee. Adding back in our trade-in we paid $37,500 for the vehicle. That includes sales tax, title...out the door, if you want to say. We opted for Equipt.Group 301A, tailgate & side steps, black running boards and cloth interior. I am putting on the rear wheel well liners (+$180) to shield the side step from wheel spray. We keep you posted on gas mileage and reliability. We are NOT high mileage drivers though. First impression of the vehicle is WOW, we love it !